For a passionate fabricator like myself, National Welding Month holds significant meaning. It’s not solely about my keen interest in welding; I also cherish the chance to share my knowledge with fellow welders and explore new welding products. This year was no different, as we undertook several INITIATIVES at our workshop and beyond to honor this special month.
We’ll delve into the specifics shortly, but in summary, it was a resounding success. Few things bring me more joy than assisting other welders with my expertise, and this event provided the ideal platform for that.
About National Welding Month
Did you know that since 1996, the American Welding Society (AWS) has designated April as National Welding Month? It’s a time to shine a spotlight on the welding industry and its many career opportunities. Each year, the month has a theme, with this year’s being INCREASE YOUR IMPACT, announced by Cassie Burrell, Senior VP at AWS.
I believe the best way to do that is by offering a behind-the-scenes look at our workshop, in-house training of our welders, revising our SOPs, and doing some charity work in our community.
Why Is It Important For Us?
From a small-scale shop to a large one with a team of 16 welding professionals, our Donahue’s Welding Welding Shop has come a long way since 2012. We have always strongly emphasized leveraging the latest welding techniques, technologies, and gear for increased efficiency and safety.
As someone who has been involved in this trade since a young age, I’ve also grown pretty passionate about it and love to share my experience with other budding welders. We are dedicated to AWS’s goal of SPREADING AWARENESS about the industry because, honestly, welding careers are way more lucrative than people may realize.
Plus, at ProWeldingHelmets.com, we’re dedicated to all things welding helmets. We closely follow AWS guidelines, standards, and publications. And, this month feels like a celebration for us as we engage in various activities to connect with welding enthusiasts near our workshop and around the globe through this platform!
Celebrating National Welding Month: April 2024
We planned a series of events this year, most of which have already been concluded. As we are about to wrap up the month, let’s look back at what we did and how it went.
1. Open house: A Sneak Peak At The Workshop
During the first week of April, our workshop was open to all for four hours (11 AM to 2 PM) every day. Visitors could get a complete tour of our facility during this time and check out the various welding equipment and gear we use.
We also arranged for some demos for welding, grinding, and cutting so that the visitors could get a look at the various welding and related processes that go into the fabrication projects.
In fact, they could even enjoy some hands-on experiences themselves under our team’s constant supervision and guidance. A lot of them seemed to particularly love this – especially hobbyists who love building stuff for personal projects.
2. Welding Competition (Employees Only)
The event that proved most rewarding was the welding competition. I organized a contest where our employee welders could showcase their skills by welding the smoothest joints and the most perfect seams. A brand-new ESAB helmet awaited the winner, with gift cards for the runners-up—rewards enticing enough to motivate our welders to give their best effort.
In the National Welding Month 2024, I chose ‘Welding Repair Challenge’ as the main event in my workshop. It was designed not only to display their abilities but also to ensure that each participant faced an equal level of difficulty.
The welders were provided with a collection of damaged METAL OBJECTS, ranging from chairs with bent legs to metal frames with cracks and breaks, each presenting a unique set of challenges. The objects were carefully selected to be of similar complexity and difficulty.
As the challenge began, the shop buzzed with the sound of welders getting to work. They carefully inspected the objects, contemplating the best repair strategies. Some stuck with traditional welding methods, while others took a more innovative approach, experimenting with new techniques to address the damage.
Oliver and I closely monitored the progress of each welder, ensuring SAFETY PROTOCOLS were followed. As the day drew to a close, the workshop was filled with the sounds of welding torches and the smell of metal as participants put the finishing touches on their repairs.
The repaired objects were judged based on criteria such as weld quality, structural integrity, and overall appearance. Liam Clyborne emerged as the winner, closely followed by Morris Donnelly and Howard Downs.
Not only did our employees find the friendly competition enjoyable, but it also provided them with an opportunity to gauge their skills against others and identify areas for improvement. My favorite part of the event was when the winner and a few other top performers shared their techniques with the rest of the group, offering valuable tips for everyone’s benefit.
3. Levelling Up Skills: Education And Training
We dedicated the third week of the month to education and training, offering workers and apprentices the opportunity to upgrade their skills. Even though all our welders are fairly adept at their job, not all of them have much experience with every welding process.
Dedicated training in various welding methods has enhanced their skill sets, enabling them to tackle more COMPLEX tasks in the future. Additionally, some of our workers have taken on new apprentices who appear thrilled to be part of the team.
This training program proved something I have always believed in – even if you’re a seasoned professional, there’s always MORE you can learn from others.
4. Improving SOPs
Like every year, we held safety drills and offered our employees some refresher training on safe operating procedures (SOPs) of welders, cutting machines, hoods, etc. Some SOPs were outdated as we upgraded our fabrication equipment, and so we discussed and improved them.
In addition to general procedures like using protective equipment and fire precautions, I gave our workers a rundown of the latest OSHA requirements and ANSI and AWS guidelines on welding helmet shade requirements.
Additionally, we also introduced a new safety protocol – all welders are to avoid wearing nylon or other synthetic materials as they can be melted or set ablaze by sparks.
In Conclusion
Overall, I would say that our celebrations for National Welding Month were a HUGE success. With a mix of fun, learning, and competition, our comprehensive approach to this event paid off quite well.
Not only did our employees become more productive due to the improved skill and morale, but they also seemed pretty happy about their constitution in the charity projects. We received a great deal of praise and appreciation from the community too.
Well, at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most – being a part of the community and sharing the spirit of National Welding Month. And this, my friends, is exactly why I believe it was a success – we surely managed to increase our impact.
