Safety and PPE

Protecting welders, fabricators and maintenance teams is a top priority at KWS. In this Safety & PPE section, we share practical advice on keeping people safe around welding operations, grinding, cutting and hot work in Irish workshops and on site.

Welding safety is about more than just a good helmet. It includes eye and face protection, gloves, clothing, fume extraction, noise control and clear procedures. Our articles are designed to support owners, supervisors and welders with straightforward guidance that complements formal standards and site rules.

Here you can learn more about:

• Selecting the right helmet, gloves and protective clothing for each job
• Managing welding fume and ventilation in enclosed spaces
• Best practice around fire risk, hot work permits and housekeeping
• Setting up safe work areas on farms, in workshops and on construction sites
• Everyday safety checks that extend the life of PPE and equipment

Use this section as a reference for toolbox talks, staff training and updating your workshop procedures.Read the Safety & PPE articles below to help protect your team, your equipment and your business.

A welding workshop gets hot for reasons most general workshops do not. Heat from the sun, poor airflow, welding equipment, grinders, compressors, and the welding process itself can all raise temperatures fast. In Ireland it's less about extreme heat and more about managing warm spells,  the answer is usually not one big cooling system on its own, but a mix of ventilation, heat control, and practical workshop layout.

Why Welding Workshops Overheat

Welding shops generate their own heat, so the workshop temperature can rise even on mild days. That matters because warm air, fumes, and poor circulation can build up around the welding area and make the space harder to work in. Irish guidance on ventilation also makes it clear that airflow has to be planned..

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Discover essential strategies for controlling carcinogenic welding fumes in Irish workshops using proven LEV systems and RPE. Learn how to conduct compliant risk assessments and maintain equipment per HSA guidelines.In Ireland, employers must control welding fume exposure under chemical agents and carcinogens legislation enforced by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). Welding fumes are treated as hazardous chemical agents, and carcinogenic components trigger stricter duties around risk assessment, prevention, and exposure control. Read on to protect your team and business with practical, actionable advice from KWS.

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Welding fume control is no longer something Irish workshops can treat as a nice-to-have. Welding fumes are classified by IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen, and HSE/HSA guidance points employers toward effective engineering controls at source rather than relying on general workshop air movement. 

For workshops, that means the real question is not whether extraction matters, but which system is right for the work being done.

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