Aluminium Welding Fume SWMS
Aluminium MIG and TIG welding — aluminium oxide and ozone fume controls, ventilation, RPE selection for aluminium-specific hazards.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Aluminium MIG and TIG welding generates a distinctive fume profile dominated by aluminium oxide particulate and high concentrations of ozone produced by ultraviolet arc radiation reacting with atmospheric oxygen. Unlike steel welding, aluminium work produces minimal visible smoke, which routinely leads welders to underestimate airborne exposure and skip respiratory protection. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.1, any process generating hazardous airborne contaminants above the Workplace Exposure Standard — including aluminium oxide inhalable (10 mg/m³) and ozone (0.1 ppm peak) — requires the PCBU to identify, assess and control the exposure through a documented Safe Work Method Statement. The Safe Work Australia Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021 specifically calls out aluminium welding as a higher-risk fume task requiring local exhaust ventilation and respiratory protective equipment. This SWMS documents the hazard identification, control hierarchy and air monitoring obligations a competent welder, supervisor or fabrication shop PCBU must implement before any aluminium welding commences.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Chronic exposure causes pulmonary fibrosis (aluminosis), reduced lung function, and breach of WES 10 mg/m³ inhalable
Acute pulmonary oedema, airway inflammation, and headache from exceeding 0.1 ppm peak exposure limit within minutes
Delayed-onset chemical pneumonitis 4-24 hours post-exposure, potentially fatal at uncontrolled concentrations
Photokeratitis (arc eye), skin erythema, and accelerated cataract formation from inadequate shade lens selection
Oxygen displacement below 19.5%, asphyxiation risk without atmospheric monitoring or forced ventilation
Arc decomposes solvent into phosgene gas, causing severe respiratory injury and pulmonary oedema
Full-thickness burns through cotton clothing, ignition of footwear, and ricochet injuries from reflective surfaces
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Eliminate manual aluminium welding where design allows by specifying mechanically fastened, riveted or adhesively bonded joints during the engineering design review phase.
- 2Elimination — Remove all chlorinated degreasing solvent residues by switching to aqueous cleaning and verifying surfaces are dry before any arc is struck.
- 3Substitution — Substitute pulsed MIG for spray-transfer MIG where joint geometry permits, reducing fume generation rate by 30-50% per AWS F3.2M data.
- 4Substitution — Use argon-helium shielding mixes in place of pure argon on thick sections to lower arc voltage and ozone yield.
- 5Engineering — Install fixed local exhaust ventilation (LEV) capture hoods within 300mm of the arc, delivering minimum 0.5 m/s capture velocity verified by anemometer.
- 6Engineering — Deploy on-torch fume extraction (high-vacuum low-volume) for mobile aluminium MIG work, with HEPA-filtered extraction units serviced per manufacturer schedule.
- 7Administrative — Conduct atmospheric monitoring for ozone, NOx and aluminium oxide inhalable using calibrated occupational hygiene sampling at task commissioning and every 12 months thereafter.
- 8Administrative — Implement rotational task scheduling limiting individual welder exposure time, daily pre-start atmospheric checks, and competency verification under AS 1796.
- 9PPE — Issue powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) with P3 and A1 combination cartridges meeting AS/NZS 1716, fit-tested per AS/NZS 1715 quantitatively.
- 10PPE — Provide AS/NZS 1338.1 welding helmets with shade 10-13 auto-darkening lens, leather gauntlets, FR-treated cotton or leather welding jacket and steel-capped boots.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates PCBU to ensure no worker is exposed above the Workplace Exposure Standard for aluminium oxide and ozone, with air monitoring obligations.
Specifies LEV requirements, RPE selection hierarchy and health surveillance triggers for aluminium welding fume under clauses 4.3 and 5.2.
Sets fit-testing, cartridge selection and minimum protection factor requirements for PAPR units used against aluminium oxide and ozone.
Defines shade number selection for aluminium GTAW and GMAW based on amperage, ensuring UV/IR attenuation prevents photokeratitis.
Who this is for
- →Fabrication shop PCBUs running aluminium production lines
- →Marine and aerospace aluminium welders and supervisors
- →Mobile boilermakers servicing transport and trailer industries
- →Workshop safety officers and occupational hygienists
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
At a regional aluminium boat-building fabrication shop, a leading hand prepares the morning pre-start brief for a two-welder team tasked with MIG-welding 6mm marine-grade aluminium hull seams over a six-hour shift. The supervisor opens the Aluminium Welding Fume SWMS on the workshop tablet and walks the team through the hazard register, flagging that today's job is inside a partially enclosed hull section — which elevates the ozone and argon accumulation risk above the baseline open-bay scenario. Referring to the controls section, the team confirms the on-torch high-vacuum extraction units are commissioned, the overhead LEV hood is positioned within 300mm of the planned arc location, and atmospheric monitoring badges are clipped to each welder's collar. Both welders sign on after demonstrating their PAPR units pass a user-seal check and confirming current fit-test records under AS/NZS 1715. Two hours into the task, one welder reports a metallic taste and mild headache. The supervisor halts work, references the SWMS escalation trigger for suspected ozone breakthrough, evacuates the hull section, and verifies with a direct-reading ozone monitor that levels have reached 0.15 ppm — above the peak limit. Ventilation is increased, a portable extraction fan is added at the hull opening, and the SWMS is annotated with the deviation and corrective action before work resumes under revised controls.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 1674 — Safety in welding; Welding Fume CoP
Frequently asked questions
Is aluminium welding high risk construction work?
No. MIG and TIG welding of aluminium in a fabrication bay or on a hull is not construction work, so it is not caught by the high risk construction work list at s291 or the SWMS duty at s299. The duty that does apply is Part 4.1 of the WHS Regulation 2025: keep exposure below the workplace exposure standard for aluminium oxide inhalable and for ozone, monitor where you cannot be confident, and control at source. A documented safe system of work is how you evidence that, and most principals and fabrication clients ask for it in SWMS form.
Why does this need a respirator when there is almost no visible smoke?
Because the visible plume is not the hazard. Aluminium arcs produce very little smoke while generating ozone, from ultraviolet reacting with atmospheric oxygen, and nitrogen oxides from atmospheric nitrogen. Ozone can pass its peak limit within minutes, and nitrogen oxides cause chemical pneumonitis that appears four to twenty-four hours later. That is why the controls specify a powered air-purifying respirator with combined P3 and A1 cartridges to AS/NZS 1716, quantitatively fit-tested under AS/NZS 1715, rather than a disposable mask chosen by eye.
Does it cover degreasing solvent residue before an arc is struck?
Yes, and it is handled as an elimination control rather than a warning. Chlorinated degreaser left on aluminium decomposes in the arc into phosgene, with pulmonary oedema as the recorded consequence, so the document requires a switch to aqueous cleaning and verification that surfaces are dry before any arc is struck. Argon accumulation is treated the same way: welding inside a hull section or other low-ventilation space can displace oxygen below 19.5 per cent, so atmospheric monitoring and forced ventilation are required before entry.
What ventilation and air monitoring does it specify?
Fixed local exhaust hoods positioned within 300 mm of the arc delivering a minimum 0.5 metres per second capture velocity verified by anemometer, plus on-torch high-vacuum low-volume extraction with HEPA-filtered units for mobile work. Monitoring is scheduled rather than reactive: calibrated occupational hygiene sampling for ozone, nitrogen oxides and aluminium oxide inhalable at task commissioning and every twelve months, with daily pre-start atmospheric checks and welder competency verified under AS 1796. Engaging a hygienist and buying the instruments sits outside the document.
Can a mobile boilermaker use the same template as a fixed shop?
Yes. You buy an editable Word document once, with a legislation schedule for NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT and the ACT, a hazard register with risk ratings mapped to the hierarchy of control, and a sign-on register, pre-start checklist and incident escalation flow. Set it to the actual job before each brief: alloy and plate thickness, transfer mode, whether the work is open bay or a partially enclosed hull or tank, the extraction genuinely available on that site, and the lens shade selected under AS/NZS 1338.1 for the amperage.