BRUCE VERNYI, Editor-in-Chief

A sharp-eyed reader in Minnesota pointed out that we made a serious mistake in our August issue.

Tom Baldwin is the chairman of the AWS Arrowhead Section, a certified welding inspector, a certified welding engineer, and he has another important role: He is a welding instructor at the Mesabi Range College in Virginia, Minn.

Tom looks out for his students, and he took issue with a photo we used.

The photo showed a welder at Delta Scientific who was standing up, using a GMAW welding unit. The trouble was that the welder was working in short-sleeves. The impact of the photo and its bad example was made worse by the headline that read: "Safety depends on welds."

Tom's worry is that if his students see examples of bad practices in the welding industry's leading magazine, they will tend to imitate those bad practices and put themselves into danger.

The headline for the article referred to the items that Delta Scientific produces, vehicle control systems that are used to protect structures that range from embassy buildings to bridges to military installations, and how welding is critical to the performance of those products to ensure their safety.

While the products that welder makes give other people safety, it is apparent from the photo that he was ignoring the steps he needed to take to be safe himself.

Whether it's the hottest day of the year or the coldest, taking the initiative to ensure safety for yourself as a welder depends on you.

And, wearing the right protective clothing - including helmets, goggles, gloves, aprons, long-sleeved jackets or shirts AND earplugs - is a responsibility you owe to yourself.

If you want to know why, visit www.weldingweb.com. The experts - guys who have been welding for years - have their say on that site, and many of their stories end with the phrase "Safety First." They know that because they've learned that lesson the hard way.

Those experienced welders talk about how badly your skin can get burned from the ultraviolet rays that come off a TIG welder. One relates how he had a bad burn on his arm because there was a gap that he didn't notice between his jacket and his glove.

You can find plenty of reasons to use the proper clothing when you're welding by using the site's search engine. Search for the keywords "sunburn" or "ultraviolet." Some of the stories are funny - now that the damage has healed - but no one there takes even the humorous stories lightly: Safety is serious.

The welders there talk about how they change helmets if they are using TIG or MIG welding to match auto-darkening screens to the process. The cost of a second helmet "beats being blind," one welder says.

If you wonder about wearing safety glasses all the time, read the discussion about a young welder who lost an eye using a cold chisel or the story about the guy who caught a sliver in his eyelid from a grinder - he was happy that the sliver didn't hit him a half-inch lower. You can find that at www.weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=6509

The welder that we showed in our August issue photo might get away for a while welding in short-sleeves, but he won't get away with that for long.

If you don't believe it, go see what the experts have to say.