About This Course and the OSHA Welding Standards

This course is awareness and practitioner training aligned with the US federal welding standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It is written for welders, cutters, their supervisors, fire watchers and health, safety and environment (HSE) staff in general industry, and for anyone who plans or checks welding, cutting or brazing work.

It covers the rules in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1910, Subpart Q — Welding, Cutting and Brazing, and the related rules on eye protection, toxic substances and ventilation. It also compares them with the construction rules in 29 CFR 1926, Subpart J. The course is pitched at an intermediate level: you will be asked to apply the rules to real jobs, choose between options and spot what is wrong.

How Subpart Q is organized

Subpart Q is short: five sections. Each section number tells you the part (1910) and the section. Paragraphs inside a section are written like (a)(2)(iii). When a supervisor says "that is in 1910.252(a)", they mean the fire prevention rules in the general requirements section.

Other parts of 1910 also matter for welding. Eye and face protection is in 1910.133, the general personal protective equipment (PPE) rules are in 1910.132, compressed gases in general are in 1910.101, and exposure limits and substance standards such as hexavalent chromium are in Subpart Z.