Safety Alert - Welding Burn

Thursday 20 September 2018

What happened

A worker assisting with a welding task sustained a serious foot burn.

How did it happen

The worker was removing excess weld using a hydraulic welding shear when a piece of hot weld slag landed between the laces and tongue of their safety boot. The weld slag burned through the top of the worker’s boot and burned the workers foot.

Immediate actions taken

• Work ceased and the injured worker was assisted to remove their boot. First aid was administered on site immediately, before the injured worker was transported to hospital and admitted as an inpatient.
• The DPTI Safety Section notified SafeWork SA of the incident and are currently investigating the incident.

Recommendations

• Before undertaking any task, ensure a risk assessment is undertaken including a review of controls to mitigate the risk of injury.
• Any worker undertaking/assisting in welding tasks must have appropriate heat resistant safety boots including welding spats.
• Other potential welding guards should be considered as additional protection.
• Review any risk management tools including SafeWork Method Statements (SWMS) as required.
• Inform relevant workers / work groups.

Other resources

Welding Processes Code of Practice

For further information contact the DPTI Safety Team: DPTI.SafetyEnquiries@sa.gov.au