Monsanto’s Boone Office Comes Through In Time Of Need
by Teresa Kemp
March 09, 2010
Three employees of Monsanto’s Boone Office recently delivered two special gifts to welding students in Mr. Hamilton’s Metals I class--Much needed welding helmets. These were not the low-budget models that you typically use in a beginning welding class. These were the self-darkening helmets that the pros use!
Mitch Brown, Matt Cornelius, and Jean Johnson brought the helmets, which were donated by Monsanto, to Mr. Hamilton’s Welding classes on Wednesday, March 3rd.
The welding helmets, one battery operated and one solar powered, were the first electric models the students have been exposed to. The helmets have many special features including a lightweight build, selectable shade controls, a large viewing area with an adjustable auto-darkening filter, and extended fronts to increase throat protection.
For those of you unfamiliar with welding the helmets darken by themselves when a welder strikes an arc. This allows the welder to keep both hands on the electrode holder and allows his to keep his place when starting a weld. This is a really helpful feature for students just learning to weld.
The downside of the helmets, for most high schools, is the cost of the helmets. The cost of electric helmets can be from $50 - $200 compared to $15-$20 for the non-electric helmets.
The service project began when Mitch Brown’s son, Dylan Brown, was injured by an incidental arc flash from a near-by student welding during a shop class. Dylan’s eyes suffered a mild arc flash burn, which caused pain, light swelling, light sensitivity, and excessive watering. Arc flash burns are described by medical professionals as “sunburn on your eyes.” In their presentation to the class, Matt and Mitch described the sensation of the burn as “a feeling of sandpaper in your eyes.”
Mr. Hamilton was very thankful for Mitch Brown’s service project. He now has two electric helmets, making it easier for students to learn welding and he had two experienced welding pros in Mitch Brown and Matt Cornelius, along with Jean Johnson, a Registered Nurse for Monsanto, expand on the importance of following high safety standards in the workplace.
