Sparks, fumes and heavy steel
Welders work with intense heat, bright arcs and heavy metal. Burns, eye injuries and cuts from grinding are the everyday hazards. Lifting and positioning steel puts strain on the back, and awkward welding positions are hard on necks, shoulders and knees.
Longer term, welding fume is a recognised danger to the lungs, which is why good extraction and respiratory protection matter so much. Noise from grinding and fabrication can affect hearing over a career.
Arc eye, the painful inflammation caused by ultraviolet light from the arc, usually clears within days. More serious eye damage can keep a welder away from the job for much longer.
Workshop, site or away work
Some welders work regular hours in a fabrication shop, employed with sick pay. Others are coded welders who travel to sites, power stations or pipelines, often as contractors on high day rates with no sick pay. Shifts, overtime and weeks away from home are common in that world.
If your income comes from contract work, a gap between jobs and an injury can hit at the same time. Income protection pays a monthly sum after a waiting period, as long as you meet the policy's definition of incapacity.
- Employed in a shop: check your company sick pay
- Contract welders: insurers usually use your declared profits
- Offshore or overseas work may need extra questions
- Confined space and height work can affect your rating
How insurers rate welding
Insurers sort jobs into risk classes. Bench welding and fabrication in a workshop usually sit in a manual class. Site welding at height, in confined spaces or offshore can move you into a heavier one, with a higher premium and possibly a stricter claim test.
If you supervise, inspect welds or train others, tell the insurer. Those duties can bring a lighter rating.
Shop welders with company sick pay can usually set a longer waiting period. Contract welders without it often go for one to three months, depending on how long their savings would last between jobs.
Life cover for welders
Life cover pays your family a lump sum if you die while the policy is in force. Workshop welding rarely affects life cover terms. Offshore or hazardous site work may lead to extra questions or a loading, depending on the insurer.
Critical illness cover, which pays on a listed serious illness, can sit alongside life cover. Insurers will ask about any breathing problems when you apply.
How Hi Tomorrow helps welders
We ask where you weld, how you are paid and whether you travel or work offshore, then compare our panel for the best terms for your mix of work. We explain each definition and any limits clearly.
Welders often move between employed shop work and contract site work over a career. Each move can change your rating and your sick pay, so we suggest a quick review whenever your working pattern changes. We help with the application and support you if you claim.