ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) has released “Avoid the Path: Electric Arc Welding Safety,” a new video that educates workers on safe work practices to help prevent electric shock, burns, eye injuries, respiratory and other health problems, and jobsite fires.

“Electric arc welding is so commonplace in the mechanical construction industry that it’s easy for affected workers to forget about the hazards associated with the electric arc welding process,” said Tom Skaggs, chairman of MCAA’s Safety and Health Committee and vice president – safety for the Murphy Company.

Avoid the Path: Electric Arc Welding Safety illustrates the importance of keeping those hazards in mind. It features a recent electric shock incident involving a fitter who became part of the welding circuit when four separate issues came together to create “the perfect storm.” The video identifies the four key issues that led to the event and presents the best safe work practices needed to prevent electric arc welding shock incidents.

“Failure to follow safe work practices can result in devastating injuries,” said Pete Chaney, MCAA director of safety and health. “This new training will remind workers of the importance of following safe work practices when performing electric arc welding.”

The training materials include the video, take-away pocket guide with key points from the training video, a documentation mechanism to assist contractors in documenting which workers have received the training, and a 20-question multiple-choice test to assist in verifying that workers understand the materials.

The video is available on the MCAA Video App, which can be found in Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store by searching for “MCAA Video.” The training video and materials are also available for download at www.mcaa.org/private/videos. An MCAA members-only password is required to access these materials, which are provided free of charge as a benefit of membership.

For more information, visit www.mcaa.org.

Publication date: 8/11/2014

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