<b>Postural instability and fall risk in Welders and the use of ICF framework in prediction of fallers among Welders.</b>

<b>Objective.</b> Welding exposure is associated with secondary parkinsonism (Manganism) and a spectrum of long-term neurological disorders, including auditory–vestibular dysfunction. However, postural instability and fall risk in welders remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to determine balance impairment and fall risk in welders and to test whether integrating personal and environmental factors within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework improves prediction of fall history.<b>Methods.</b> Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to derive latent composite scores for balance performance, occupational exposure, and personal protective equipment (PPE) use, reducing dimensionality and multicollinearity among correlated measures. These PCA-derived components were entered into Firth penalized logistic regression models to assess associations with fall history while accounting for small-sample bias. Factorial analysis of mixed data (FAMD) was then applied as an exploratory multivariate approach to integrate continuous PCA components with categorical demographic and occupational variables and to visualize the joint data structure.<b>Results.</b> Compared with controls, welders demonstrated significantly worse balance and fall-related confidence, with moderate-to-large effect sizes for the Berg Balance Scale and Falls Efficacy Scale; Mini-BESTest differences did not remain significant after correction. In Firth logistic regression, the full multivariable model incorporating age, balance, exposure, and PPE indices showed the best overall fit (lowest AIC). Within this model, age emerged as the only independent predictor of fall history, while composite balance, exposure, and PPE measures were not statistically significant.<b>Conclusion</b>. Welders exhibit clinically meaningful balance impairments within a multifactorial exposure–health context. Although age is the primary determinant of fall risk, multivariate analyses indicate that cumulative occupational exposures and protective behaviors contribute to functional vulnerability, supporting ICF-informed, exposure-aware screening and targeted balance interventions in welding populations.