VERIFY THE QUALITY OF AUTO DARKENING FILTER LENSES

In our last post we talked about the need to separate welding helmets with ADF's from the leading helmet manufacturers from those being imported by welding machine manufacturers, welding supply distributors and Internet Marketers. In this post we will talk about what to look for in an ADF to verify that it is a top quality filter lens with certification from the leading certification bureaus in the world.

The first place to look to determine and confirm the quality of an ADF is the markings on the lens. The first marking, moving left to right, confirms the selectable shade range. The next marking is the most important. It confirms the optical quality ratings according to the EN 379 Standard. The third marking is the DIN Plus designation confirming that the ADF has been tested by a third party testing agency. These verifications of quality are a must if you only want to invest in a ADF that will increase welder safety and comfort, improve productivity and increase profitability.

The Standards situation is more complex with ADF's than it is with any other PPE product. A detailed explanation is beyond the scope of a blog post. But in summary, there are ANSI and CSA Standards for ADF's but they are not as rigorous and complete as the European Standards. EN 379 is the recognized standard worldwide for ADF quality. Understanding that optical quality must be maximized, EN 379 sets high performance requirements in the four primary factors that determine ADF optical quality.

Those factors are:

• Spherical, astigmatic and prismatic refractive powers (optical quality)
• Diffusion of light (scattering)
• Variations in luminous transmittance (homogeneity)
• Angle dependence of luminous transmittance (angular dependence).

The first statements are the official, scientific terms of the standard. The comments in parentheses are the more common terms for them. In layman's language, they measure the optical clarity (absence of hazing and other visual defects) of the ADF in both the light and dark stages, the quality of visual definition (lack of distortion), how clearly the arc can be seen in low light conditions, angular dependency (the ability to retain shading when viewing at an angle), and the over all optical quality of the lens.

Each property can be marked from 1 to 3, with 1 exceeding the highest requirement and 3 the minimum still acceptable. ADF's with results over 3 do not pass the tests and cannot acquire the CE and other European certificates and therefore should not be considered.

While all of the measures of optical quality are important when selecting an ADF lens, perhaps the most important is angular dependency. It was an option in the EN 379 Standard until 2009 when it was made mandatory. The truth of the matter is most of the major welding helmets with ADF's do well in the first 3 measures of optical quality. But most of them struggle with angular dependency.

Angular dependency measures the shade level not only perpendicularly through the ADF, but also at slant angles. Most ADF's show a significant decrease in shade level at angles larger than 10 degrees. The welder’s viewing angle through a helmet equipped with an ADF is about +/- 30 degrees, so within this angle range it is necessary to provide as little shade level variation as possible. Most brands available on the market vary up to 3-4 shade levels within +/- 30 degrees. That is quite annoying for a welder and although it does not directly affect eye safety, it adversely affects welders working comfort, causing eye fatigue because of constant adjustment of the eye’s iris to the shade level variations. If a welder tries to compensate by assuming uncomfortable working positions, neck and back pain can result.

New Angular Dependence Compensation (ADC) technology being marketed by Fibre-Metal by Honeywell in their High Performance ADC brand ADF's provides a solution with only up to one shade level variation within +/- 30 degrees of perpendicular viewing. It was achieved by new technology and a new design of the internal structure of the lens. It is the only ADFin the world to achieve a 1/1/1/1 EN 379 Standard rating for optical quality. The Fibre-Metal by Honeywell ADC series consists of the ADC model with an EN 379 optical quality rating of 1/1/1/2 and the ADC Plus model with a 1/1/1/1 optical quality rating.

The DIN mark is important on an ADF lens because it confirms the performance to standards ratings. DIN Certo functions much like SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) does in the United States. An ADF manufacturer can submit a sample to CE to have it tested and can use the CE mark if it passes. But DIN Certo goes way beyond like SEI. They require an audit of the manufacturer’s production premises. They randomly select from production the required number of units of the model being tested and tests them in their test laboratories. All selected samples are tested and all samples have to pass all the tests. A single failure to comply with the standard results in not issuing the DIN certificate.

Once the ADF passes the tests, a retest will follow after one year and when the second test is successfully finished, another retest follows after 4 years. Such permanent monitoring of the manufacturer by the certifying body assures a much higher level of quality to the end user.

DIN Plus certification goes beyond DIN certification by requiring 2 times better results for all protective parameters and 3 times better results for switching speed. The ratings for optical quality, diffusion of light and homogeneity have to be 1/1/1 or at least 1/2/1 or 1/1//2. In addition, the manufacturer has to prove that it has all necessary testing equipment available on site. The correct functioning of the test equipment and production are checked on yearly basis by regular audits by DIN Certco

If you only want to invest in a top quality welding helmet with ADF lens,that you want to contribute to the success of your operation, consider only the major welding helmet manufactuers to begin with. Then take a close look at the ADF. Look for the EN 379 optical quality certification and optical quality ratings and the DIN and DIN Plus independent third party quality assurance markings. Look for the latestest ADF technology like ADC (Angular Dependency Compensation). Then and only then will you select an ADF that will return your investment many times over. Compare. Place various brands side by side and using the information presented here as a guide, see what brand offers what and accept nothing but the best.

AUTO DARKENING FILTERS FOR SERIOUS WELDERS

2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the introduction of auto darkening filter lenses to the welding industry. In 1981, Hornell International based in Sweden introduced their patented SPEEDGLAS in Europe and the US market. Soon after, Hornell, partnered with The Fibre-Metal Products Company, the leading manufacturer of welding helmets in the USA at the time, for Hornell to use their ADF technology to produce an exclusive line of ADF's to fit Fibre-Metal brand helmets. The Fibre-Metal brand and tradition of quality lent some credibility to the new product and together, Fibre-Metal and Hornell pioneered the conversion from passive filter lens to the new ADF technology.

From the beginning, Hornell and Fibre-Metal presented the ADF as a serious welding tool designed to increase safety and improve productivity for production welders. Soon after the first movers penetrated the market, the other major welding helmet manufacturers at the time, Jackson, Sellstrom, and Kedman (Huntsman) followed with their versions and technologies and the market expanded rapidly. Each of them also positioned their ADF's as a serious piece of equipment for the production welding industry.

As the industry grew, every significant improvement in ADF's,  from their inception right through today, came from the original pioneers. But over the years, as the market grew, a glut of lower quality ADF's hit the market, mostly from obscure manufacturers in China and Taiwan. Before long, welding machine manufacturers, welding supply distributors with store brands, and a host of Internet Marketers were in the ADF business; but with a different focus.

Somes primary goal was cheapening up the product to drive the price to the lowest possible level. Others proliferated gimmicks and gadgets that did nothing to advance the technology, improve welder safety or increase productivity. Still others turned to graphics to divert attention from inferior ADF's. Perhaps those things have some appeal to part-time welders, or occasional or home welders. But they do nothing for serious, production welders. The welders who weld all day every day and need the best possible tools to keep them safe and productive. That is why you hardly ever see them in real fab shops, or any place where welding is a serious business.

Unfortunately, over the years there was not much innovation or improvement in technology from the serious ADF producers either - until recently. Sellstrom recently introduced their innovative
MAGSENSE lens that responds to either the light from the arc and/or a magnetic field created by current flowing through the workpiece. The dual mode filter improves switching stability and prevents flickering. They are important advances.

But the most significant advances in ADF technology and performance are coming from the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell brand. Their new High Performance "ADC"(Angular Dependency Compensation) series ADF lenses provide major advances in optical quality - the ability for a welder to see his work more clearly. After a long and successful partnership with Hornell, a number of years ago Fibre-Metal began a new partnership with what has turned out to be the best and most innovative ADF technology in the world. Today, the Fibre-Metal brand ADF technology has produced the ONLY ADF lens in the world with a perfect score of "1" in every optical quality phase of the DIN standard, including angular dependency. The new lenses also improve color recognition which can be an important thing to a production welder.

These advances help keep real production welders safer, and are big boosts to welder productivity. And they are the things ADF's were developed for in the first place. So just as it was in the beginning, the major, top brand welding helmet producers are advancing the state of the ADF art, while the rest of the pack continues to see who can produce the most gaudy graphics, cram in the most useless gadgets, and push prices to even lower levels. None of which helps a production welder or the company that employs him.

If you are in the market for welding helmets with ADF lenses, limit your choice set to the major brands of welding helmet manufacturers you have relied on for years. They are the serious producers of ADF's for real production welders.They are pushing the performance envelope; they are making all of the real ADF advances. You will find what you need from one of them.

PPE AND RISK REDUCTION

Risk assessment and risk reduction are the corner stones of a safety program. Both concepts are simple to understand but complex and difficult to implement. A trained safety official can assess a construction site for example, and recognize that there is a risk of something falling from a third floor and striking somebody below. But he cannot tell when something might fall, what might fall, or the angle at which it might strike someone. So he does what he can to reduce the risk of whatever might fall hurting a worker on the ground.

He can reduce the risk, he cannot eliminate it. Except for respiratory and hearing hazards, that can be measured and protected against with some degree of specificity, most risk can only be reduced, not eliminated. How does this relate to PPE? If a PPE buying decision maker knows that there is a PPE product available, that may be able to protect better than what he is buying, is he not taking a risk by not upgrading to it? Even if it is just the perception of better performance or the probability of better performance, is risk being reduced as much as possible if it is not used?

Consider head protection. Suppose a PPE buying decision maker does his OSHA required due diligence and has learned as much as possible about head protection and how the various designs perform. He will know that there are smooth crown caps and caps with ribs and slots; he will know that there are 8-point suspensions and 4 or 6 point suspensions and he will  form some idea of how each works and which would or could probably work better. His conclusions or perception can be fact based, logic based, or just his gut feel or instincts.

Even if he feels it is just the slightest probability or possibility that the smooth crown, 8-point could perform better, he should upgrade to it if his goal is to truly reduce risk as much as possible. Another way to look at it is he knows the cap he feels is better probably won't do any worse (they all have ANSI stickers), so there is no risk there, it could just do about the same, so there is no risk there, and it might just do better so there would be reduced risk in that circumstance.

As is any upgrade, there may be an additional initial investment. Suppose the cap he feels has the potential to reduce the risk of injury requires an investment of an additional $10.00 per cap. Based on an average work year of about 220 days, that is about 4 cents a day investment in an extra margin of protection.

Wearing PPE reduces the risk of injury and/or the severity of injury when an accident occurs. Making sure you provide what you believe has the best probability or likelihood of providing the most protection reduces risk even more.
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WARNING: Any hazard analysis and risk assessment should only be done by trained, experienced safety officials.The evaluation and selection of PPE should only be done in accordance with OSHA Guidelines by trained, experienced safety officials. This blog is intended for informational purposes only. Any reference to a specific design is for reference only and is not an endorsement of any specific design or product nor a statement of suitability for any purpose. Please read this blog post "IMPORTANT NOTICE" dated February 8, 2011 for addition warnings and disclaimers.

PROTECTIVE CAP COOLING WITHOUT COOLING VENTS

The weather is starting to warm up in most parts of the country and it won't be long before we are looking at ways to try to keep workers cool in temperature extremes. A relatively recent fad is protective caps with "ventilation vents" in the crown that are supposed to provide a cooling effect. In our opinion, that is a potentially risky, ineffective and unnecessary way to reduce the temperature within a protective hat or cap.

The proponents of ventilation slots claim they reduce trapped heat. The reason heat is "trapped" is because of small, snug fitting shells that do not allow air to circulate to clear it. They claim they reduce perspiration levels. The reason perspiration levels are high is because of small, partial, non-absorbent sweatbands. They claim they let cool air in. The minuscule amount of air that might pass through the vents can contain dirt, dust, debris and potentially hazardous substances that can accumulate in the vents. Finally, flying or falling objects can become lodged in the vents concentrating impact force at that point and potentially overwhelming the impact attenuation capability of the cap. Whether there is a 1 in 10 or 1 in a million chance of that happening, it is a risk and as long as there are alternatives, it is a risk that does not have to be taken.

The alternative begins with a smooth crown protective cap design with no ridges, ribs, slots or vents. That design eliminates the risks that vented caps can present.

The model shown is a Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT cap. In addition to eliminating risk, this cap design provides proven cooling for the wearer. When we talk about "cooling" we are talking about reducing the temperature within the cap relative to the temperature of the ambient air in the work environment. First, safety officials should select a light color cap which will deflect much of the heat to which the wearers head would be exposed. Next, the ANSI Standard for head protection requires a fixed space between the top of the suspension and the caps hard shell. That creates an air space that along with the full shell size and design allows air to freely circulate within the cap at a much greater volume than is possible with several small vents in the crown.

The next step in the cooling process is a by-product of the freely circulating air. The illustration below shows the unique 360 degree sweatband in the SUPEREIGHT cap. That not only absorbs more perspiration than the partial sweatbands of the vented caps, it actually provides an "air conditioning" effect as the the air circulates over the moist sweatband causing evaporation.

For those who prefer ratchet headbands, which only have partial sweatbands, the same cooling effect applies but on a reduced level. But there is a solution for that too. The Fibre-Metal brand by Honeywell provides a model unlike any other. Their SWINGSTRAP models combine their full 360 degree sweatbands with a ratchet headband so you get all of the benefit of the ratchet band along with the cooling effect of the full sweatband.

Some years ago, The Fibre-Metal Products Company had tests done to determine if their protective caps actually did cool the inside temperature of the cap. The caps were placed on head forms, a heat source was applied to the ambient air, and the temperature was taken outside of the cap and inside of the cap with a heat probe. The tests proved that the temperature within the cap was consistently 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature of the air outside of the cap. If you are considering a vented cap, ask for similar documentation.

To quote Fox News, "we report, you decide". If you are looking for potential cooling for your workers who wear head protection in temperature extremes, look at all of the options. Ask yourself why assume risk when the same or better result can be achieved without the risk. Our goal here is to inform, show what is available, provide some alternatives. If you can find something that satisfies your needs better, by all means use it.

DON'T BUY PPE BASED ON GRAPHICS

I recently saw a comment from a welding supply distributor that said "as welders are trending younger and younger as the Baby Boomers retire, graphics are becoming a more important factor in their welding helmet buying decision". If that is true, there are going to be a lot of disappointed young welders suffering from "buyers remorse".

These are the highest quality and two of the top selling welding helmet models on the market:

The helmet on the left is the TIGERHOOD Classic from the Fibre-Metal brand by Honeywell. It was the original thermoplastic welding helmet, and is probably still the best selling passive lens welding helmet on the market and its best selling color is probably still gray. The helmet on the right is the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell FUTURA style thermoplastic welding helmet.

The welding helmets below are also FUTURA's

But with full graphic overlays applied. In our post of a few weeks ago, we talked about a welding helmet being a "tool of the trade for welders. Do graphics make them any better tools? Do they protect a welder any better, make him more productive or more comfortable? No, not at all. They may play to a welder wanting to portray a certain image, and it has been said that welders tend to take a little better care of a full graphics helmet, but that is about it and there is usually a pretty significant up charge for the graphics.

If you are a welding helmet buying decision maker, and you are considering full graphics helmets for your welders or if you are a self employed individual welder, or someone who just welds occasionally, be very careful not to be lulled into  a "buy the graphics" and not the helmet mistake. In the examples illustrated above, the full graphic styles are top quality Fibre-Metal brand helmets with graphics applied. The helmet will provide the same degree of performance as the standard helmet. But that is not always the case. Some suppliers use second grade helmets, or helmets with visual defects, or cheap imports in their graphic helmets.  So make sure you know what you are buying. Ask to see the helmet that is being covered with graphics in its natural state. Ask if it is the same grade and quality as their non-graphic helmets.

Several of the welding helmets with the best looking graphics are inferior grade welding helmets underneath. That is especially true with ADF helmets. Never buy a welding helmet just because you or your welders simply like the way it looks. And that holds true no matter what age your welders may happen to be. Do your due diligence; select the brand and model that is best suited to your working conditions as detailed in our "Welding Helmets are a Tool of the Trade" post and then, and only then, select a full graphic style from that manufacturer.

If you buy on looks, and you find that the helmet does not hold up under your working conditions and/or your welders find them so uncomfortable they can't work in them, then that helmet won't look so good after all.

PPE CONTRIBUTES TO QUALITY OF WORK LIFE

Throughout this blog, we have shown how PPE can reduce cost, improve productivity and increase profitability. But there is another area that PPE is closely linked to yet not widely connected with, and that is Quality of Work Life and morale.

Today, Quality of Work Life (QWL) plays a major role in an organizations ability to be successful. Employees are much more mobile than they used to be. They change jobs for a few more dollars a week and they change jobs if what is usually called "working conditions" are not to their satisfaction.

Progressive customer service management talks about the need to create "memorable experiences" for customers. They talk about "touch points" which are every way a customer comes in contact with the company and the overall, cummulative impression a customer develops of the company from those "touches". QWL works in much the same way. Its goal is to create memorable work experiences for employees in as many ways as possible so that an employee develops a positive "quality" of work life from working there.

Every industry and company are different in terms of what makes it a "good place to work" but recent studies have honed in on the 7 top QWL considerations:

1. Economic factors

    a. Compensation or wages

    b. Fringe benefits


2. Job satisfaction

    a. Occupation stress

    b. Recognition


3. Working environment

    a. Culture

    b. Congenial coworkers

    c. Relationship with supervisor/management


4. Health and Safety


5. Training


6. Opportunity for advancement


7. Grievance procedure

PPE comes into play in both the "Safety and Health" and "Job Satisfaction" factors. Nothing is a greater stressor than anxiety or fear. Workers want to leave home in the morning confident that they will return in the evening without being hurt on the job. When they arrive at work they want to feel confident that their employer is serious about safety and health and has done everything possible to eliminate hazards to make the work environment as safe as possible.

Nothing is a more tangible expression of the company's committment to the safety and health of its employees than the PPE they supply. Every time an employee puts on his or her PPE it sends a message from management. If it is top quality, carefully selected, fitted properly and they are well trained in its use and maintenance, it says the company cares about them and the quality of their work life. Facing the day in a confident, positive frame of mind, a well protected  employee will stay on the job longer, produce more with fewer mistakes and rejects.

On the other hand, employees know what is quality PPE and what is not, they know what fits well and feels good and what does not, they know when they have not received any PPE training, and it makes them anxious and apprehensive. If the PPE they have been supplied always come from the lowest bidder, and the company looks at it as just another regulatory expense that should be minimized, that message comes through to the work force also and adversely affects the quality of their work life.

An anxious, uncomfortable, stressed worker is far more likely to have an accident, and is definately less productive than his or her well protected counter part.

Safety programs and policies are important to the quality of work life and morale but they are intangible; employees cannot feel or experience them. But top quality PPE is tangible proof that they are working for a company that is committed to sending them home safe and sound to their families each evening.

A WELDING HELMET IS A TOOL OF THE TRADE

There is no question that the primary function of PPE is to protect the wearer. But some PPE, like welding helmets, are looked at in a different light. Most PPE is optional; a worker should wear it, is required to wear it, but doesn’t have to wear it to do their job. Not so with an electric arc welder. A welder must wear a welding helmet in order to weld. It is a “tool of the trade” and is evaluated, used and maintained more like a tool than a protective devise.


While they certainly appreciate the protection a welding helmet affords them, welders primarily look at the extent to which helmets are light enough, functional enough, and wearable enough to allow them to do their jobs without hindering, distracting or fatiguing them.

As any welder will tell you, they only want the best tools, well known brands they have confidence in. They often view the quality of the tools they are provided as the company’s commitment to their productivity and quality of work life.

A welding environment is harsh; it is hard on welders and their equipment so durability and extended service life are more important considerations in selecting a welding helmet than they might be in other types of PPE. In fact, workers are advised to replace protective caps and faceshields as soon as they get scratches or abrasions on them while welding helmets are expected to last a long time, just like other welding tools.

The key to durability and a long service life is the material a welding helmet is made from. Most welding helmets today are thermoplastic. When Fibre-Metal introduced thermoplastic helmets back in the late 1960’s, they worked with General Electric’s Engineering Grade plastics department to develop a material that could withstand a welding environment over an extended period of time. Today, Fibre-Metal by Honeywell TIGERHOOD brand helmets are still made from NORYL, and is still the brand most welders prefer and the brand all others are compared with. Later on, Fibre-Metal introduced AMODEL, another high quality, engineering grade material in their FUTURA brand helmets. Both materials were specifically formulated and selected to produce high quality “tools” to protect welders.

Because a welding environment is so harsh, the weight of tools and equipment is a huge consideration. Welders have to be able to wear their equipment and use their tools all shift long without being unnecessarily fatigued. Most lesser quality welding helmet brands boast of their “extreme lightweight”. But the lightweight is achieved with thin walled ordinary nylon shells that cannot stand up to sparks and spatter over an extended time. Some even place application limitations on their helmets, like “do not use for overhead welding” because they just can’t stand up to it. There is a fine line between “extreme lightweight” and flimsy. The truth of the matter is there is very little difference between the weight of helmets made from a high quality engineering grade material and those made from flimsy nylon. In fact, the FUTURA brand from Fibre-Metal by Honeywell is actually lighter than lesser brands and will outlast them by a margin of 2 to 1 in real welding applications.

Another way in which a welding helmet is evaluated like a tool of the trade is its reliability. How often does it breakdown and need to be repaired during continual use. The most vulnerable part of a welding helmet is the headgear. Many, if not most, brands are plagued by cracking and breaking headbands and stripping ratchet sizing mechanisms. It is not uncommon to see a barrel in the corner of a welding shop where broken headgears are tossed for replacement by a supplier. Again, it is a material and design situation. Fibre-Metal by Honeywell helmet headgears are produced from a specially blended material that does not crack or break in a welding environment. Their unique ratchet mechanism does not strip no matter how hard it is used. A welder does not want his tool to breakdown in the middle of a job. They do not want to have to worry about reliability. That is why they prefer the top quality welding helmet brands.

Functionality is another welder consideration. Is their welding helmet a tool that protects them but allows them to do their job? Is it full enough to cover as much exposed skin area as possible, but shaped properly to allow freedom of movement? Is it designed to fit over protective spectacles and a respirator if necessary? Can air flow freely within the helmet to clear smoke and fumes and is the crown designed to let those things escape? Are their sufficient adjustments to provide just the right fit and feel for the way each welder likes to work? As a tool of the trade, a welding helmet has to aide and enhance productivity not distract from or hinder it.

Before a welder selects any brand of welding helmet, they should try it on their job under their working conditions. As a welding supervisor said “I’d never buy a tool I didn’t try first and a welding helmet is no exception”. Most reliable suppliers will provide samples or loaners and will help with the test and evaluation.

Like most quality tools, a welding helmet should come to you ready to use out of the box. It should be simple to use (adjust friction joint, fit headgear, replace filter plate) and easy to clean and maintain.

A top quality, respected brand of welding helmet will provide a long service life, increase productivity, and improve morale and the quality of work life on a par with any other tool of the trade. So when you think about welding helmets, of course consider how well they protect, but also keep in mind how well they help a welder do his or her job.