Will Welding Give Me Cancer? Safety Concerns...

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Hi there. I'm interested in a career in welding.It appeals to me because it's one of the few jobs now that doesn't require a degree. Call me crazy but I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and many thousands of dollars so I can sit in an office all day typing.Now, the only thing that really concerns me are the safety aspects of the job. Like, blindness, deafness, inhaling fumes, etc. Like, how much can these be avoided?Thanks.
Reply:Welcome?Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Good luck mate.Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Yes, but so will eating pesticides on food. Make sure you use your PPE and you'll be fine.
Reply:I would worry more about getting herpes because skanks love welders wooooo!  JK Everything is good for you and everything is bad for you, its all about moderation ! Seriously though just do the school thing and bust nuts working very hard and pushing buttons on a keyboard to make 30 bucks an hour, Trades are ok especially when you can get your foot in the door doing some manufacturing or something long term but its not like you can find jobs like that everyday. Current market tends to only hire experienced workers but how the hell is one going to get experience if no one will give you a chance? Kind of Fucqed up if you ask me. I was going to stop working and go on welfare but since its so tabo I am going to start selling drugs   No one ever talks chit about the drug dealer because their afraid to get a cap in the a$$
Reply:Originally Posted by NinjaRaySeriously though just do the school thing and bust nuts working very hard and pushing buttons on a keyboard to make 30 bucks an hour, Trades are ok especially when you can get your foot in the door doing some manufacturing or something long term but its not like you can find jobs like that everyday. Current market tends to only hire experienced workers but how the hell is one going to get experience if no one will give you a chance? Kind of Fucqed up if you ask me.:
Reply:Everything gives you cancer, some stuff just faster than others.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Welders are a dime a dozen here in Oklahoma.  Suppose it's the same everywhere.Blue collar work is pretty well finished in this country, you can thank big business for that.  The service industry is close behind, except for menial jobs.Want to see what our future is?.............look at Europe.  No middle class, small upper class, and a lot of people barely hanging on.It all went to Asia"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Office jobs aren't for everyone. There's still work out there for those willing to get dirty. The question is how much money you will make doing so. True, chances are just out of school after learning to weld you won't make big bucks, but that also applies if you walk out with a college degree. However you are probably more likely to land a job doing what you went to school for than flipping burgers than if you came out with a basic liberal arts degree or a business degree.As far as cancer, according to California, everything you do will give it to you, including sitting in front of the computer screen. Common sense and good PPE will take care of most of it. Keep in mind those jobs that usually have the biggest pay check also often have the greatest risk of injury and death. You won't make top dollar welding mufflers on an assembly line, but chances of dying aren't all that high. Work on high steel or off shore rigs with more risk, and chances are you'll get paid better for the chances you are willing to take..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:engineering or computer science. you can walk out of school and make 70k. high demand jobs that probably aren't going away soon. don't know your skillset or interest but, there are 2-3month developer workshops that can get you job ready pretty fast for about 15-20k. maybe less if you look around.i'm in middle of career change and just went back to school for second time (i'm 33) switching from commercial photographer to engineering.... felt like a change so that's what i'm doing. i got a liberal arts degree initially although i was originally set to do computer science(should have done that first time around  ).i like making stuff and all that but realized real fast after doing a 4 month stint working in a metal shop on a movie 60+ hours a week that it's not what i'd want to do for the next 20-30 yrs....too hard on the body for me and not enough personal time.but if you want to do welding i seriously  suggest looking at the movie business if there's production in your area.  you start at 25/hr regardless of experience. can make up to 43ish/hr base pay once you been at it while.  OT pay once your work more than 8hrs in a day.  1.5x all day on 6th day. double time all day on 7th day.easier to get in if you live in a right to work state as you don't have to be in the Union to get started.
Reply:Will eating too much red meat give you cancer??, Or Smoking etc... Now, the only thing that really concerns me are the safety aspects of the job. Like, blindness, deafness, inhaling fumes, etc. Like, how much can these be avoided?
Reply:Proven fact, fresh air and sunshine will give cancer. Some people get sick some dont thats life.
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboyengineering or computer science. you can walk out of school and make 70k.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPBoy that's news to me. The company I worked for would hire kids right out of engineering school by the dozens. I had one of these engineer kids assigned to me on a job in California. I made more for subsistence than he did for wages.
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboyengineering or computer science. you can walk out of school and make 70k. high demand jobs that probably aren't going away soon. don't know your skillset or interest but, there are 2-3month developer workshops that can get you job ready pretty fast for about 15-20k. maybe less if you look around.i'm in middle of career change and just went back to school for second time (i'm 33) switching from commercial photographer to engineering.... felt like a change so that's what i'm doing. i got a liberal arts degree initially although i was originally set to do computer science(should have done that first time around  ).i like making stuff and all that but realized real fast after doing a 4 month stint working in a metal shop on a movie 60+ hours a week that it's not what i'd want to do for the next 20-30 yrs....too hard on the body for me and not enough personal time.but if you want to do welding i seriously  suggest looking at the movie business if there's production in your area.  you start at 25/hr regardless of experience. can make up to 43ish/hr base pay once you been at it while.  OT pay once your work more than 8hrs in a day.  1.5x all day on 6th day. double time all day on 7th day.easier to get in if you live in a right to work state as you don't have to be in the Union to get started.
Reply:I don't know what you guys are talking about, there's is tons of work for welders. Guys with degrees are a dime a dozen, someone with skills to weld code is not. At my work (shell oil refinery) we can't hire as fast as guys are retiring, there's a obvious lack of young skilled labor. We get maybe 15 guys to come in a take a pipe test and maybe 1 makes it past the root. This is a job that base salary is $42 an hour or 87k per year not adding OT and bonuses. Easy to make $120k with killer benefits and union. And the reason we aren't getting more guys is most of the contractors are paying their welders even more than we are...never heard of a pipe welder in my area struggling to find work or make ends meet. And it's only getting worse as far as the need for skilled welders.As far as the health concerns, I've started wearing a speedglass 9100 PAPR respirator hood whenever I can in the shop. I figure if I'm going to do this for the long haul I need to protect myself. But we also have smoke suckers to help with fumes.
Reply:Black collar, where do you live? That seems to have a big impact on what kind of living you can make as a welder.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboyok maybe avg is 65k
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPStill seems very high to me! When ever I was on a job big enough for an engineer to be assigned to me. Sooner or later they would ask what college I went to. I would reply, college? Yeah I drove by one once. Here is the company I worked for, just a mom & pop operation.http://www.generalconstructionco.com/index.asp
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeMine was Coopers Ale House with all the other blue collar dudes. Many of guys got hooked up with jobs just being around that place. Last time I visited there was about four people sitting by themselves playing with there cell phones.  and it was a ghost town. Sad. When blue collar and college worked together I would say do your thing to any young kid, it does not work like that anymore. You can't have one special kid out of 200 that wants to get into the trades and 199 that want to go to school and stay clean and get into management/engineering or whatever. Someone has to be the grunt and do the work, end of story. My friends son recently lost his job as a computer guy and he begged me to help him find a job so the kid wouldn't default on his mortgage. I don't like burning up favors, but I like the guy and promised I would make some calls but whatever I could get would be bullwork esp with no skills. His words were he would shovel shlt right now, he's up against the ropes. One phone call later I got him a job as a laborer on a construction site making 30 bucks a hr. off the books. He stayed till he was back on his feet for about 6mths. That's how short handed the trades are. Not bad money for a cash deal and zero skills.
Reply:Yes you can get cancer from welding. Don't you know everything out of moderation can kill you. Drinking to much water will kill you. I looked at the California proposition 65 list of cancer causing agents. http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_li...ngle060614.pdf Among them is wood dust so you won't want to be a carpenter. Leather dust, you can't be a shoe Taylor. Contraceptives so if you love your future/present wife don't let her take them. Any ways you probably wouldn't like welding. It's dirty, hard work, and you get burned. Just drop out of society and try to live self- sustained. In case you didn't know the Republic is on life support and will be dead shortly, artificial intelligence is going to take everybody's job and then turn on us and kill and enslave us. If that don't kill us climate change, overpopulation, comet, asteroid, epidemic  diesease, all the above or something I forgot to mention will. To be honest I don't understand young folks nowadays. Do the research yourself don't value the opinions of others so much. To my knowledge none of us are physicians. Even if we where we could not tell you if you personally will get cancer from welding. It's your life live it like you want. Please don't tell me you wanted to hear different ideas. Again I remind you not a damn one of us are experts. Well maybe at welding.Last edited by Arcspar; 12-01-2014 at 05:02 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEP20 some years ago my x son-n-law begged me to get him in the union. That big money always gets in their eyes. I said Kurt, you're not cut out for construction. You will starve to death! He is a cop now. I have friends who are still running work. Member here JAS if he has an opening he will hire people I suggest. Another very good friend of mine is running the new sea wall project down town Seattle. He will hire anybody I suggest. The problem is, I can open doors, but it's up to them to keep their job. JAS, or my other buddy will tramp your a$$ in a heart beat if you don't perform!
Reply:Ummmmm I like jelly donuts! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:If you are trying not to get cancer or be injured, welding isn't the best career. Of course nobody wants to get injured but with welding it is easier. One thing to prevent injury is to be cautious and pay attention. Another is try and get a fume extractor or respirator should work also. The fumes can be very bad as you probably already have heard before. For example, when welding galvanized material, you burn some of the coating and the fumes from it can make you very sick. I had a friend who had been welding for countless years and messed up his arm many times at work. One time he was working with I beams and some how one fell and crushed his arm. Another time he was grinding under a truck, the grinder slipped and cut his arm up. If you are not getting my point, welding can be dangerous if you don't pay attention and aren't working safely.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPUmmmmm I like jelly donuts!Had cancer, clean for years. I drive a truck now. I am trained as a union electrician, skilled in communications, fiber, etc. Just not much in the way of good jobs in my area, so I use my fall back to pay the bills, Just how it is currently, I love to work at anything even working as a daylaborer last winter to pay bills. So, long story short, be willing to do whatever you can to make a living, enjoying it along the way, it is more experience to draw from. I have learned something from everyone I have ever worked with. Just be open to it.RegardsDave
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeNot enough personal time  So go to college at 33 years old for four years, finish up at 37, try and find a job for the next year or two, then when you finally do find one due to the market being flooded with out of work college kids, you can spend the next couple of years paying back all your college grants. Now your in your early forties and you can work till you die. How's that for personal time. Or you can bust your butt like my friend CEP did and retire early enough to have all the time in the world to enjoy the rest of his life. Don't look at now, look at your future, that's what will make you or break you. The world needs grunts and don't forget that. The world does not need anymore out of work college kids with dept up to there ears and a liberal/arts and computer "science" degree. Some foreign kid will probably get that job before you anyway. Anyways just remember. Lose your back and you still got your mind......lose your mind and your done. Good luck, and just my trutheful opinion. Oh p.s., working hard keeps you healthy.
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboya robot is just as likely to steal a welder's job.
Reply:Saliva causes cancer. If you never swallow you won't get it. I don't smoke, I'm careful about other exposures. In 45 years of welding, exposure to asbestos including vermiculite, and a multitude of other exposures, thus far, I don't have cancer. Be prudent, be intelligent with fans, use a respirator when necessary, your risk is reduced. Live in a bubble, you'll be safe to suffer boredom 100 years. Experience all that life can offer, and live 80 years, I'll take the latter.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPUmmmmm I like jelly donuts!
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPWonder when that will happen?
Reply:In a factory setting, I can see where robots have there place. I've never seen two construction jobs the same.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:OP, you might search the first couple pages of threads in the Safety Forum here.  Within the last month or two, there was a thread with a guy asking exactly what you're asking, and he got some more detailed info than you're getting here.
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboyto each his own.  I'm not hating on grunts or blue collar work there is a ton of value in that which is why i'm still working in a shop right now and I like it, just not 60+ a week. it's a bit dumb to only study concept and theory without any exposure to real world application.  I have no problem working hard.  I spent the past 8yrs being self employed and working for myself. and that was a lot harder and a lot more stressful but, also a lot more rewarding.  got to do what i wanted when i wanted just like 'dem retired folks except I was in my 20's and work was play b/c I loved what I did.  now i don't enjoy it so much anymore so moving on.   I could have kept on with the movie stuff making real good money but it's not what i want to do long term. School's what I feel like doing right now and i agree it's not for everyone nor is it the only answer but it fits me at this point in time. if you would have asked me 2yrs ago if I would be going back to school I would have laughed in your face.a "foreign kid" might steal my computer job but a robot is just as likely to steal a welder's job.
Reply:Originally Posted by cajunboya "foreign kid" might steal my computer job but a robot is just as likely to steal a welder's job.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveWhere do people get this crap?My older brother is overseas in Kuala Lumpur "stealing" some foreign guys job in computer programming/science, tracked for the V.P. position, making ridiculous money.He graduated college in 1991 and after about 5 years has never wanted for anything.As far as computers themselves stealing jobs - it's called the Luddite Fallacy.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeRobots will not hang off the side of a building 200' in the air on a windy day and be able to brace themselves for footing to get a job done, some idiot like me will. If anything, a computer will take over the job your on your computer trying to get. Managing and numbers.... computers are built for that. Iv'e seen it, I live it, I speak experience. What do I know tho,  I'm just a schmuck with a strong back.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPIn a factory setting, I can see where robots have there place. I've never seen two construction jobs the same.
Reply:Originally Posted by tbone550OP, you might search the first couple pages of threads in the Safety Forum here.  Within the last month or two, there was a thread with a guy asking exactly what you're asking, and he got some more detailed info than you're getting here.
Reply:Originally Posted by BlackCollarThanks.Everyone here is just saying "WELL, EVERYTHING GIVES YOU CANCER!"Um, ok. So I might as well start chain smoking then since everything gives cancer anyway. Logic fail. My question was about to what degree the health hazards can be avoided.
Reply:The answer to your question is that if you take all precautionary measures (protective clothing, respirator etc) you can practically eliminate all the welding related factors that could cause cancer, respiratory problems, hearing problems etc.
Reply:Here's the thread you're looking for:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...noob-question*EDIT:  Just went back and re-read it.  Don't bother reading the posts after somebody starts in on the guy about his user name....that thread got side-tracked like yours did, just in a different direction.  All useful info about the original question ends at that point.Last edited by tbone550; 12-02-2014 at 09:04 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by BlackCollarHi there. I'm interested in a career in welding.It appeals to me because it's one of the few jobs now that doesn't require a degree. Call me crazy but I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and many thousands of dollars so I can sit in an office all day typing.Now, the only thing that really concerns me are the safety aspects of the job. Like, blindness, deafness, inhaling fumes, etc. Like, how much can these be avoided?Thanks.
Reply:To the OP, Having a college degree doesn't automatically translate into a desk job. I know of several that takes you out in the field. And the dollars you spend on schooling wouldn't be wasted if you took on something that interest you. Call it investing on yourself. As for you safety concerns, thats what they invented PPE's for. Never a waste of money spent here.
Reply:Originally Posted by BlackCollarThanks.Everyone here is just saying "WELL, EVERYTHING GIVES YOU CANCER!"Um, ok. So I might as well start chain smoking then since everything gives cancer anyway. Logic fail. My question was about to what degree the health hazards can be avoided.
Reply:College is the only answer for certain careers.  If you like math, consider engineering.  If you like figurin things out (taking things apart and seeing how they work) consider software (its not really math, its more organizing things - hard to explain).A couple of things 1) The earlier you do college, the better.  Sucks to try to go to school while trying to raise a family.  There isn't enough time in the day.2) College can be extremely expensive.  Depends on the college of course, but if it's 'private' you will pay a lot.  My daughter got accepted to lots of private schools....  sit down for a second...  the estimated cost for 4 years is roughly 1/4 of a million dollars....  You better pick the right degree.  That is a s***-ton of money.3) That being said, invest in yourself first.  Most colleges offer financial aid (i.e. a loan that you will have to pay back).  That loan may be the smartest loan you ever take.... or the dumbest. 4) Community college.  Many have intro courses and associates degree etc. that will let you know if you are in the right field.  Many have programs that mean automatic acceptance in state college.   Most are reasonably priced.  Most are actually underrated for the education you get (think "local experts in the field teaching the courses").  So you learn computer programming from someone who actually does it for a living vs. a professor who writes papers on programming theory.Your first step, even before you pay off the debts you have now, is to talk to counslers/advisors at the community college.  Like tomorrow.   BTW, to make big money, the only real way to do it is to develop your own idea, hope it catches on, or more importantly catches the eye of investors or bigger companies that want to buy you out.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Welding is not for wussies so if you are scared you can always take up knitting
Reply:Originally Posted by con_fuse9College is the only answer for certain careers.  If you like math, consider engineering.  If you like figurin things out (taking things apart and seeing how they work) consider software (its not really math, its more organizing things - hard to explain).A couple of things 1) The earlier you do college, the better.  Sucks to try to go to school while trying to raise a family.  There isn't enough time in the day.2) College can be extremely expensive.  Depends on the college of course, but if it's 'private' you will pay a lot.  My daughter got accepted to lots of private schools....  sit down for a second...  the estimated cost for 4 years is roughly 1/4 of a million dollars....  You better pick the right degree.  That is a s***-ton of money.3) That being said, invest in yourself first.  Most colleges offer financial aid (i.e. a loan that you will have to pay back).  That loan may be the smartest loan you ever take.... or the dumbest. 4) Community college.  Many have intro courses and associates degree etc. that will let you know if you are in the right field.  Many have programs that mean automatic acceptance in state college.   Most are reasonably priced.  Most are actually underrated for the education you get (think "local experts in the field teaching the courses").  So you learn computer programming from someone who actually does it for a living vs. a professor who writes papers on programming theory.Your first step, even before you pay off the debts you have now, is to talk to counslers/advisors at the community college.  Like tomorrow.   BTW, to make big money, the only real way to do it is to develop your own idea, hope it catches on, or more importantly catches the eye of investors or bigger companies that want to buy you out.