With new environmental standards looming, Lincoln Electric has launched an awareness campaign designed to educate employers and the welding community about effective fume control practices.

The “Are You Ready?” drive comes in conjunction with a broader push to help fabricators understand and prepare for new and upcoming Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations, such as the hexavalent chromium standards, which take effect on May 31, 2010.

For larger companies, such as Caterpillar or John Deere, which have large health and safety departments, addressing these regulations can be easy thanks to abundant resources. But smaller- to medium-sized companies are faced with a greater challenge — none more so than understanding the issues.

“There is a lack of awareness within the welding community about where people can get the content and materials necessary to make informed decisions,” says Deanna Postlethwaite, product manager at Lincoln Electric. “There is a need for more information.”

The “Are You Ready?” campaign explains in detail how to establish effective welding fume control and safety practices, offering access to various reference materials, tools and product solutions. Lincoln Electric has created an interactive press kit, which includes information on products and literature to keep welders safe from welding fumes and dust, access to expert sources, and published content, including articles and white papers by Lincoln Electric specialists.

The first “Are You Ready?” resource released is an interactive Web site (www.lincolnelectric.com/weld-fume-control) offering information on methods of welding fume control that may be implemented to address OSHA regulations. In the coming months, the company says video content will be included, along with continually updated news and information.

The site also includes an email address in which Lincoln Electric engineers can respond to inquiries, weldfumecontrol@lincolnelectric.com.