We have a noise problem in our welding bay at one of our locations and need to reduce the levels. A contributing factor is that the floor has been covered with metal plates which seem to be causing reverberation increasing noise levels. When asked I was told that the metal had been laid to stop sparks from welding bouncing off the concrete floors and hitting the operator. I am not an expert in welding but feel that this cannot be right as the many welding operations I have seen have all been within an environment with concrete flooring. Can anybody advise me the best flooring for welding operations and if concrete can cause such problems? Many thanks Linda

Thank you Wturner - yes MIG mostly.

Thanks Chris - its a new build so should not be a damaged floor but perhaps because management wanted to keep the pristine condition! Anyway I shall advise them to remove it and ensure correct PPE is worn.

I might be off the mark here - but is there a such a thing as a fire retardant safety mat, that will stop the welding sparks from bouncing up and may also act as an acoustic damper and fatigue for the worker. One stone and three birds down. Just a thought. On another note, I did some work in a welding shop some time ago with respect to noise, and found that the aluminium extractor system was one culprit in which we placed stick on sound deadening material on the ducting and capture hoods and also re-located the motor to outside the building. We also replaced the welding curtains with a heaver plastic type material which also helped to deaden the sound. Paul is right, PPE = last resort, however, what I concluded with the work I done, it was Ok do all the standard stuff to reduce the overall noise levels, in which we did achieve, the problem is that the ears are close to the welding torch in which it's difficult to prevent/manage the sound travelling the short distance to the ears without the use of hearing protection.

Actually the metal suppresses the sparks, and any molten metal or slag from the welding process will stick to the metal whereas it just bounces off concrete. The floor plates could be the earth bonding for the prosess just like the (metal) welding benches would be, especially as it has been suggested that it could be MIG welding. However, you are correct - most imdustrial welders are 3 phase power supply and if the metal plate were to become live - curly hair all round.

Are you sure it was not made so, to reduce the down-time of having to replace the return lead when the workpiece is moved? Apart from the welding head, the return lead is the most likely to be damaged. It sounds like an employer idea to reduce working time on the job... The other usual reason is to reduce floor damage, caused by moving the workpiece, especially if the method is the turning by use of a steel lever. Bad idea, because of the electrocution problem. What bouncing-sparks problem? Are your welders not equipped with flame resistant coveralls as standard?