[Investigation of occupational hazards of ultraviolet radiation and protective measures for workers in electric welding].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate and analyze the occupational hazards of ultraviolet radiation, protective measures and related factors for typical symptoms  among workers in electric welding, and to provide basic information for revision of the occupational standards of UV.


METHODS
Questionnaires and  physical examinations were used in this investigation. A total of 828 workers from four vehicle manufacturers in Beijing and Guangdong Province were  selected. Corresponding analyses were conducted with SPSS 16.0 statistic software.


RESULTS
The top three injuries of faces and hands were burning  tingling (48.7% & 41.3%), itch of skin (39% & 34.9%) and pigmentation (31.9% & 24.5%).The major injuries of eyes were ophthalmodynia  (61.5%) ,  photophobia and tearing (61.4%), and blurred vision (50.2%). The incidences of facial and hands burning tingling, hands flushing, hands macula and  papula were significantly different between the welders and auxiliary workers (P<0.05). The differences of facial and hands burning tingling, flushing, facial  disesthesia and anaesthesia, symptoms and signs of eyes were significant in different working years groups (P<0.05). The top three usages of protective  measures were welding masks (87.2%), gloves (84.3%) and glasses (65.9%). Except for UV cut cream, the usages of other protective equipments in the  auxiliary workers were significantly lower than those in the welders (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that prolonged exposure to arc  welding, using argon arc welding and CO(2) gas shielded arc welding, not wearing welding masks, and not using UV cut cream was significantly associated  with the increased risk of face burning tingling, and the ORs were 3.894 (6 h to 8 h), 2.665 (4 h to 6 h), 2.052, 1.765, 1.759, 1.833, respectively; working years  might be a protective factor, and the OR was 0.440, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggested that the UV radiation produced during welding  operations not only caused harm to welders, but also to the auxiliary workers. Protection should be strengthened,for example, wearing welding masks,  glasses, etc. Meanwhile automatic welding machines should be adopted by the factories to reduce the exposure time for workers.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China.
Yan
Y
Xu
Man-man
MM
Gong
Jiao
J
Wang
Li-hua
LH
He
Sheng
S
Wang
Wei-wei
WW
Du
Long-lian
LL
Zhang
Sen
S
Lin
Xue-mei
XM
Dong
Ru-gang
RG
Wang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001336:Automobiles; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014896:Welding; D055815:Young Adult