Research on Occupational Risk Assessment for Welder Occupation in Romania

Abstract

The ever-increasing needs of the working population have led to the development of various branches of industry, an increase in the number of employees, and a rise in the number of work-related accidents. The welder occupation is one of the most sought after occupations in Europe, according to the EURopean Employment Services (EURES) statistics. Taking into account the work system in which welders conduct their activity (uncomfortable working positions, splashes, high temperatures, mechanical factors, gases and fumes, magnetic fields due to electric current), the paper presents the risk factors identified for the welder occupation, based on the occupational injury and illness risk assessments. Following the analysis of 25 risk assessments, carried out by the assessment team that must include qualified evaluators, process specialists, the workers’ representative, occupational health and safety responsible at various industrial economic agents, a total of 70 main risk factors of occupational accidents and diseases were identified for the welder occupation. Risk factors were classified according to four main work components: worker, workload, work environment, and means of production. To reflect the importance of the identified risk factor, the number of organizations that considered that the risk was likely to occur but also the possibility that the risk was above the acceptable limit, calculated using the National Institute for Research and Development for Labor Protection “Alexandru Darabont” (INCDPM) method, a method often used in Romania, was identified from the analyzed assessments. Finally, a prevention and protection plan was drawn up with regard to the risks identified for the welder occupation, the final aim of which was to respectively reduce the probability of occurrence with the severity of the risks identified.

1. Introduction

The labor market in European Union (EU) countries has maintained its growth despite the problems the economies have been going through, especially in the second part of 2022, problems caused by the armed conflict in Eastern Europe, which has led to massive increases in energy prices, supply chain disruptions, and therefore increases in the cost of living [1]. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth overlapped the total employment growth by 2.0% in the EU and by 2.3% in the Euro area. Thus, in 2022, the number of people employed in the EU was 213.7 million, of which 166.1 million were in the Euro area. The highest increases in persons employed were recorded in Ireland (+6.6%), Malta (+6.3%), and Lithuania (+5.1%), with the lowest in Romania (+0.1%), Poland (+0.4%), Germany, and Bulgaria (+1.3%) [2].

According to the Romanian National Institute of Statistics (RNIS), at the end of 2022, in Romania, there were 8051 million people entitled to work, of which 7.812 million were employed and 239,100 unemployed [3].

Metal fabrication and welding are essential in many industries and sectors of the economy: construction, manufacturing, infrastructure, defense, energy, aerospace, marine, medical, mining, and food processing.

Welding is a fundamental industrial process in the industries above-mentioned, serving as a critical fabrication process in creating durable structures. The welding process involves the fusion of materials, typically metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together.

The fusion and melting welding process is among the most dangerous activities in metal fabrication. The welding process involves working with high heat, intense light, and different materials, which can pose significant risks to the welder’s health and safety. For this reason, it is important to identify these hazards to ensure the implementation of proper safety protocols [4,5,6].

A welder is a skilled professional who uses various tools and equipment to join metal pieces or parts by heating the surfaces to the point of melting them, and then fusing them together to form a strong permanent bond. A welder’s responsibility can involve a variety of industries including civil and industrial construction, capital repairs and maintenance, heavy industry, automotive, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors. Therefore, a welder must have detailed knowledge of mechanics, physical science, metallurgy, and safety procedures.

Based on the names of the main industrial branches that use welders in production, the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE) and Classification of Activities in the National Economy in Romania (CAEN) codes specific to these branches were identified in the paper.

Table 1. Classification of industrial branches of civil and industrial construction, capital repair and maintenance, heavy industry, and automotive manufacturing in the NACE and CAEN codes.

Industry Branch	NACE Code	Name	NACE Code Detailed	Name	CAEN Code
Civil and industrial construction	F41	Construction of buildings	F41.2.0	Construction of residential and non-residential buildings	4120
	F42	Civil engineering	F42.2.1	Construction of utility projects for fluids	4221
Capital repairs and maintenance	C33	Repair and installation of machinery and equipment	C33.1.1	Repair of fabricated metal products	3311
			C33.1.2	Repair of machinery	3312
Heavy industry	C25	Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment	C25.1.1	Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures	2511
			C25.2.1	Manufacture of central heating radiators and boilers	2521
			C25.2.9	Manufacture of other tanks, reservoirs and containers of metal	2529
Automotive manufacturing	C29	Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers	C29.1.0	Manufacture of motor vehicles	2910
			C29.2.0	Manufacture of bodies (coachwork) for motor vehicles; manufacture of trailers and semi-trailers	2920

presents the classification of the industrial branches of civil and industrial construction, capital repair and maintenance, heavy industry, and automotive manufacturing in the NACE and CAEN codes.

Within these industrial branches, there is a trend toward the use of welding processes to produce welded joints of materials with improved properties specific to different applications (medical, aerospace, etc.) [7,8,9] as well as toward the use of new manufacturing processes [10,11,12], which imply the possibility of new risks specific to the welding occupation.

European Union occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation is important to ensure the health and safety of EU workers at work. Thus, to achieve safe and healthy workplaces [13] for all workers, an important element related to the workplace is the possibility to protect them against health and safety risks [14]. In the case of OSH, defined as the science of anticipating, identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards occurring in the workplace that could affect the health and safety of workers [15], accidents at work are the most important areas for action in EU social policy.

Occupational accidents generate both direct costs (which can be directly attributed to expenses resulting from the consequences of an accident and recorded in the organization’s accounting system) and indirect costs (which result from the accident but are not allocated and accounted by the employer) [16,17,18,19], costs that are analyzed in terms of the number of working days lost, damage caused, medical, administrative and recruitment costs (to compensate for the production incapacity caused by the lack of manpower as a consequence of the work accident), costs linked to the loss of job welfare, loss of the organization’s reputation, etc.

Improving workplace safety policies has been a major concern at the global, European, and later EU level, with a gradual development, as presented in Figure 1 [20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31].

A work accident is defined, according to the ESAW methodology, as “a discrete occurrence in the course of work which leads to physical or mental harm (injury to the worker)”. The phrase ‘in the course of work’ means ‘while engaged in an occupational activity or during the time spent at work’. A ‘fatal accident’ means an accident that leads to the death of a victim within one year of the accident. Non-fatal workplace accidents or serious accidents at the workplace involve at least four complete days of absence from work [22,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44].

The overall costs of occupational accidents and diseases are often much higher than initially perceived at the organizational level. Organizations need to increase their investment in occupational safety and health including safety culture, thereby aiming to reduce both the direct and indirect costs while lowering insurance premiums and absenteeism and improving worker performance, productivity, and morale [45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54].

Work accidents are a challenge for economic sectors defined by the NACE code [31,33,37,38,39,42,55,56,57] (e.g., agriculture, forestry, and fishing, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade; transport and storage, etc.). In the EU, the number of non-fatal work accidents in 2021 was 2,886,507, with the most recorded in Germany (810,127 accidents), France (655,024 accidents), and in Spain (457,435 accidents), while Romania ranked 25th with 2779 non-fatal work accidents recorded. In terms of fatal accidents, in the same year, out of a total of 3347 fatal accidents, France ranked first with 674 fatal accidents, Italy second with 601 accidents, and Germany third with 435 accidents, while Romania ranked sixth with 172 fatal accidents [32,43,58,59].

The main objective of this paper was to identify and analyze the risks for the welder occupation in Romania, which can be extended to the EU level. The novelty of the research presented in the paper consists of identifying the risk factors related to the welder occupation in Romanian organizations. Following the identification of the risk factors, a prevention and protection plan was proposed (depending on the national strategy in accordance with the European strategy) to minimize the probability of occurrence as well as the severity of the identified risk factors by taking technical, organizational, hygienic, and sanitary measures. The final part of the paper presents the distribution of the identified risks by each component of the work system.

2. Materials and Methods

This paper was based on a research methodology used to identify the risk factors associated with the welder occupation in Romania that consisted of:

• Identification and consultation of the health and safety national legislation;
• Identification of the national methodology regarding the calculation of the risk levels;
• Identification of the potential risk factors related to the welder occupation;
• Grouping the potential risk factors previously identified;
• Elaboration of a form regarding the potential risk factors related to the welder occupation;
• Organizing face-to-face meetings with representatives of the organizations carrying out welding activities, aiming to establish a risk level for welder occupation;
• Conceiving a database with the answers gathered during the face-to-face meetings;
• Use of the mathematical relations presented in the national methodology, based on the severity and probability classes of events, to establish the risk level;
• Interpretation of the results;
• Elaboration of the protection and prevention plan regarding the risks identified.

The paper contains the results of the research carried out in Romania with the aim:

• To identify the main risk factors specific to the workplace in which the welders carry out their activities, based on the method developed by the National Institute for Research and Development for Labor Protection “Alexandru Darabont” (INCDPM, Bucharest, Romania) which is the most widely used method for risk assessment at workplaces in Romania. The general principles relating to the prevention of occupational risks, the protection of the workers’ health and safety, and the elimination of risk and injury factors are set out in Romania in Law no. 319 of 14 July 2006 on occupational safety and health [60,61,62,63].

According to the stipulations of this law, the employer has the obligation:

• “to assess the risks for workers’ health and safety, including the choice of work equipment, chemical substances or preparations used and the layout of workplaces” (Law 319/2006 art. 7, para. 4, letter a);
• “that, following the [risk] assessment and if necessary, the prevention measures and the working and production methods applied by the employer ensure an improvement in the level of safety and health protection of workers and are integrated into all the activities of the undertaking and/or establishment concerned and at all hierarchical levels” (Law 319/2006 art. 7, para. 4, letter b).

Additionally, according to Law 319/2006 art. 12, para. 1, lit. (a), the employer has the obligation “to carry out and be in possession of an occupational safety and health risk assessment, including for those groups sensitive to specific risks”. Concerning the health and safety conditions at work, the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases, employers are required by Law 319/2006 art. 13, letter b “to draw up a prevention and protection plan consisting of technical, sanitary, organizational and other measures, based on risk assessment, to be applied in accordance with the specific working conditions of the establishment”.

The methodological rules for the application of the provisions of the Law on Safety and Health at Work No. 319/2006 were approved by Government Decision (GD) no. 1425 of 11 October 2006 [61,62,64], which also contains articles on risk assessment:

• The prevention and protection activities carried out in the enterprise and/or establishment are the following: “hazard identification and risk assessment for each component of the work system, i.e., the worker, the workload, the means of production/work equipment and the work environment at the workplace/workstations” (GD 1.425/2006 art. 15, p. 1, point 1);
• “following the risk assessment for each workplace/workstation, prevention and protection measures of a technical, organizational, hygienic-sanitary and other nature necessary to ensure the safety and health of workers shall be established” (GD no. 1425, art. 46, para. 2); the prevention and protection plan shall be revised whenever changes in working conditions occur, when new risks arise, and following the occurrence of an event (GD no. 1425, Article 46(1));

According to Law No. 319/2006 on occupational safety and health, the definitions of the terms for each component of the work system are:

• Work equipment—Any machine, apparatus, tool or installation used in work;
• Performer = The worker who carries out the work task;
• Work task = Totality of actions to be performed by the worker through the means of production to achieve the purpose of the work system;
• Work environment = Component of the work system consisting of the totality of the physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial conditions in which the worker carries out their activity.

Based on the legal requirements on risk assessment presented above, in Romania, the most widely used method for assessing the risks of occupational injury and illness is the INCDPM method, developed by INCDPM. This method was endorsed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity in 1993 and has been tested to date in most industries, with continuous improvements [65,66,67,68].

Figure 2 presents the mandatory steps contained in the INCDPM’s risk assessment for occupational injury and illness.

The steps shown in Figure 2 are carried out by an analysis and assessment team that is made up of occupational safety specialists and technologists, knowledgeable about the work processes being analyzed, and coordinated by an authorized risk assessor.

The risk level is a combination of the severity of the consequences and the probability of occurrence, both of which are classified into the following classes:

• Severity:

  ▪

  Class 1: Negligible consequences (work incapacity for less than 3 days);

  ▪

  Class 2: Minor consequences (3 to 45 days of work incapacity—DWI, requiring medical treatment);

  ▪

  Class 3: Medium consequences (45 to 180 days of work incapacity, medical treatment and hospitalization);

  ▪

  Class 4: High consequences (Grade III disability):

  ▪

  Class 5: Serious consequences (Grade II disability);

  ▪

  Class 6: Very serious consequences (Grade I disability);

  ▪

  Class 7: Maximum consequences (death).

• Event probability:

  ▪

  Extremely rare: P < 10⁻⁷ /h; probability class 1;

  ▪

  Very rare: 10⁻⁷ < P < 10⁻⁵ /h; probability class 2;

  ▪

  Rare: 10⁻⁵ < P < 10⁻⁴ /h; probability class 3;

  ▪

  Uncommon: 10⁻⁴ < P < 10⁻³ /h; probability class 4;

  ▪

  Common: 10⁻³ < P < 10⁻² /h; probability class 5;

  ▪

  Very common: P > 10⁻² /h. probability class 6.

By combining the severity (m) and probability classes of events (n), we obtain the matrix (m,n), and the risk level ranging from 1 to 7 (), according to

Table 2. Risk level assessment matrix.

Risk Level (Combination between the Severity of the Consequences and the Probability of Occurrence)
			Probability Class (n)
Severity Class (m)			P < 10−1/year	10−1 < P < 5−1/year	5−1 < P < 2−1/year	2−1 < P < 1−1/year	1−1 < P/year < 1−1	P > 1−1/month
			Extremely Rare	Very Rare	Rare	Uncommon	Common	Very Common
Consequences			1	2	3	4	5	6
7	Maximum	Death	(7.1) ➂	(7.2) ➃	(7.3) ➄	(7.4) ➅	(7.5) ➆	(7.6) ➆
6	Very serious	Disability grade I	(6.1) ➂	(6.2) ➃	(6.3) ➄	(6.4) ➅	(6.5) ➅	(6.6) ➆
5	Serious	Disability grade II	(5.1) ➂	(5.2) ➃	(5.3) ➃	(5.4) ➄	(5.5) ➄	(5.6) ➅
4	High	Disability grade III	(4.1) ➁	(4.2) ➂	(4.3) ➃	(4.4) ➃	(4.5) ➄	(4.6) ➄
3	Medium	DWI 45–180	(3.1) ➁	(3.2) ➁	(3.3) ➂	(3.4) ➂	(3.5) ➃	(3.6) ➃
2	Minor	DWI 3–45	(2.1) ➀	(2.2) ➁	(2.3) ➁	(2.4) ➁	(2.5) ➂	(2.6) ➂
1	Negligible	-	(1.1) ➀	(1.2) ➀	(1.3) ➀	(1.4) ➀	(1.5) ➀	(1.6) ➀

where level ➀ represents the minimum acceptable risk level (events occurring are not subject to prevention, they are not accidents at work; they are usually treated as incidents and their elimination is subject to action to increase comfort at work, not safety), ➁–➅ represent intermediary risk levels and ➆ represents a critical risk level at which system safety is minimal.

.

Following the assessment of the risks of injury and occupational illness, the members of the assessment team established a level of severity and probability of occurrence for each identified risk, and the combination of these two elements, according to Table 2, resulted in the risk level for that identified risk.

The INCDPM method states that for Romania, the maximum accepted value for the risk level is ➂, according to Table 2.

3. Research on Risk Factors Specific to the Welding Occupation in Romania

Considering the statistics presented above on the number of fatal and non-fatal work accidents in the EU and Romania, to reduce the probability of occurrence and the severity of work accidents, in this paper, the risk factors and their distribution on each component of the work system within the industrial fields for the welder occupation were identified.

Considering the requirements set out in Government Decision 1.425/2006 art. 15, para. 1, para. 1 regarding hazard identification and risk assessment for each component of the work system respectively the worker, the workload, means of production/work equipment and the working environment [68] for the welder occupation, the results of 25 risk assessments carried out in organizations using welders in the work process were analyzed.

Following the analysis of the 25 assessments carried out by the evaluation team that had to include expert evaluators, process specialists, workers’ representative, health and safety responsible at various industrial economic agents, a total of 70 occupational injury and illness risks for welders were identified, whose distribution by each component of the work system is shown in

Table 3. Distribution of risk factors related to the worker.

Identified Risk Factors	Risk Identified from Total Assessments * (%)	Organizations with Risk Level above Acceptable Limit ** (%)
Generated by wrong actions of the welder
Falling from the same level by tripping, unbalancing, slipping	92	0
Improper adjustment of the working regime, improper choice of electrode type, wire, etc.	76	26.3
Falling from height by unbalancing, slipping, stepping into the void (working at heights without being secured)	72	11.1
Incorrect fixtures, assemblies, and adjustments of welding equipment and accessories	52	23
Travelling, standing in dangerous areas (under the load of lifting equipment, on auto access roads)	52	15.4
Failure to comply with work instructions and work safety when performing the work task	48	25
Use of personal protective equipment that is not appropriate or not checked when due	40	20
Attending the program in a state of fatigue, intoxication, or under the influence of hallucinogenic substances	40	20
Lack/disconnection/removal of means of protection (hydraulic valve against backfire, pressure gauges, etc.)	40	20
Welding without a fire permit for the area concerned	36	55.5
Fasteners, defective assembly of sub-assemblies or welded materials resulting in high residual stresses, possibility of breakage in the welding area	32	0
Sniffing identification of acetylene flux at the welding site	24	16.7
Jokes or accidental communications, by diverting attention from the activity	24	0
Unsynchronized teamwork	20	0
Fire caused using flammable materials in rooms where they are welded	16	25
Failure to attend regular medical check-ups	16	0
Connection of technical, electrical equipment without ensuring connections to the grounding installation	16	0
Holding the electrode support under the arm in arc welding	12	0
Electrocution caused by leaning/sitting near electrical panels	12	0
Spillage of oxygen cylinders due to handling with greasy hands	12	33.3
Dorso-lumbar disorders due to manual lifting of parts exceeding the maximum permissible load	8	0
Use of aprons, gloves, shoes, etc. to counteract the “fire on the pipe” effect	8	100
Poor communications due to noise	8	0
Generated by omissions
Non-use of the personal protective equipment and other means of protection provided	100	56
Absence of technical inspection of work equipment	76	31.6
Electrocution by using ungrounded or insufficiently grounded power supplies	32	37.5
Incorrect use of rubber hoses	28	42.8
Inadequate marking of the area where the work is carried out	20	0

* Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks. ** Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks; the acceptable limit for Romania is ➂, according to the INCDPM method.

,

Table 4. Distribution of workload-related risk factors.

Identified Risk Factors	Risk Identified from Total Assessments * (%)	Organizations with Risk Level above Acceptable Limit ** (%)
Generated by inadequate content of the workload in relation to safety requirements
Wrong operations, rules, procedures—absence of some operations indispensable for work safety	28	42.8
Using improvisation to accomplish the work task	20	0
Wrong sequence of welding machine power on/off operations	16	0
Transmission of task through intermediaries	12	0
Generated by under- or oversized load in relation to the executant’s capacity
Risk of back disorders due to forced working positions when working in narrow or inaccessible spaces, or awkward positions during welding operations on site (e.g., squatting, bending knees, overhead, etc.).	88	18.2
Dynamic effort when manually lifting and transporting sources, cables, hoses	64	0
Mental stress associated with an awareness of high risk of injury, high work rate at certain times	56	0
Work monotony—repetitive operations	24	0
Difficult decisions in a short time, made in a dangerous environment	12	0

* Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks. ** Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks; the acceptable limit for Romania is ➂, according to the INCDPM method.

,

Table 5. Distribution of risk factors related to the work environment.

Identified Risk Factors	Risk Identified from Total Assessments * (%)	Organizations with Risk Level above Acceptable Limit ** (%)
Physical risk factors
Ultraviolet and infrared radiation from oxyacetylene flame, in the case of not protecting the skin with appropriate protective equipment	88	4.5
Illness caused by high air temperature in summer/low air temperature in winter	76	5.3
Strike of natural disasters: earthquake, lightning, flood, wind, hail, blizzard, tree falls, landslides, etc.	76	0
Draughts—working in spaces with insufficient sealing of doors, windows	64	0
Hearing damage caused by noise at work	60	20
Pneumoconiogenic dusts (dust particles suspended in the breathing air)	40	0
Asphyxiation due to gases, toxic fumes in the work environment	40	30
Low light level, especially when working in dark areas and during the evening	40	0
Low or high air humidity depending on atmospheric conditions	24	16.7
Arc blindness and low contrast between the environment and the detail being worked on	20	80
Possibility of potentially explosive atmosphere conditions being met	8	0
Chemical risk factors
Gas and smoke poisoning from burning acetylene (CO, CO2), melting electrodes, and welded metals	72	17.6
Fire/explosion due to accumulation of gases in closed and unventilated areas	40	30
Toxic gases from the specific environment in which they temporarily work (working in enclosed spaces)	32	25
Biological risk factors
Presence of dangerous animals and insects (e.g., dogs, mosquitoes, etc.)	24	0

* Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks. ** Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks; the acceptable limit for Romania is ➂, according to the INCDPM method.

and

Table 6. Distribution of risk factors related to the means of production.

Identified Risk Factors	Risk Identified from Total Assessments * (%)	Organizations with Risk Level above Acceptable Limit ** (%)
Mechanical risk factors
Cutting, pricking when in contact with dangerous surfaces—cutters, prickers—metal edges, tools etc.	92	0
Design of glowing metal bodies or particles resulting from welding activity	76	15.8
Getting hit by means of transport on the way to the workplace where he will carry out his activity	76	0
Spillage of oxygen cylinders, acetylene not properly secured against uncontrolled movement	52	0
Pressure vessel explosion—oxygen cylinders, acetylene	48	25
Falling objects from height when working in installations where welding is carried out	40	10
Imbalance/rotation/fall of heavy metal parts being welded	32	14.3
Limb injury due to moving machine parts—pinching, striking, crushing	32	0
Crushing due to unbalanced bodies because of the change of the gravity center when welding/cutting its components	28	0
Blockage of the flow of fluids to the flame by the molten material, causing the flame to “backfire” into the cutting machine, into the acetylene hose and then into the acetylene supply system (rapid propagation to the acetylene source and explosion)	28	0
Blockage of the flow of fluids to the flame by the molten material, causing the flame to “backfire” into the cutting machine, into the oxygen hose and ignite the material from which the oxygen hose is made	28	0
Chemical risk factors
Work in the presence of explosive, flammable substances	48	50
Working with highly toxic substances	24	33.3
Thermal risk factors
Thermal burn caused by direct contact of the skin with splashes, sparks, slag, high temperature surfaces (welded seam, recently welded parts)	96	8.3
Flame produced when the electric arc is ignited	68	35.3
Low temperature of metal surfaces reached in cold season	56	0
Electrical risk factors
Electrocution by direct touch of uninsulated cables (uninsulated connecting terminals, conductors with destroyed insulation in the power supply starter, etc.	100	40
Electrocution by indirect touch or by the occurrence of pace voltage (deficiencies in the grounding of the stationary transformer, occurrence of pace voltage due to permanent environmental humidity, electric cables meeting puddles, mud)	76	16.7

* Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks. ** Percent of the total number of organizations that have identified the risks; the acceptable limit for Romania is ➂, according to the INCDPM method.

. The main components of a workplace are the worker, the workload, the working environment, and the means of production.

Team members had a detailed knowledge of the evaluation method, the tools used, and the working procedures. Prior documentation of the objective was also carried out. The team of evaluators may include, depending on the needs, designers, ergonomists, medical specialists from the unit, etc. The team leader is the expert evaluator qualified according to national legislation.

Based on the INCDPM methodology, as presented in Section 2, each identified risk is assigned a severity level or probability of occurrence from this combination, resulting in the risk level for that identified risk.

From the point of view of the methodology presented, the risks identified above the limit of ➂, the acceptable limit value in Romania, implies an obligation for the organization to identify and implement specific measures to reduce either the severity or the probability of the occurrence of those risks.

Table 3 presents the risk factors related to the executant (welder) analyzing the risks from the point of view of wrong actions or omissions of the executant in the manufacturing process.

From the point of view of the risk factors related to the executant, one can observe that the main risk factor was “ Non-use of the personal protective equipment and other means of protection provided”, a factor that was identified in all of the organizations analyzed and had a risk level above the acceptable limit in more than half of the organizations. Additionally, a high number of risks generated by the wrong actions of the worker [23] was observed, which represents 32.8% of the total number of risks related to the welder occupation.

Another important risk factor was “falling from the same level by tripping, unbalancing, slipping” and the lowest percentage identified was in “poor communication due to noise”. For the two risk factors identified, none of the analyzed organizations considered presented a risk level above the acceptable limit. For the “Use of aprons, gloves, shoe soles, etc. to counteract the fire on the pipe effect” risk factor, this was identified in 8% of the organizations analyzed, and all of them identified it as having a risk level above the acceptable limit.

The workload can cause risk factors to arise during the manufacturing process. Thus, the inadequate or incomplete presentation of the workload or the inadequacy of the workload to the capacity of the worker (welder) can lead to work accidents.

From the workload point of view, the risk factor “Wrong operations, rules, procedures—absence of some operations indispensable for work safety”, although identified in few organizations (28%), represented a risk level above the acceptable limit in 42.8% of these organizations. The risk factor of diseases due to forced working positions or those caused by manual lifting and carrying of various components was a risk identified in most of the cases analyzed.

The working environment is one of the main elements that can influence the occurrence of accidents at work for the welder occupation. Workplace risk factors can be managed by improving the working conditions and creating an environment suitable for the production process.

From the analysis of Table 5, one can observe that, for the welder occupation, the risks of illness caused by ambient temperature, natural disasters. and poisoning have been identified in many organizations (over 76% of those analyzed). Considering the nature of the materials used in welding processes, the risk of fire/explosion is high, being identified with a risk level above the acceptable limit in 30% of the organizations analyzed.

From the point of view of the risk factors related to the means of production, it is necessary that all production equipment is subject to verification, maintenance, or overhaul processes, according to the established planning. If all the means of production operate within the parameters defined by the manufacturer, the risk of accidents at work is greatly reduced.

During welding processes, the use of inappropriate means of production can increase the risk of accidents at work. Thus, electrocution by direct contact with uninsulated cables was a risk factor identified in all of the organizations analyzed, and in 40% of the organizations, this risk was above the acceptable limit.

Based on the information presented in Table 3, Table 4, Table 5 and Table 6, Figure 3 presents the distribution of the identified risks by each work system component.

From Figure 3, one can observe that most of the risks of injury and occupational illness for the welder occupation are those generated by the worker, with 40% of the total number of risks identified.

According to Government Decision No. 1.425 art. 46, para. 2, “following the risk assessment for each workplace/workstation, prevention and protection measures of a technical, organizational, hygienic-sanitary and other nature necessary to ensure the safety and health of workers are established”, a prevention and protection plan must be drawn up, the final aim of which is to reduce the probability of occurrence and the seriousness of the risks identified. To highlight the importance of the measures indicated in the protection and prevention plan, they were also evaluated from the perspective of the hierarchy of controls, according to NIOSH methodology (

Table 7. Hierarchy of controls.

Efficiency Level	Level of Action	Actions Results
Most effective Least effective	Elimination	Physically remove the hazard
	Substitution	Replace the hazard
	Engineering controls	Isolate people from the hazard
	Administrative controls	Change the way people work
	Personal protect equipment	Protect the worker with personal protect equipment

The color code represents the level of action, in accordance with the NIOSH methodology.

), which involves considering the efficiency level, level of action, and action results [69,70].

Table 8. Prevention and protection plan (extracts).

Risks Assessed	Proposed Measures	Level of Action *
Worker
Falling from the same level by tripping, unbalancing, slipping	Technical measures
	Routine inspection of floor integrity and repair of defective parts;
	Night-time lighting of parking spaces.
	Organizational measures
	Covering and marking cables on the floor;
	Keeping access routes clear;
	Demarcation of access routes;
	Cleaning the access routes for vehicles and pedestrians;
	Cleaning the workplace and storing waste in the established places;
	Marking the places with risk of tripping.
	Other measures
	Ergonomic design of workspaces.
Improper adjustment of the working regime, improper choice of electrode type, wire, etc.	Technical measures
	Periodic equipment checks;
	Timely certification and recertification according to national requirements.
Falling from height by unbalancing, slipping, stepping into the void (working at heights without insurance)	Technical measures
	Equipping with appropriate platforms for intervention and working at height.
	Organizational measures
	Use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the work process.
	Other measures
	Medical notice.
Failure to use personal protective equipment and other means of protection provided	Technical measures
	Equipping workers with personal protective equipment appropriate to the work carried out
	Organizational measures
	Training workers on the consequences of failure to comply with safety restrictions—non-use or incomplete use of protective equipment, etc.;
	Mandatory use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the specific activities carried out;
	Stipulation by internal regulation of the obligation for all workers to use specific personal protective equipment;
	Continuous checking by the workplace manager of the use of the protective equipment provided.
Absence of technical inspection of work equipment	Organizational measures
	Training the execution staff by making them aware of the risks of serious injury in the case of using unverified technical equipment;
	Implementation of the maintenance procedure.
Workload
Risk in back disorders due to forced working positions when working in narrow or inaccessible spaces, or awkward positions during welding operations on site (e.g., squatting, bending knees, overhead, etc.).	Technical measures
	Ergonomic workplace design for welders to avoid forced or awkward positions—laying the welding parts on benches, supports at 1 m height;
	Avoiding improvisations that do not provide safety in work execution.
	Organizational measures
	Inform and train staff on the handling of heavy cargo;
	Informing and training welders on how to use the welding equipment.
	Hygiene and sanitary measures
	Regular medical check-ups.
Work Environment
Ultraviolet and infrared radiation from oxyacetylene flame, in case of not protecting the skin with appropriate protective equipment	Technical measures
	Equipping the workers with light filters suitable for the types of operations performed;
	Providing collective means of protection: protective screens.
	Organizational measures
	Use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the work process;
	Regularly verification of the manner of use of the means of protection provided;
	Reducing the duration and intensity of exposure;
	Marking the risk with safety signs.
	Hygiene and sanitary measures
	Regular medical check-up with focus on ophthalmological investigations.
Illness caused by high air temperature in summer/low air temperature in winter	Organizational measures
	During summer, 2–4 L of carbonated salt water/day should be administered, working hours should be reduced to avoid exposure during the hottest periods of the day, breaks should be taken whenever necessary and adequate ventilation should be provided;
	In winter, workers will be given warm tea and, if necessary, personal protective equipment;
	Workers’ workplaces will be provided with sanitary facilities.
	Hygiene and sanitary measures
	Providing drinking water dispensers.
Strike of natural disasters: earthquake, lightning, flood, wind, hail, blizzard, tree falls, landslides, etc.	Technical measures
	Emergency exit signaling systems.
	Organizational measures
	Organize simulation actions for emergency situations;
	Drawing up an action plan for emergency situations;
	Informing and training workers on how to behave in case of natural disasters;
	Keeping access and evacuation routes clear.
	Other measures
	Assign responsibilities for actions in case of emergency situations.
Gas and smoke poisoning from burning acetylene (CO, CO2), melting electrodes and welded metals	Technical measures
	Setting out of the space for welding (enclosure with metal panels, supports, and benches for laying the joining materials including ventilation installation and the absorption of toxic gases exhausted during the operation);
	When welding outdoors, the worker should position themselves so that the gases are in the direction of the air currents (wind).
	Organizational measures
	Equip workers with personal protective equipment (including mask with filter cartridge for toxic gases) and train them with a focus on the risk of occupational diseases;
	Alternate work periods with rest periods to remove toxic gases from work areas;
	Ventilation by natural and artificial ventilation of the places where the welding operation is performed;
	Appropriate marking of workplace risks.
	Hygiene and sanitary measures
	Regular medical check-up to monitor health (e.g., lung disease);
	Offering protective food (milk) against toxicity.
	Other measures
	Ventilation of the space where welding is performed.
Means of Production
Cutting, pricking when in contact with dangerous surfaces—cutters, prickers—metal edges, tools etc.	Technical measures
	Use of personal protective equipment specific to the risk.
	Organizational measures
	Periodic training of workers on the use of objects with dangerous edges.
	Hygiene and sanitary measures
	Provision of medical first aid kits and checking the validity of its content;
	Regular medical check-ups.
Design of glowing metallic bodies or parts resulting from welding activity	Organizational measures
	Provision with personal protective equipment, according to the regulations;
	Use of collective equipment (fenders, paravanes, protective screens, etc.);
	Training workers on the consequences of non-compliance with security restrictions;
	Regular inspection by senior management.
Getting hit by means of transport on the way to the workplace where they will carry out the activity	Organizational measures
	Periodic training on traffic behavior, pedestrian or driver, passenger in means of transport, according to the legislation on public road traffic;
	Wearing seat belts when driving on public roads and respecting the speed limit;
	Compliance with traffic regulations.
Thermal burn caused by direct contact of the skin with splashes, sparks, slag, high temperature surfaces (welded seam, recently welded parts)	Technical measures
	Carrying out periodic overhauls of the electrical installation.
	Organizational measures
	Direct contact with overheated surfaces is prohibited;
	Wearing protective gloves when carrying out small repairs.
Electrocution by direct touch of uninsulated cables (uninsulated connecting terminals, conductors with destroyed insulation in the power supply starter, etc.	Technical measures
	Insulation of terminal blocks and other current paths in electrical welding equipment;
	Checking and repairing power conductors;
	The realization of mass circuits according to the technical and safety provisions in force;
	Visual inspection of the integrity of the grounding of the equipment enclosures, metal and concrete posts, and metal supports in the work area;
	Discharge of the capacitive load of the installation to be worked on;
	The use, where appropriate, of electro-insulating gloves, electro-insulating footwear or mats, and tools with electro-insulating handles.
	Organizational measures
	Use of electro-insulating and protective equipment in oxyacetylene and electric welding;
	Training of workers;
	More rigorous checks on compliance with security restrictions and technological discipline;
	Respect the schedule for checking the means of protection provided (both technical equipment and personal protective equipment).

* The color code represents the level of action, in accordance with the NIOSH methodology.

shows an extract from the prevention and protection plan, drawn up based on the risks identified following the analysis of the risk assessments.

From the analysis of the information in Table 8, one can observe that providing welders with personal protective equipment and training are the most widely used measures to ensure the safety and health of workers and to reduce the probability of the occurrence and impact of the identified risks.

4. Conclusions

This paper presented the research carried out to identify the main risk factors for the welder occupation in Romania. The results obtained may be used as a starting point in the identification and assessment of risks in organizations where welders carry out their activities.

The analysis of the 70 identified risk factors and their grouping according to the main components of a workplace—the worker (28 factors), the workload (9 factors), the work environment (15 factors), and the means of production (18 factors)—stands as a model to help the representatives of the organizations to reduce or eliminate work accidents involving welders.

The prevention and protection measures presented in this paper can be implemented immediately, without further analysis, in organizations with the aim of ensuring the safety and health of workers.

The measures proposed in the prevention and protection plan were analyzed in terms of effectiveness according to the hierarchy of controls in the NIOSH methodology. Thus, forty-seven were administrative control measures, twelve were measures related to personal protection equipment, eleven were related to engineering controls, two aimed to replace the hazard, and two aimed to physically remove the hazard.

From the point of view of future research, the prevention and protection plan developed will be distributed to each organization participating in the study, with the aim of implementing the recommended measures and performing a new evaluation after 6 months. The results of the new evaluation will provide important information on the effectiveness of the proposed measures, the level of implementation of these measures in each organization, and the implementation approach in each component of the workplace related to the welder occupation.

The limitations in the research are due to the incomplete information reported at the national or EU levels. Another limitation derives from the fact that a portion of work accidents and their causes are not reported in time or are not properly classified, and as a result, the risks are not properly identified either (according to national reports).