Do your best
with our best
welding helmets
#3MScienceofSafety
3M
™
Speedglas
™
Welding Safety Catalog 2018
2
3
How to find your
customized welding
helmet combination
We have compiled—into this one, easy-to-reference catalog—much of
the information you’ll need to select specific welding safety products
and/or entire welding PPE systems.
From the choices below, pick your key selecting factor and then go
directly to that chapter. Or try our main selection guide on page 24.
Is welding filter performance
your key selecting factor? Then
start with Your eyes on page 6.
If choosing a welding helmet is your
most important criteria, see
Your eyes, face and head on page 22.
One of the most
important lessons we
have learned over the last
35 years is that no two
welders are the same.
If choosing respiratory
protection, go to
Your respiratory system
on page 44.
Too loud may be less than you think,
check our solutions for Your ears
on page 58.
Need solutions when welding at
heights, see Fall protection for welders
on page 64.
If you are looking for a specific
product you can look it up in the
Parts Directory, on page 66.
4
Your responsibility—
our solutions…
Typically, professional welders know about the hazards to their eyes and faces. But other
hazards—like welding fumes—are sometimes not so well known.
It is the responsibility of the employer to identify any hazards in a work environment, and
to provide the workers with adequate protection.
Hazards must be adequately explained. Then ideally the choice of protective equipment
can be made after a joint consultation between employers and employees.
I need to
weld with
greater
clarity
Truer colors and
contrasts with
3M
™
Speedglas
™
Natural Color
Technology:
see
page 14
I want
5
to
see
around me
We recommend our
welding helmets with
side windows that
widen your field of
vision when welding:
see
page 26
1. Identify the hazards
Make a list of all the hazards in your welding environment (radiation, sparks, fumes,
noise, trip hazards, falling objects, etc).
I want to
breathe
fresh air
Our powered
respirators are a
favorite among
many welders:
see
page 44
I need
convenient
head
protection
Hard hat solutions
tailor-made for our
welding shields:
see
pages 29 and 33
2. Assess the risk levels
By evaluating every hazard, you can prioritize their mitigation. See more details in
each section of this catalog. If there are any doubts or ambiguities, always consult
a professional health and safety engineer.
3. Select the right type of equipment
Determine your protection based on equipment type (e.g., eye, face, head, hearing), the
level of protection needed to work in a specific application, and your users’ preferences.
Personal preferences - a key to user acceptance - covers issues including comfort, style,
and ease of maintenance.
4. Training, motivation and maintenance
For maximum benefit from any piece of PPE, it pays to focus on user acceptance
and proper use. 3M can help:
• On-site training by 3M personel or a visit from our Safety Roadshow.
We’ll show you equipment options based on your needs.
•
3M eAcademy - the flexible way to discover and learn throughout your busy day:
www.3m.com/3M/en_US/3m-academy/log-in
• Other techniques, such as Toolbox Talks, educational posters for your facilities,
online videos, etc.
I do
precise
grinding
Check out our
welding helmets
with flip-up visors,
they have a curved,
clear protective
visor underneath the
welding filter:
see
page 31–33
I like
lightweight
welding
helmets
Great! Try our
most lightweight
auto-darkening
welding helmet:
Speedglas SL,
see
page 36
i
For more information please visit
www.3M.com/Speedglas
or call our helpline
1-800-328-1667
@3M_US_Safety
6
7
Your eyes
$300M/yr
Each year in the US alone, more
than $300 million is spent on costs
associated with workplace eye
injuries, including medical expenses,
workers’ compensation, and lost
production time.
Source: www.osha.gov/SLTC/
eyefaceprotection (01.03.2017)
Costs associated with
workplace eye injuries:
How to beat the statistics
The science behind 3M auto-darkening technology
Pay-off in productivity and performance
Selector 1
- decision tree for welding filters
3M
™
Speedglas
™
Natural Color Technology
3M
™
Speedglas
™
Auto-Darkening Filters
3M
™
Eyewear - selection for welding helmet users
7
8
10
12
14
16
18
of injuries preventable
with proper protection:
90%
How to beat the statistics
Welding processes typically generate hazardous ultraviolet/
infrared radiation and (intense) visible light that have the
potential to cause permanent eye damage. Physical eye hazards
include welding spatter and grinding particles.
More than 90% of serious eye injuries
at work can be prevented using
appropriate protective eyewear.
Source: www.preventblindness.org/
eye-safety-work (01.03.2017)
Controlling exposure
A well-designed welding helmet and filter has a positive influence
on the protection of your face and eyes from heat, spatter and
radiation.
Put simply, auto-darkening welding filters allow welders to keep
their welding helmet in place much more often than passive
welding filters.
If you can see well, the motivation to constantly lift your shield is
significantly reduced, meaning:
•
You may reduce the likelihood of exposure to harmful UV/IR
radiation by accidentally striking an arc. Or being exposed to
the arcs of nearby welders.
You may reduce the potential for foreign body eye injuries from
grinding swarf or weld spatter.
of all welding
injuries is of the eye
1/4
Eye injuries account for one quarter
of all welding injuries, making them
by far the most common injury for
welders.
https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2007/02/
Preventing-Eye-Injuries-When-Welding.aspx
(01.03.2017)
•
8
Improving upon what
the welder sees
Your goal is to weld consistently great welds. Our goal is to provide you
with eye and face protection and also improved optics for better clarity.
“Because we make many of our own welding filter
components, we can readily test and transfer new
technologies,” says Kristina Magnusson, Senior
Optics Specialists at the 3M Welding Center of
Excellence. “And, of course, this allows better control
over the entire manufacturing process.”
Kristina is one of the Center’s four full-time optics
specialists. Her responsibilities include liquid crystal
cells, polarizers, and interference (UV/IR) filters. She
also leads an international ISO task group of experts
focused on eye and face protection standards for
auto-darkening welding filters.
Like many of her co-workers, Kristina is a long-time
employee. “I had just got my master’s degree in
engineering physics with a focus on optics when I
was recruited to develop test instruments to measure
the light diffusion of Speedglas welding filters. I’ve
been here ever since.
"Of course, safety is the prime consideration when it
comes to welding PPE. But the 3M optics team aims
to help welders even more by continuously improving
the optical experience of our welding filters. “We’re
constantly exploring new optical technologies that
we can leverage to the welder’s advantage.”
When the helmet is worn properly, the UV/IR bandpass
filter is always in place and will provide protection
from hazardous light radiation. This protection is
maintained throughout the entire welding process.
How auto-darkening filters work
Before:
With the helmet in the safe down
position, you have a clear view through
the welding filter. Both of your hands are
free and the electrode can be precisely
positioned.
During:
Within a millisecond of the arc strike (for
3M™ Speedglas™ Welding Filters, see
page 13), the filter has switched to the
dark state.
After:
The filter automatically returns to the
clear state after welding is complete,
allowing your immediate inspection of
the weld pool, as well as preparation for
the next weld.
Always read and follow all User Instructions.