More than 560,000 people across many industries face danger every day from the chemical and physical risks inherent in welding and cutting. Fatal injuries pose a greater threat than all other causes combined, accounting for more than four deaths per one thousand during a working lifetime. Welding and cutting all produce hazardous fumes, gases, and ionizing radiation that pose a variety of health risks if exposed to them. Heavy metal poisoning, metal fume fever, lung cancer, flash burns, and a host of additional dangers are among them. Both welding materials and welding surfaces can affect how dangerous these situations are.

Following OSHA standards for general industry, maritime, and construction address welding and cutting:

• General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
• Maritime (29 CFR 1915, 1917, 1918)
• Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)