Overview
ISO 15011-1:2009 - Health and safety in welding and allied processes - Part 1 specifies a laboratory method for determining fume emission rate during arc welding and for collecting welding fume for subsequent analysis. The standard covers open arc welding processes (excluding TIG, which produces little fume) and defines the test principle, required equipment, test procedures and reporting essentials used in controlled emission-rate testing.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test principle: measure mass of fume collected on a pre-weighed filter and divide by arcing time to give fume emission rate (mg/s).
- Test chamber: semi-enclosed, continuously extracted enclosure (types include a “hood” or “fume box”) designed to minimize deposition on internal surfaces and to contain all generated fume. Extraction should clear the chamber within 30 s after arc extinction.
- Filters and sampling:
- Glass or quartz-fibre filters for emission-rate weighing (robust and non-friable).
- Paper (cellulose) filters for fume collection intended for chemical analysis.
- Instrumentation accuracy:
- Balance: ±1 mg or better for filter mass measurements.
- Electrical and feed measurements (current, voltage, wire-feed): mean values within ±5% or better; arcing time to 0.1 s resolution.
- Shielding-gas flow measurement: calibrated to ±5% or better.
- Processes covered: manual metal arc (MMA) and continuous wire processes (MIG/MAG, MCAW, FCAW, SSFCAW). Automatic welding is recommended for continuous-wire processes to improve reproducibility.
- Procedures: trial tests to set current and arcing time, controlled welding positions, precautions to avoid sample loss and chamber leakage, and guidance on test-piece preparation.
- Ancillary content: informative annexes on chamber designs, equipment notes and welding parameters; normative annexes for procedural details and test reporting.
Practical applications
- Evaluate and compare fume emission rates of welding consumables, wires and electrodes.
- Determine effects of welding parameters, shielding gases, process type and test-piece condition on fume generation and composition.
- Support occupational hygiene assessments, product development and cleaner-process selection.
- Provide standardized input for fume data sheets and research studies on welding emissions.
Who should use this standard
- Occupational hygienists and safety professionals assessing welding exposures.
- Welding engineers and production managers seeking lower-emission processes or consumables.
- Test laboratories performing standardized welding fume measurements.
- Manufacturers of welding consumables preparing emission data for customers or regulatory compliance.
Related standards
- ISO 15011 series: Parts 2 (gases), 3 (ozone), 4 (fume data sheets), 5 (thermal-degradation products); Part 6 under development.
- ISO/TR 25901 (welding vocabulary) and ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (uncertainty of measurement) are normative references.
Keywords: ISO 15011-1:2009, fume emission rate, welding fume sampling, arc welding, laboratory method, test chamber, welding fume analysis, occupational hygiene.
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