Welding Safety: How to Prevent Burns, Fire, and Explosions
October 10, 2025Welding is a hazardous profession that involves using high heat to melt and fuse metal pieces. The heat of an arc, sparks, and spatter during welding pose a risk of burns on the skin or fire and explosions in the welding environment.
The first step in improving welding safety and reducing the risk of fire hazards is understanding how and why accidents occur. Therefore, we will present a detailed guide on how to prevent burns, fire, and explosions in welding. This guide will cover topics such as personal protective equipment, safe work practices, and emergency procedures.
By the end of the article, you should be well-equipped with the knowledge required to keep yourself, your fellow welders, and your colleagues safe.
MIG Welding in Action
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92btqXQmsk
Why Do Fires and Explosions Occur in Welding?
Fire hazards pose a significant risk in welding. An entire training course dedicated to welding safety covers this topic, but we will give you straightforward explanations.
Fire and explosions in welding occur due to a fire triangle that comprises the following:
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Source of ignition
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Fuel
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Oxygen
What Is the Fire Triangle?
In welding, the source of ignition is the welding arc, or more precisely, its heat. The arc reaches temperatures of roughly 10,000 degrees F. This elevated heat is necessary to melt and fuse metal pieces, but it also creates hot sparks, slag, and spatter that serve as a source of ignition. In some cases, electrical equipment, static electricity, or friction can also cause fire, burns, or explosion.
The fuel in welding is any flammable material around your welding area, workshop, or garage. Oil, paint, grease, plywood, clothing, or other flammable substances can ignite when in contact with a source of ignition. Additionally, any combustible or explosive gas, liquid, or solid in the welding area can serve as fuel for fire or explosion. Keep in mind that metals coated with combustible substances can also light up.
Oxygen is necessary for combustion and explosion, and it is all around us. However, welders often use oxygen as a welding gas or oxidizing agents such as nitrates, chlorates, or peroxides, which can further increase combustibility. Thus, special care is required when using external sources of oxygen in the welding area.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding in Action
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs1UhhJH0E8&t=448s
Welding Burns: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment
Unlike fires and explosions, welding burns are more common injuries. They can be very painful and hard to deal with, but with the proper knowledge and equipment, you can successfully deal with them.
To understand how to prevent burns, you should first know how they occur. So, we will start with causes.
Source: https://weldingofwelders.com/how-to-treat-welding-burn/
Causes of Burns in Welding
Burns in welding can occur for various reasons and conditions. Many of them are similar to fire and explosion risks, which is why we included these risks in the article. The leading causes of burns in welding are:
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Touching the hot metal: Metals absorb heat during welding. Touching the pieces with bare hands right after welding can cause severe and painful burns, like touching the stove after cooking.
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Spark and spatter burn: Molten sparks and spatter fly around the weld, and one can easily land in your shoes, pants, or down the shirt. Besides burning your clothes, these can severely burn your skin.
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Radiation burns: In addition to heat, an arc emits intense UV/IR radiation. Welding close to the arc without covering your skin can cause severe burns, which feel like a bad sunburn.
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Chemical burns: Welders often work with chemical and cleaning solutions that can burn your skin if handled without proper care. They can sting and burn like using a lousy skincare product.
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Electrical burns: These are rare and occur once you suffer an electrical shock. The contact point can burn your skin, but these are often less harmful than other types of burns.
How to Prevent Welding Burns?
To prevent welding burns, you should use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) that covers your skin. A welding jacket, gloves, helmet, and long-sleeved, buttoned clothing will protect you from sparks and spatter.
Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) while welding.
Source: https://www.oteplace.com/en/blog-ppe-for-welders-proper-fit-and-maintenance
To prevent contact burns, always wear welding gloves when handling hot metal. However, these will only protect you so far, so you should wait for the pieces to cool before handling them.
To prevent spatter and spark burns, wear fire-resistant, long-sleeved, buttoned-up clothing, a welding apron, and welding gloves. Sparks can burn any exposed skin or end up in your boots or shirt, so limit the access points.
To prevent arc radiation burns, cover your face and hands. The UV/IR radiation can burn the body parts closest to the arc, so always wear a welding helmet and gloves. Besides the skin, the helmet, such as the YesWelder M800HP , will also protect your eyes from intense light and radiation.
LYG-M800HP True Color View Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet
To prevent chemical burns, handle the chemical with care and read the safety label. Acid solutions can severely burn your skin or irritate your eyes, so make sure you wear gloves and eye protection.
To prevent electrical burns, avoid touching damaged and exposed cables and components. When maintaining or replacing parts, always unplug the welder, and be cautious when working with live electrical circuits.
Do not touch exposed or damaged electrical parts.
How to Treat Welding Burns?
Although prevention is crucial in avoiding welding burns, mistakes, and injuries happen. Most welding burns only damage the surface layer of skin, meaning they are not so severe, but they can be painful or make you uncomfortable.
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If you get burned, remove clothing or jewelry near the burned part. These can retain the heat and cause further damage to the skin.
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Cool the wound. Hold the burn under cool, but not cold, running water for 10-20 minutes. If the burn is in a hard-to-reach place, apply a cool, wet cloth.
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Apply a lotion. Aloe vera or cocoa butter lotions provide hydration and relief, and they can ease the pain. If the pain persists, you can take a pain reliever.
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Bandage the wound with a clean bandage. Wrap the burn loosely to avoid putting pressure on damaged skin. Bandages will prevent further infections and protect the blistered skin.
How to Treat Welding Burns
In case of severe burns or chemical burns that cover more significant portions of your body, you should seek medical attention. Although these are rare in welding, you should always seek medical help in case burns penetrate the outer layers of the skin and cause severe pain.
Fires and Explosions in Welding: Causes and Prevention
Fire or explosion poses a significantly more severe risk in welding than burns, but they are less frequent. As noted, fires in welding start once a source of ignition meets the fuel, and oxygen stimulates combustion.
Explosions in welding are the most severe risks, but they are scarce. They occur when a source of ignition meets pressured vessels or pipes filled with combustible substances due to gas leaks, backfires, or flashbacks.
Let's learn more about causes and prevention.
Fires and Explosions in Welding
Source: https://www.hafcovac.com/5-ways-to-prevent-industrial-fires-and-explosions
What Causes Fires and Explosions in Welding?
As with other hazards, the first step in avoiding fires and explosions in welding is understanding the causes. The leading causes of fire and explosions in welding are:
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There are holes, openings, and cracks in the area. Sparks, slag, and spatter can fill small holes or cracks and smolder unnoticed for hours. The fire can break out long after you finish welding.
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Flammable materials are present in the area. Oil, grease, petroleum, sawdust, or even an old rag, plastics, wood, or paper can ignite if heat and oxygen are present. Fire can break out violently or smolder for hours before breaking out.
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There are flammable vapors and gases in the area. Combustible gases and vapors come from nearby cylinders and tanks. Leaks in welding equipment, gas regulators, or hoses can cause gas buildup. When mixed with air, these gases can ignite and cause powerful explosions and fires.
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Welding on tanks and pipes carrying flammable substances is a hazardous procedure that should be handled by experienced welders who review and follow safety practices.
Aluminum Diesel Fuel Tank Welding Repair
Photo by @wolfe_cte (TikTok)
Welding Safety: How to Prevent Fires and Explosions
Many companies today use a hierarchy of control framework to control hazards in the workplace, including fires and explosions. A hierarchy of controls includes five levels of control measures, from the most effective to the least, including the following:
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Elimination
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Substitution
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Engineering
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Administrative
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Each step limits the risks of fire or explosion in welding. For example, eliminating the sources of ignition or fuel dramatically reduces the hazards. Substituting flammable substances with alternative non-flammable substances also works excellently. Engineering a safe environment or administrating welding safety precautions with PPE limits the possibility of burns, injuries, or fire.
Let's explore some practical tips on how to prevent fire and explosions in a welding environment.
Source: https://safetyculture.com/topics/welding-safety/10-welding-safety-rules/
Inspect the Area and Remove Combustible Materials
Before you start welding, inspect the work area. Look for flammable substances that could ignite due to welding arc, spark, slag, or spatter. If you are unsure if the substance is safe to work around, ask for an expert opinion. The expert can cover or ask you to remove the material before welding.
If you are welding at home, remove combustible materials from the work area. For example, if you work in a garage, beware of oil stains or gas cans. Move the work to a location well away from flammable materials. If you cannot move the work or remove materials, cover them with a fire-resistant material.
Always remove combustible materials before welding.
Image credit: Samuel Jimenez | Unsplash
According to the American Welding Society (AWS) Fact Sheet, Fire, and Explosion Prevention, sparks can travel up to 35 ft. If you are working within 35 ft (10m) of combustible material that cannot be moved, safety guidelines state you need a Fire Watcher. A Fire Watcher observes the sparks, holds a fire extinguisher, and is ready to sound an alarm in case of fire.
Floor-to-Ceiling Protection
Special attention is required in a welding work area where floors, walls, or ceilings are made of flammable materials. These are specific conditions where extra care and fire shields are needed to prevent fire.
If the floor is made of wood or any combustible material, you should sweep it clean, wet it, or cover it with a fire-resistant shield or sand. Wetting is the easiest solution, but it increases the risk of electrical shock. If you decide to wet the floor, use nonconductive footwear.
You should cover the combustible walls with noncombustible material. Make sure you cover all open doorways, windows, and cracks. Pay close attention to tight spots and cracks where slag can hide and smolder. Ensure wind can't carry sparks or slag around the protective shield.
Even if everything is safely protected, AWS recommends a Fire Watcher when welding in a flammable environment. The 35 ft. rule applies to flammable walls or floors, not only present substances.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bakrmammar_processsafety-safeprocess-fireprotection-activity-7365359808666824704-LjDF/
Have Suitable Fire Extinguishing Equipment Ready
As part of fire prevention, you should always have fire extinguishing equipment ready in your welding area. The central piece of extinguishing equipment is the fire extinguisher itself.
There are four basic types of fire extinguishers in everyday use today:
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Type A extinguisher is best for combustible solids such as paper, wood, and cloth. The symbol is a green triangle with the letter A in the center.
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Type B extinguisher is designed for combustible liquids such as oil, grease, and paint thinner. The symbol is a red square with the letter B.
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Type C extinguisher puts out electrical fires in fuse boxes, electric motors, and welding machines. Its symbol is a blue circle with the letter C in the center.
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Type D extinguisher is best for combustible metals such as zinc, titanium, and magnesium. Its symbol is a yellow star with the letter D.
Basic Types of Fire Extinguishers
Source: https://allegiantfire.net/news/fire-extinguishers-for-business/
Keep in mind that one extinguisher is often suitable for extinguishing more than one kind of fire. Therefore, you should use a combination fire extinguisher (Class A, B, C) for welding.
If there is no fire extinguisher in the area, ensure you have access to other fire-fighting equipment. Fire hoses with available water pressure, sand buckets, or fire-resistant blankets will help you put out the fire.
Common Fire Extinguishing Methods
Be Careful Around Combustible Gases and Vapors
As noted, flammable gases and vapors, mixed with air, can cause intense explosions. Therefore, avoid welding in areas where flammable liquids, gases, vapors, and dust are present. If you own cylinders or tanks with combustible gases, make sure you regularly check connections, regulators, or caps for leaks or damage.
Avoid welding containers or pipes that carry flammable materials. This type of welding is reserved for experienced welders familiar with the American Welding Society document F4.1. This document, called "Recommended Safe Practices for the Preparation for Welding and Cutting of Containers and Piping Which Had Held Hazardous Substances," contains safety guidelines and rules.
Avoid welding any metal with a flammable or toxic coating. It is always better to leave a metal with an unknown coating. Keep the work area well-ventilated. In addition to toxic fumes, gases, and vapors can build up and pressurize the environment, potentially causing fire or explosion.
Keep the work area well-ventilated while welding.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqtnxb3xg0
Use Well-Maintained Equipment
Make sure your welding equipment, including the welder, shielding gas cylinder, regulator, and hoses, is in good condition. Damaged cables or internal components can cause a short circuit and sparks that can ignite combustible materials.
Ensure the gas hoses are well protected from sparks, people, and machinery. Frequent damage can cause leaks and gas buildup. Safely secure cylinders during transport to avoid potential damage. Protect any fuel or hydraulic lines near the arc.
Install the welder according to recommended electricity demands and with circuit protection. Overloading the welder or circuit can cause damage to your electrical network or machine, leading to increased fire hazards.
Use a circuit breaker to protect your welder — prevents overloads and fire risks.
Source: https://instrumentationtools.com/circuit-breaker/
In Case of Fire
Stay calm, and don't panic. In case of a small fire, such as a puddle of oil, an old rag, or plywood, use nearby fire-extinguishing equipment. A fire extinguisher, sand bucket, or blanket will quickly put out the small fire. If you are using an extinguisher, spray it at the base of the fire on the material that is burning, not on the flames above the material.
If the fire is larger, call the fire department. Make sure you sound the alarm to alert your colleagues and shut down your welder. Follow the fire evacuation plan to avoid clutter or jam, which can lead to confusion and casualties.
Source: https://reliablefire.com/emergency-evacuation-plans/
Final Thoughts
Burns and fire are standard parts of welding, as the arc reaches the extreme temperatures needed to melt and fuse pieces. Explosions are less common, but they can occur occasionally.
While some fire hazards are less severe than others, they can be uncomfortable to deal with. The goal of our article was to educate you about the most common causes of burns, fires, and explosions in welding.
The first step in lowering the risk and preventing accidents is understanding why they happen. Possessing the proper knowledge and following our safety tips should help you deal with common safety hazards in welding.
🧐Welding Safety: How to Prevent Burns, Fire, and Explosions FAQ
1. How far can welding sparks travel?
According to the AWS, welding sparks can travel up to 35 ft (10 m), so flammable materials within this range must be removed, covered, or monitored.
2. What fire-fighting equipment should be in a welding area?
Always have a fire extinguisher (preferably a combined A/B/C type) in the welding area. If not, ensure access to other fire-fighting tools like fire hoses, sand buckets, or fire-resistant blankets.