Time is running out to sign up for Miller’s free online Webinar—Keeping Cool: Managing Heat Stress For Welders. During the one-hour presentation we’ll be discussing the causes and symptoms of heat stress, how to properly monitor and implement a heat stress control plan and how Miller’s new CoolBand™ and CoolBelt™ products can fit into a heat stress control plan.

The Webinar will be at noon on June 23, 2010, and will be archived for free download on the ISHN Web site for one year. Visit ISHN magazine’s

Summer’s almost here, and for many welders that means one thing — heat. Heat from the arc. Heat from the base metal. Heat from the safety apparel. These three factors combine to make welding an unusually dangerous occupation when the ambient temperatures reach into the 80’s and hotter. In addition to heat exhaustion and other heat-induced illnesses, heat stress can also reduce a welder’s ability to recognize and respond to other physical dangers in the workplace.

To call greater attention to this issue, Miller will be presenting a free, one-hour Webinar that will discuss the dangers of heat stress, national regulations pertaining to heat stress in the workplace, options for reducing heat stress and ways to monitor employees’ heat stress exposure. The Webinar will take place at noon (Central time) on Wednesday, June 23, and will be hosted by Industrial Safety and Hygiene News (ISHN). You can read more about the Webinar and sign up on

Wondering if an upgrade to an inverter-based TIG power source is worth it? Check out this article to read about the experiences of five manufacturers and two schools and the productivity and weld quality improvements they realized by making the switch to inverter-based controls for aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel applications.

As an example, A1A Dock Products, a small manufacturer of aluminum ladders in Hollywood, Fla., achieved an annual savings of $28,224 by investing in inverter-based TIG power sources. Their investment paid for itself in just two weeks!

But that’s just the beginning. Click here to see what advanced TIG controls can do for you.

According to a recent news article, the Navy has ordered the re-inspection of thousands of potentially faulty pipe welds on three classes of ships after an oil lubrication problem on one ship required an emergency docking in Bahrain. Investigators believe that up to 10-15 percent of the welds do not meet specifications.

Unfortunate as the problem is for the Navy and the company responsible for inspecting and repairing the welds, the situation calls to light the importance of welding—highly skilled welding, specifically—to our national security.

Welding literally holds together the ships, airplanes, tanks and other vehicles that protect our country and its people on a daily basis, and the problems encountered in these ships is evidence of the skill and knowledge required to successfully perform a weld that will endure extreme stress and pressure.

It’s also sadly ironic that this news story emerged just about a week after welding was listed as the fifth worst out of 200 selected careers. The welding industry needs people with the ability and desire to perform the welds critical to our national security, yet surveys like these could discourage those people from considering a career in welding.

On a positive note, the company that builds these ships for the Navy said that it has recertified its welders and inspectors and stepped up its pipe weld inspection system. Hopefully their efforts will result in improved weld integrity and very little downtime for these ships.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you noticed a lack of skill at the highest level of safety-critical welding? Do you believe that companies are not enforcing their welding specifications as strictly as they should? What can be done to show our best and brightest the potential for rewarding and important work within the welding industry? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.