The demand for effective extraction systems has increased significantly since the introduction of stricter health and safety regulationsin February, following the reclassification of welding fumes: the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) no longer assesses only hazardous substances resulting from stainless-steel welding as carcinogenic, but also those from mild-steel welding.

As a result, it says an air-fed welding helmet must be worn even when welding outdoors.

Björn Kemper, chairman of the German company Kemper (www.kemper.eu) — a family business that was founded in Vreden in 1977 and is a leader in the field of welding smoke extraction — says: “Kemper has the world’s broadest portfolio of extraction systems for protection against carcinogenic welding smoke, and all our systems — from the basic to the high-end extraction unit — have W3 approval.

“In the context of constantly tightening occupational safety regulations, as introduced by the HSE, companies in the UK — and world-wide — are gaining legal certainty through the use of Kemper technology; even the cleaned air can be returned to the production area with such systems.”