While workers performing electric arc welding are subject to hazards related to the inhalation of toxic fumes, eye hazards, burns, or fires, the most potentially perilous hazard they face is electrical shock, which can result in electrocution and other horrific physiological problems. Preventing electrical shock should therefore be a top priority within a company safety program that also addresses the other hazards associated with electric arc welding.
Why is preventing electrical shock so important? Most electric arc welding machines used in mechanical construction push up to 600 V and generate a current between 10-600 A. However, it only takes 70-100 milliamps (mA) to kill a human being, and a mA is only one one-thousandth of a simple amp.