Welding brings many hazards into the industrial workplace, and installing welding screens and portable welding curtains keeps your workforce safe from these hazards. Between flames, UV radiation, and fumes, these hazards can cause significant injuries to your welders and the rest of the facility if they aren’t properly safeguarded. While welders wear helmets and heat-protectant gear, portable welding curtains and secured welding areas protect the other employees in the facility from flames, UV radiation, fumes, and other hazards. However, safety curtains and screens are important in the industrial workplace for another reason besides safety – they increase welding productivity.
Picking the right materials for welding protection enhances safety in the industrial workplace. Installation and reliance on safety curtains and industrial screens can also vastly improve productivity. As the industry leader in safety materials, we’ll go through why portable welding curtains and portable welding screens are important and how they improve productivity in the industrial workplace.
Importance of Industrial Screens
As we mentioned briefly, industrial screens and curtains drastically improve the safety of the facility. Welding emits dangers such as fumes, flames, and UV radiation which can be very detrimental to worker health without the proper precautions. Industrial screens for welding protect other employees, especially from UV radiation and bright flashes of light, which can cause a disorder called arc-eye. Welding can also emit gasses, harmful noise, and metals into the air, called welding plume. All of these hazards can be contained to the welding area by portable welding curtains and portable welding screens. But why is portability important?
Portability allows the welder and other members of the team to easily design and reconfigure the welding area to best protect inside and outside the welding area. At Singer Safety, you’ll find a selection of portable welding curtains and screens that can secure the welding area in your industrial facility. Portable curtains and screens make it easier to ensure that the welding area is contained and the rest of the facility is secure. But how do you know when to use portable welding screens versus curtains? We’ll explore the difference between screens and curtains next!
Portable Welding Screens Versus Curtains
Both portable welding screens and curtains protect against the many hazards of welding, like welder’s lung and acute irritant-induced asthma. However, there are a couple of differences between portable welding screens and curtains.
Configuration
The main difference between portable welding curtains and screens is how they’re positioned in the facility. Curtains are typically hung from ceilings or a frame, whereas screens are usually barriers and range in size and shape. Both screens and curtains can either be stationary or portable. However, screens are more likely to be portable than curtains because curtains have to be taken down from their ceiling or frame to be moved. Both screens and curtains can be made from a range of materials, like our TransVue Vinyl, laminate vinyl, clear material, or mildew-resistant material. Your facility’s needs will determine which screens and/or curtains you need to install to protect your workforce.
Protection Levels
While the protection levels mainly lie in the material of the screen or curtain, they also lie in their size. Our TransVue Vinyl is ideal for welding, protects against flashes of light, and grants visibility. However, our TempEx is designed to protect against high temperatures. Portable screens and curtains may be smaller, offering less protection overall, yet portable screens like our roll-up screens grant your team flexibility to optimize the welding area. What welding screen materials or styles of safety screens and curtains your team requires depends on the unique needs of your facility and welding areas.
Besides safety, specialized welding screen material, screens, and curtains also enhance workplace productivity. Let’s explore that now.
Welding Screen Material and Productivity
Not only does welding screen material on curtains and screens protect employees throughout the industrial workspace, it also improves productivity. Although safety screens and curtains aren’t tools to be actively used in welding or around the facility, they still help with the day-to-day. But how?
At Singer Safety, we’ve designed these screens and curtains to increase worker safety. Since they increase safety, workers are able to focus on the task at hand rather than being concerned with occupational hazards. These safety measures allow the other team members to focus on their jobs, without needing to shield from the harsh UV radiation, noise, and high temperatures of welding. Our safety curtains and screens minimize these hazards, allowing employees to feel safe.
Safety Increases Productivity
Feeling safe in an industrial workplace is crucial to doing a good job. Unmitigated bright flashes of light, UV damage, and excess noise from the welding areas can distract other employees. This can cause them to do something incorrectly or mishandle a dangerous power tool, potentially leading to injury or a fatality. While this may seem unrelated to the activities in the welding area, unshielded welding areas can cause direct problems in the rest of the facility.
There’s also long-term damage that can affect non-welding employees. Without proper containment, particulate matter emitted into the air, extended radiation, and dangerous noise exposure can lead to chronic conditions that may cause employees to lose the ability to work. So, not only do these safety materials immediately increase productivity but they also protect the workforce in the long run. Implementing such safeguards is required by governmental guidelines, yet exceeding these standards shows your workforce that the company cares about their long-term health and well-being. Singer Safety is here to make meeting compliance standards easier.
Increase Safety and Productivity With Singer Safety
At Singer Safety, we prioritize worker safety. We’re the industry leader in welding safety curtains, screens, and other critical safety equipment. We’re dedicated to the continual protection of the industrial workforce and our safety equipment exceeds safety expectations. Contact us today to learn which safety equipment can benefit your industrial workplace and safeguard your team from occupational hazards.