[Investigation of occupational hazards of ultraviolet radiation and protective measures for workers in electric welding].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate and analyze the occupational hazards of ultraviolet radiation, protective measures and related factors for typical symptoms among workers in electric welding, and to provide basic information for revision of the occupational standards of UV.

METHODS

Questionnaires and physical examinations were used in this investigation. A total of 828 workers from four vehicle manufacturers in Beijing and Guangdong Province were selected. Corresponding analyses were conducted with SPSS 16.0 statistic software.

RESULTS

The top three injuries of faces and hands were burning tingling (48.7% & 41.3%), itch of skin (39% & 34.9%) and pigmentation (31.9% & 24.5%).The major injuries of eyes were ophthalmodynia (61.5%) , photophobia and tearing (61.4%), and blurred vision (50.2%). The incidences of facial and hands burning tingling, hands flushing, hands macula and papula were significantly different between the welders and auxiliary workers (P<0.05). The differences of facial and hands burning tingling, flushing, facial disesthesia and anaesthesia, symptoms and signs of eyes were significant in different working years groups (P<0.05). The top three usages of protective measures were welding masks (87.2%), gloves (84.3%) and glasses (65.9%). Except for UV cut cream, the usages of other protective equipments in the auxiliary workers were significantly lower than those in the welders (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that prolonged exposure to arc welding, using argon arc welding and CO(2) gas shielded arc welding, not wearing welding masks, and not using UV cut cream was significantly associated with the increased risk of face burning tingling, and the ORs were 3.894 (6 h to 8 h), 2.665 (4 h to 6 h), 2.052, 1.765, 1.759, 1.833, respectively; working years might be a protective factor, and the OR was 0.440, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The study suggested that the UV radiation produced during welding operations not only caused harm to welders, but also to the auxiliary workers. Protection should be strengthened,for example, wearing welding masks, glasses, etc. Meanwhile automatic welding machines should be adopted by the factories to reduce the exposure time for workers.