AWS Safety & Personal Protective Equipment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A welder is working overhead and a piece of hot slag falls into their boot. What PPE would have prevented this injury?
- Metatarsal guards
- Boot covers or spats (Correct answer)
- Steel-toe boots
- Anti-static footwear
Correct answer: Boot covers or spats
Boot covers or spats (leather or FR fabric) wrap around the boot top to prevent hot spatter and slag from entering the boot.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a welding curtain or screen in a shared workspace?
- To reduce noise levels for nearby workers
- To protect bystanders from arc flash and UV radiation (Correct answer)
- To contain welding fumes within the welding area
- To prevent fire spread to adjacent workstations
Correct answer: To protect bystanders from arc flash and UV radiation
Welding curtains are made of UV-opaque material specifically to shield nearby workers from harmful arc radiation and flash burns.
Question 3: According to OSHA 1910.252, when is general ventilation alone considered adequate for arc welding?
- When the welding area exceeds 10,000 cubic feet per welder
- When the welding current is below 200 amperes
- When base metal coatings are non-toxic and the work area is open (Correct answer)
- When local exhaust is not available
Correct answer: When base metal coatings are non-toxic and the work area is open
General ventilation is adequate only when the area is large enough, the room air movement is sufficient, and no toxic coatings or base metals are involved.
Question 4: Which lens shade is typically recommended for shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) at 200–400 amperes?
- Shade 8
- Shade 10
- Shade 12 (Correct answer)
- Shade 14
Correct answer: Shade 12
AWS recommends shade 12 for SMAW operations in the 200–400 ampere range to provide adequate protection against arc radiation.
Question 5: What type of glove is most appropriate for TIG (GTAW) welding compared to SMAW?
- Thicker leather gauntlet gloves for better heat protection
- Thinner, more flexible gloves for dexterity and heat sensitivity (Correct answer)
- Rubber-insulated gloves to prevent electrical shock
- Cut-resistant Kevlar gloves for spatter protection
Correct answer: Thinner, more flexible gloves for dexterity and heat sensitivity
TIG welding requires precise finger control to feed filler rod, so thinner, supple gloves are preferred over the heavy gauntlets used in SMAW.
Question 6: When should a welder perform a pre-use inspection of their auto-darkening welding helmet (ADWH)?
- Only when the battery is replaced
- Every six months during scheduled maintenance
- Before each use, checking sensors, reaction time, and lens clarity (Correct answer)
- Only after the helmet has been dropped or damaged
Correct answer: Before each use, checking sensors, reaction time, and lens clarity
A pre-use inspection ensures sensors are clean, shade darkening activates correctly, and the passive filter plate is undamaged before exposing the welder to arc radiation.
Question 7: Which condition makes electric shock from welding equipment most dangerous?
- High ambient temperature
- Wet or damp working conditions (Correct answer)
- High welding current settings
- Using AC instead of DC current
Correct answer: Wet or damp working conditions
Moisture dramatically reduces body resistance and increases current flow through the body, making shocks far more likely to be fatal in wet conditions.
AWS Safety & Personal Protective Equipment 3
A welder is working overhead and a piece of hot slag falls into their boot.
What PPE would have prevented this injury?