Table 3.
Demographics of the participants in the three exposure groups
| Characteristics | Pipeline construction | Pressure container manufacturing | Shipyard building |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Kruskal-Wallis test, p-value < 0.05 Abbreviations: SMAW: shielded metal arc welding; GTAW: gas tungsten arc welding; GMAW: gas metal arc welding. | |||
| Number of participants | 50 | 35 | 20 |
| Sex | male | male | male |
| Age (year) * | 43.7±7.9 | 40.7±12.4 | 48.9±7.5 |
| Length of employment (year) * | 22.2±13.9 | 15.3±12.7 | 25.0±10.0 |
| Percentage use of welding method | GTAW (25%), SMAW (75%) | GTAW (90%), SMAW (10%) | GMAW (20%), SMAW (80%) |
| Welding type | manual | manual or automatic | manual or automatic |
| Percentage use of base metal | stainless steel (80%), carbon steel (20%) | stainless steel (70%), carbon steel (30%) | carbon steel (100%) |
| Filler materials | E7016, ER308, ER70S-2 | ER70S-G, ER308 | ER70S-G, E7016 |