Survey for welders

[studacc]

Hello Millerwelders! I am a student at Sacramento State University writing a research paper on Occupational Noise. Honestly, I appreciate your answers very much as welders. So by now you're probably already wondering...well what is my paper all about? very simple, I am trying to know if regardless of whether you are bothered by noise at your work, it may still affect your physical health in some manner. I'm sure a lot of you have personal experiences as welders so please share.
I have five short questions and I am just looking for as much replies as I can get. These are my short questions:


1) How long have you been working as a welder?
2) Do you find yourself shouting to be heard while welding because of the noise?
3) As a welder, does occupational noise bother you?
4) Since you've started welding, have you experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, like ringing in the ear, pain or been diagnosed with any sort of heart disease by your physician?
5) At work, do you use any form of hearing protection when working to control noise?

Thank you for your responses

[Country Metals]

Ok, I just have to do this because it won't leave my mind unless I do it.

1) 15 years - Since Vo-tech school
2) Yes - When I worked for companies before becoming self-employed, I would have to shout to make myself heard because no one would listen.
3) Yes - I should not have to deal with being yelled/screamed/cussed at because I did what I was told and the foreman screwed up, even after (#2) I shouted at him stating this would happen
4) Sometimes my voice box goes out from screaming at dumbasses that never should have been hired to begin with.
5) I quit, now that I'm self employed it is a much quieter and less stressful.


And yes, these are legitimate answers.

[WyoRoy]

Same answer I gave your question over on the Hobart forum;

"So, you have a grand total of two posts. You want information from welders for a research paper, but other than using this forum to do legwork for you you haven't voiced even a faint promise of providing any useful information in return. I guess college course study has devolved sufficiently since I was a starry eyed kid that now hearsay is good enough to be considered research. Is this for a Human Resources degree or pre-law? Nearing the end of my career in the trades, I've seen studies such as yours many times and never to the benefit of the worker. Management and their lawyers seem to care far more on how to place the blame for worker injuries squarely on the workers shoulders and divest themselves of any and all responsibility. Your research paper would make a fine addition to their depositions. Good luck in your pursuits, but I want no part of it."

[Dipsomaniac]

Hmmm...I will play.

1) 23 years

2) I always yell for effect.

3) Yes, especially the noise from non-welders.

4) Yes, 60% loss of hearing in the 400 hertz range.

5) Yes, I try to strike an arc as fast as possible and ear plugs...

[Matrix]

Same answer I gave your question over on the Hobart forum;

"So, you have a grand total of two posts. You want information from welders for a research paper, but other than using this forum to do legwork for you you haven't voiced even a faint promise of providing any useful information in return. I guess college course study has devolved sufficiently since I was a starry eyed kid that now hearsay is good enough to be considered research. Is this for a Human Resources degree or pre-law? Nearing the end of my career in the trades, I've seen studies such as yours many times and never to the benefit of the worker. Management and their lawyers seem to care far more on how to place the blame for worker injuries squarely on the workers shoulders and divest themselves of any and all responsibility. Your research paper would make a fine addition to their depositions. Good luck in your pursuits, but I want no part of it."

You can't blame him (or her) for trying. We live in a society where the internet is considered a valuable tool for research. I had lunch in a University cafeteria just a few weeks ago and the Student Union building was crowded with kids with laptops typing thier papers while using the building wi-fi for research. This is totally normal nowadays. We do the same thing here. We ask questions on issues or problems that we encounter but we make no official promise of helping anyone. There's no contract here regarding give and take. Nobody is twisting our arms saying ask one question, answer one question. In fact the vast majority of people who use forums of all kinds, not just welding, take info without ever giving any back. We who do give do so because we choose to give whether we get anything in return or not.

In that spirit, I will give:

1) Too many years to count
2) I don't have conversations while I'm welding. If I need to speak to someone I will stop welding, lift my hood and look at the person.
3) It used to. I wear earplugs now.
4) Hearing no. I caught that young enough to avoid any permanent damage. Heart disease ... does high blood pressure count? Your question gives me cause to be curious as I have never associated heart disease with welding before. Perhaps you are thinking about electromagnetic fields. I will search that a bit.
(See WyoRoy? He/she already gave something.)
5) Yes, earplugs. Sometimes I use double hearing protection (muffs over plugs) in really loud situations like if there is a Vac-Truck or other noisy equipment operating nearby.

[studacc]

[QUOTE=WyoRoy;295946]Same answer I gave your question over on the Hobart forum;

I'm an Occupational Health and Safety Major and its for a community health class.
If Management is investigating accident or injuries and placing blame on workers, regardless of who is at fault, if you are injured on the job, you should get compensated. If the worker was negligent to not follow safety rules, company may discipline him but still he/she has to get compensated. Maybe you've seen many times company lawyers getting away with this and you are pissed off but there is nothing I can do other than to tell you that you can also always file a complaint with OSHA and they may send their staffs to your work place unexpectedly to inspect your working conditions. You also have a right to copies of injury/accident logs or reports from your employer and if you have not been requesting them, please do so. When they are investigating next time, if you have a union, have union representative present and that way blames don't get easily shifted easily when you have no copy of what their lawyers etc found out. May that was helpful, I don't know.

Matrix, in response to your post, a study of 6304 workers between 1999 and 2004 revealed that people who work in very noisy environments have higher risk factors for CHD and other cardiovascular problems.

[shorerider16]

1) How long have you been working as a welder?
8 years welding/fabricating or related work
2) Do you find yourself shouting to be heard while welding because of the noise?
Most shop, yes.
3) As a welder, does occupational noise bother you?
Not directly, I don't mind hammering and grinding etc. Although it i do find that in contributes to mental fatigue over the course of a long day. (Hopefully that makes sense, it seems a little contradictory but I'm not sure how else to word it.)
4) Since you've started welding, have you experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, like ringing in the ear, pain or been diagnosed with any sort of heart disease by your physician?
Hearing is good. Heart is good, still young.
5) At work, do you use any form of hearing protection when working to control noise?
Custom molded, non vented, in ear plugs

___

[westpoint]

Hello Millerwelders! I am a student at Sacramento State University writing a research paper on Occupational Noise. Honestly, I appreciate your answers very much as welders. So by now you're probably already wondering...well what is my paper all about? very simple, I am trying to know if regardless of whether you are bothered by noise at your work, it may still affect your physical health in some manner. I'm sure a lot of you have personal experiences as welders so please share.
I have five short questions and I am just looking for as much replies as I can get. These are my short questions:


1) How long have you been working as a welder?
2) Do you find yourself shouting to be heard while welding because of the noise?
3) As a welder, does occupational noise bother you?
4) Since you've started welding, have you experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, like ringing in the ear, pain or been diagnosed with any sort of heart disease by your physician?
5) At work, do you use any form of hearing protection when working to control noise?

Thank you for your responses

What?

[WyoRoy]

I'm an Occupational Health and Safety Major and its for a community health class.
If Management is investigating accident or injuries and placing blame on workers, regardless of who is at fault, if you are injured on the job, you should get compensated. If the worker was negligent to not follow safety rules, company may discipline him but still he/she has to get compensated. Maybe you've seen many times company lawyers getting away with this and you are pissed off but there is nothing I can do other than to tell you that you can also always file a complaint with OSHA and they may send their staffs to your work place unexpectedly to inspect your working conditions. You also have a right to copies of injury/accident logs or reports from your employer and if you have not been requesting them, please do so. When they are investigating next time, if you have a union, have union representative present and that way blames don't get easily shifted easily when you have no copy of what their lawyers etc found out. May that was helpful, I don't know.

I'm well aware of OSHA's guidelines, though they have zero effect where I work. I'm covered by the F.R.A. inspectors instead. As far as compensation goes, it is covered well by the F.E.L.A.

I'm also fairly conversant as to the meanderings of the typical Occupational Health and Safety man. When I began work on the job 34 years ago the rule book fit in your back pocket and was less than a 1/2" thick. After 34 years of progressively promoting safety the industry safety and health staff now have us carrying a 3" thick, 15 lb. safety encyclopedia. the industry didn't get any more complex, just the need for the health and safety staff to keep their jobs. I can't blame them since the type of individual that now fills that position has no other recourse than to seek out and terminate employees for infractions in order to appear useful to upper management. Gone are the days when a safety and health member actually knew how to mitigate safety problems from real life experience.

[weldckr]

Hello Millerwelders! I am a student at Sacramento State University writing a research paper on Occupational Noise. Honestly, I appreciate your answers very much as welders. So by now you're probably already wondering...well what is my paper all about? very simple, I am trying to know if regardless of whether you are bothered by noise at your work, it may still affect your physical health in some manner. I'm sure a lot of you have personal experiences as welders so please share.
I have five short questions and I am just looking for as much replies as I can get. These are my short questions:


1) How long have you been working as a welder?
2) Do you find yourself shouting to be heard while welding because of the noise?
3) As a welder, does occupational noise bother you?
4) Since you've started welding, have you experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, like ringing in the ear, pain or been diagnosed with any sort of heart disease by your physician?
5) At work, do you use any form of hearing protection when working to control noise?

Thank you for your responses

1) 34 years
2) You have to shout if you talk while welding the hood muffels your voice. And its noisy in the shop so for someone to hear you you got to shout.
3)Not really
4)Some hearing loss,ringing in the ears, no ear pain,no heart disease.
5)No. Why? Old school pipe welders get tuned into the sound as well as reading the weld puddle.
Hope this helps, but i would ask a few more questions, shop work or construction? Age of the welder and family history of hearing loss.

[nocheepgas]

1) How long have you been working as a welder?
21 Years
2) Do you find yourself shouting to be heard while welding because of the noise?
Sometimes, usually "Up 10 or Down 5" or visa versa....
3) As a welder, does occupational noise bother you?
No, only stupid people.
4) Since you've started welding, have you experienced any symptoms of hearing loss, like ringing in the ear, pain or been diagnosed with any sort of heart disease by your physician?
Yes, but it may have been caused by loud rock and roll music, gunfire or heavy equipment as well.
5) At work, do you use any form of hearing protection when working to control noise?
Sometimes I wear ear plugs or other hearing protection devices.

Thank you for your responses

You're welcome.

[studacc]

Hope this helps, but i would ask a few more questions, shop work or construction? Age of the welder and family history of hearing loss.

thanks weldckr. Yes, good idea I even realized yesterday but a mistake from start to not ask about age. It would be safe to assume that people working in this field longer than 20 years will experience some related hearing loss. Some mechanics I spoke to in the automotive industry, older ones, told me theirs is age related.

Regarding getting tuned to the work, I don't understand, do you mean to feel the work? Noise can be subjective and what annoys someone else may not annoy others. The focal point of this survey is to find out/confirm that even though noise does not bother an individual, it still causes non-direct negative effects on physical and cardiovascular health. Research confirms this correlation but were the subjects bothered so much by the noise and thus caused the high stress levels they experienced? Its like being okay with that very loud noise but later on getting diagnosed with CHD or also hypertension from screaming/shouting to others in that environment. But the major thing is that loud Noise is still present in the background at the job.

This is not a super big funded survey and like I said its for my paper. Thank you all very much for your responses, I will close this thread tonight. Inputs still appreciated before midnight so I can sort information out for the paper.

[7018fiend]

1) Still in school
2) Sometimes
3) No
4) No
5) When grinding and air arcing. Sometimes for chipping slag in small areas since the sound gets amplified.

[beamwalker]

Been at it off and on for almost 30 years now, noise doesn't bother me, no physical problems yet other than major depression, s.a.d high blood pressure, neuropathy, jaundice, nympholoma, just to name a few