Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Safety Assessment Practice Test

What must welders use to protect their eyes from welding flash?

1. Safety glasses

2. Welding helmet

3. Hard hat

4. Welding curtain

The correct answer is: Welding helmet

Welders utilize a welding helmet to protect their eyes from welding flash, which is a bright, intense light created during the welding process. The welding helmet is specifically designed to shield the welder's eyes and face from harmful UV and infrared radiation that can cause serious injuries such as flash burn, as well as to block out the intense visible light produced during welding. The visor of the welding helmet is equipped with a special filter lens that will darken automatically or can be adjusted to suit different welding tasks, ensuring optimal visibility while still protecting the welder’s eyes. This degree of protection is crucial because exposure to welding flash can lead to immediate and painful photokeratitis, often referred to as "arc eye." While safety glasses provide essential eye protection in many environments, they do not offer adequate protection against the extreme brightness and radiation associated with welding. Hard hats are primarily designed to protect the head from falling objects and do not address eye protection. Welding curtains can offer protection to others in the vicinity of the welding area from the arc flash but do not protect the welder’s eyes directly. Therefore, a welding helmet is the essential piece of equipment for safeguarding against welding flash.