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DRIVE 
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N\rt«n Willie the Welder was a live wire. "I used to 
be a good, self-respecting welder!" he yells to his 
gang of brand-new apprentice welders, "but being 
combination nurse and teacher to you guys is 
killing my confidence. By gosh," he begins to 
complain, "everyone of you has a fist full of thumbs! 
I'd rather build this ship myself than watch you 
guys burn holes in her hull!" 
One of the boys speaks up. "Start us in kinder- 
garten, Willie. Six weeks more and you can hand 
out diplomas." Everybody agrees, so Willie begins 
his ABC's again. 
"Electric welding is what most of you guys will 
handle. Some will handle gas welding. No matter 
which, we're working with high-power heat. 
Handle with care! 
"A first-class welder is a safety-first welder. "You Hove to Watch Out tor Five Dangers— 
Electric shock 
Burns 
Powerful arc light 
Bod air 
Explosions 
"Electric shock is danger number one, espe- 
cially with direct currents over 200 milliamperes 
and alternating currents more than 70 milliamperes. 
Even a harmless jolt can knock you down." 
"Do you have to cut off the current every 
time you change electrodes, Willie?" asks one of the 
fellows. "Either you cut off the current or the 
current cuts you off!" Willie tries to joke. But 
nobody laughs. "If somebody does handle live 
current and gets knocked out," a tall fellow asks, 
"what then?" 
"First aid until the doctor comes. Whether or 
not he's breathing, our first-aid crew gives him 
artificial respiration and keeps him warm. Smell- 
ing salts may help him, but only a doctor can give 
him drugs." "Burns hurt/' continues Willie. "Live cur- 
rent can burn you with or without a shock. A gas 
flame can burn you bad. Hot metal splashes or 
taking hold of welded parts before they cool off 
never helped anybody. And keep those sleeves 
rolled down, boys! 
"Burns should be treated right away, to kill the 
pain and to stop any future blood poisoning. We 
have a first-aid kit with special dressing for burns, 
and our nurse or doctor carries on from there. 
"Powerful ore light is the 'Welder's Worry.' 
First there's brightness, like staring at the sun. 
Then there's invisible light—ultraviolet and infra- 
red rays. They're the same rays that give you 
sunburn. They sneak up on you. You go along, 
feeling fine—until all of a sudden your eyes feel like 
hot rivets. You don't see those rays but believe 
me, you can feel 'em!" (No remarks . . . every- 
body's quiet now.) 
"A helmet or a shield will protect you from 
powerful light on most jobs. Sometimes you'll need 
goggles, alone or with a shield. No matter what 
protection you use, you'll be looking at your work 
through some kind of special glass which cuts out most of the 'burning' rays, and still lets enough 
ordinary light through so you can see without eye- 
strain. If the window on your helmet gets crusted, 
replace the dirty cover glass with a clean one. 
"Another protection against arc light for you 
and the guy next to you is a kind of portable tele- 
phone booth, made out of canvas or metal. This 
booth, or a table screen, shields you from powerful 
light. Walls should be painted dark. Cuts down 
bright reflections which might burn you. 
"Protective clothing like gloves—but more 
especially goggles and helmet—need cleaning 
service. They get dirty on the job, and you know 
what happens when something dirty keeps rubbing 
against yo.ur skin. Nobody in this crew is gonna 
lose time and war production because of wearing 
unwashed or unsterilized helmet or goggles, see?" "Tough guy. A regular smoke-eater!" one big 
fellow cracks. 
"Smoke-eater is right!" snaps Willie. "That's 
danger number four—breathing in gas, fumes, and 
metal dust. Welding operations release all kinds 
of chemicals into the air. You can see a certain 
amount of 'smoke' coming off a welding opera- 
tion, but you can’t see the pin-point size metal dust 
and the invisible gases." 
"Ventilation beats danger from gases, fumes, 
and stale air/' Willie goes on. "It keeps smoke 
away from your breathing zone. Some plants like 
ours ventilate the whole welding shop, and just 
keep fresh air coming into the room. But more 
important, most welding 
operations also need a 
suction hood close to the 
torch, to suck in the smoke 
before it spreads. In certain 
jobs, you might need a dust 
mask. On other jobs, you 
might have to breathe com- 
pressed air through an air 
mask. "Explosions and liras? Either you use your 
head or lose your head. Don't be like a guy I 
knew who tried to weld a brace inside a big gaso- 
line storage tank. Another thing, acetylene appa- 
ratus must be as tight as good valves and cylinder 
fittings can make it. 
"Carelessness is your biggest danger. No 
welder can daydream and stay healthy. Practice 
makes perfect, sure, but don't make a mistake 
twice! Safety is the twin brother of production." 
A CAREFUL WELDER CARRIES 
A TORCH FOR VICTORY Workers' Health Series 
No. 1 But Flu Is Tougher 
No. 2 Leonard's Appendix—And How It Burst 
No. 3 KO by CO Gas 
No. 4 Clara Gives Benzol the Run Around 
No. 5 Trouble in the Midriff 
No. 6 Bill Gets the Works 
No. 7 Night Shift 
No. 8 Save Your Skin 
No. 9 Willie's Victory Torch 
FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY 
U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
Workers' Health Series—No. 9 
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., price 5 cents 
Special prices for larger quantities 
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1942 
16—31260“ I