nexAir NOW: A Complete Guide to Welding Safety Gear and Protective Equipment
Safety first is a golden rule followed across industries and workshops in the country. But despite great levels of care and attention, OSHA experts find that welding professionals are often exposed to several hazards — from mild burns and irritations to serious electric shocks and toxic gas leaks.
To avoid any untoward incidents, these professionals must not only take precautions while doing their jobs, but also understand what safety gear is available to them, and how to use this protective equipment properly. Wondering where to begin? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you through nexAir’s advanced safety supplies.
Clothing and Apparel
Welding is a process that sees professionals exposed to intense heat, molting metal, sparks, and fumes. In this environment, the right clothing is crucial to prevent serious injuries. On the nexAir NOW online store, you’ll find a wide range of apparel and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed to keep employees safe.
Our jackets are made from the highest quality leather, or flame retardant cotton — and are certified for use in extreme environments. Moreover, our range of Tyvek disposable coveralls offer the perfect blend of safety and comfort. The options on nexAir also extend to the lower half of your body. Our shoe covers and knee pads protect against splatter, prevent bruises, and offer protection in a wide range of circumstances.
Head and Face Protection
Protective head and face gear is crucial for fabrication professionals because it safeguards against intense light, radiation, flying debris, and hot metal spatter — all of which are known to cause severe burns, eye damage, and other injuries.
On nexAir NOW, we offer high-quality welding helmets and face shields that meet high standards of safety. Our helmets are equipped with auto-darkening filters that adjust to changing light levels and offer protection from harmful UV and IR rays. They are also designed to be comfortable, and reduce the neck strain that comes with extended use.
For extra protection, we provide safety glasses, face shields, or even caps and beanies. Each product is made with durable materials — and ensures lasting protection.
High-Quality Gloves
Welding gloves are a critical component of welding PPE. Made from a range of materials — including cotton, latex and vinyl, or nitrite, nexAir’s gloves are designed to withstand high temperatures and repel sparks and hot metal spatter.
The gloves’ heat-resistant properties ensure that welders can maintain dexterity while handling equipment, without sacrificing safety.
Respiratory Protection
Our respiratory protection solutions include a mix of disposable masks and respirators. Since welding fumes can be extremely toxic — often containing gases like ozone or carbon monoxide — this gear ensures that welders always have clean, breathable air.
For workshops that are poorly ventilated, we recommend checking out our powered air-purifying respirator units. These systems actively circulate filtered air around the wearer — ensuring safety in the most confined spaces.
External Safety Equipment
In addition to PPE, we offer a few external protection solutions as well. Our gas detectors, for instance, are designed to monitor spaces and notify you in case of potentially dangerous gas leaks. Our fume extraction systems, meanwhile, clear up the air quality in the work area, while our welding blankets protect the surrounding areas from splatter, slag — and, as a consequence — prevent accidental fires.
Weld Safer with nexAir
For over 80 years, nexAir has helped industries across the Southeast Forge Forward with the advanced welding supplies and the KnowHow to use them correctly. The nexAir NOW platform is just an extension of this mission, allowing our clients to Forge Forward with increased convenience, productivity, and efficiency.
Check out our entire catalog here.
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Manufacturing downtime costs American companies billions annually. When production lines halt due to gas supply issues, every minute translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and frustrated customers. At nexAir, we've spent decades developing solutions that keep manufacturing operations running smoothly.
The Hidden Costs of Gas-Related Downtime
When manufacturers calculate downtime costs, they typically focus on labor and lost production. However, gas supply disruptions create cascading effects that multiply these losses:
- Production rescheduling that disrupts carefully optimized sequences
- Rush shipping fees to meet customer deadlines despite delays
- Quality inconsistencies when processes restart after interruptions
- Overtime costs to catch up after unplanned stoppages
- Reputation damage when delivery commitments are missed
For a typical mid-sized manufacturer, each hour of downtime represents $5,000-$10,000 in direct and indirect costs. Our analysis shows that gas-related issues cause 7-12% of total manufacturing downtime - a substantial opportunity for improvement.
From Reactive to Proactive: The Supply Continuum
Most facilities follow a predictable pattern in their gas management evolution:
Stage 1: Reactive Management At this stage, facilities order gas when they notice supplies running low or, worse, after running out. Emergencies are common, and disruptions are accepted as "part of doing business." One automotive parts supplier operating this way experienced 14 production interruptions in a single quarter.
Stage 2: Calendar-Based Management Facilities advance to scheduled deliveries based on estimated usage. While better than the reactive approach, this method still results in either excess inventory (tying up capital and space) or shortages when usage spikes occur. A plastics manufacturer following this model maintained 40% more cylinder inventory than necessary while still experiencing occasional stockouts.
Stage 3: Consumption-Based Management Our telemetry systems monitor actual gas consumption, automatically triggering orders based on usage patterns rather than calendar dates. This approach virtually eliminates both stockouts and excess inventory.
Stage 4: Integrated Supply Management The most advanced approach connects gas management directly to production planning systems. Upcoming production requirements automatically adjust supply parameters, ensuring resources are precisely aligned with needs. A medical device manufacturer using this approach reports zero gas-related downtime for 27 consecutive months while operating with minimal inventory buffers.
Our expert KnowHow™ in industrial gas applications allows us to guide customers through this evolution at a pace that makes sense for their operations.
Customizing Solutions for Maximum Uptime
Manufacturing environments vary dramatically in their gas requirements and operational constraints. We've developed flexible approaches that address these differences:
- For high-volume, consistent usage operations, our bulk systems eliminate the cylinder handling that frequently causes supply disruptions. Bulk installations include telemetry monitoring and automated ordering to prevent outages.
- For variable-demand environments, our microbulk delivery systems provide the benefits of bulk supply with lower volume commitments. These systems reduce handling requirements while maintaining the flexibility needed for changing production schedules.
- For specialized applications requiring multiple gas types, our gas management programs combine cylinder tracking, usage monitoring, and automated replenishment. This comprehensive approach ensures that specialty gases are always available when needed, regardless of how infrequently they might be used.
- For multi-site operations, our enterprise supply programs coordinate deliveries and optimize inventory across locations. By treating the organization's gas requirements holistically, we minimize both stockouts and excess inventory across the network.
This consultative approach ensures that manufacturers receive solutions aligned with their specific operational patterns rather than generic "one-size-fits-all" systems.
Beyond Traditional Supply: Integrated Services for Total Reliability
Maximum uptime requires more than just reliable gas delivery. Our integrated services address the full spectrum of gas-related reliability factors:
Equipment maintenance programs that prevent system failures before they impact production Technical gas specialists who resolve application issues that could otherwise cause production problems Safety training that prevents accidents leading to downtime events Emergency response capabilities that minimize impacts when unexpected events occur Supply chain redundancy that ensures continuity despite regional disruptions
These services complement our supply solutions to form a comprehensive reliability strategy. By addressing both everyday operations and exceptional circumstances, we help manufacturers Forge Forward with confidence that gas-related disruptions won't derail their production targets.
Measuring Success: The Results That Matter
The ultimate measure of any downtime reduction strategy is its impact on production metrics. Our manufacturing customers consistently report significant improvements after implementing our comprehensive gas management solutions:
Downtime reductions of 85-95% for gas-related issues Inventory cost decreases of 20-30% through optimized supply management Administrative time savings of 5-10 hours weekly through automated ordering and tracking Production schedule adherence improvements of 3-7% due to improved supply reliability
These performance gains translate directly to bottom-line benefits that typically deliver ROI within months rather than years. More importantly, they allow manufacturers to confidently make delivery commitments, knowing that gas supply issues won't compromise their ability to perform.
Don't let gas supply issues impact your productivity. Contact us today to explore our tailored solutions.
Looking out for your future
Get your career going on the right track with nexAir
Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast
Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines
