Abstract
Introduction: Welding technology is one of the most commonly used industries by mankind. Welders have an essential role in production. Injuries affecting welders directly contributes to posing healthcare costs on the individual and society, decreased productivity, wasted time and more.
Objectives: This study was designed to investigate occupational hazards related to welders.
Patients and Methods: In this study, 50 employed welders in city workshops were selected and their data was collected by interview and questionnaire. Analytical and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
Results: The results showed 92% of welders suffer eye problems while 86% of them actually used their protective glasses. Forty-four percent suffered from hearing loss, and 88% had musculoskeletal problems particularly in the knees, neck and back. Around 36% did not use respiratory masks for preventing inhalation of the fumes.
Conclusion: The extents of occupational hazards in this profession are high. The last level of safety is the use of safety devices. Nevertheless, most of these devices are not used by the welders. Excessive working hours, long employment history, unsafe working environment for the presence of high background radiation and gases cause several problems in welders. The most commons are eye injuries and musculoskeletal pains.