Welding has been making international news headlines this week, and not for good reasons. A fire devastated 150 families living in a high-rise apartment building in Shanghai, China. Authorities believe the fire was caused by misuse of welding equipment by unlicensed workers. According to the Associated Press, the welders were performing “energy-saving” renovations to the building. The current death toll from the disaster is 53—and some reports are calling this a conservative estimate. Another 70 people were injured.
Although such events are out of our control, it is not only saddening, but damaging to the image of welding. However, there may yet be some good that can come of this disaster. China is already responding by ramping up fire safety regulations. And the reports I’ve seen all highlight the fact that the welders were unlicensed.
So while the accident may deter some from welding, it may also push more into proper welding training programs. And that’s good news for distributors who do have training programs in place. As distributors, you can help your customers be safer. They may not thank you for it, but you can sleep well knowing you’ve helped. And hopefully we can avoid a disaster like the one that just happened in Shanghai.
To put an end to accidents at your own company, Welding & Gases Today has 6 steps to an accident free year.
