Refractory Brick Installation SWMS

Refractory brick installation involves the construction, relining and repair of high-temperature linings within kilns, furnaces, boilers, incinerators, ladles and industrial ovens. Workers cut and lay dense firebrick, insulating brick and monolithic castables using acid-resistant, calcium aluminate or phosphate-bonded mortars, often inside confined vessels with restricted access, poor ventilation and residual heat. The work exposes bricklayers to respirable crystalline silica and refractory ceramic fibre (a Group 2B carcinogen), thermal burns from residual furnace heat, chromium-VI in older linings, alkaline mortar splash, and mechanical hazards from wet saws, scaffolds and mechanical brick lifts. Postural strain from overhead and stooped work in tight spaces compounds the risk profile.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), refractory installation typically constitutes high risk construction work under section 291 — specifically falls greater than 2 metres inside vessels, work in or near a confined space, and work in artificial extremes of temperature. Section 299 requires a SWMS to be prepared before the work commences, and section 302 requires it to be reviewed if controls are revised or an incident occurs. Controls follow the hierarchy: eliminate hot entry through cool-down verification, substitute low-silica products where technically viable, engineer local exhaust and forced ventilation, then administer entry permits, atmospheric testing and RPE fit-testing.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Eliminate hot entry by verifying vessel cool-down against a written temperature clearance (typically <40°C ambient at breathing zone) confirmed by calibrated infrared thermometer before any personnel enter.
2. 2Substitute high-silica firebrick with certified low-silica alumina or mullite products where the refractory specification permits, and use pre-mixed wet mortars in place of dry-bag mixing to eliminate airborne silica at source.
3. 3Isolate all energy sources feeding the vessel (gas, fuel oil, electrical heating elements, adjacent burners) under a documented lock-out/tag-out permit before entry, and blank or double-block-and-bleed connected process lines.
4. 4Establish confined space entry per AS 2865:2009 Confined spaces: issue a permit, conduct continuous atmospheric monitoring (O₂ 19.5–23.5%, CO <30 ppm, LEL <5%), station a trained standby person, and pre-position retrieval equipment.
5. 5Provide forced mechanical ventilation and on-tool local exhaust extraction (H-class HEPA) for all cutting, drilling and demolition of refractory materials to control silica and RCF dust below the WES.
6. 6Erect internal scaffold or work platform compliant with AS/NZS 1576 with edge protection where fall exposure exceeds 2 m; where scaffold is not practicable, use a travel-restraint or fall-arrest system anchored to engineer-certified points per AS/NZS 1891.4.
7. 7Implement a heat stress management plan: rotate crews on a work/rest cycle, provide electrolyte hydration, monitor core temperature symptoms, and cease entry if internal vessel temperature exceeds the plan threshold.
8. 8Supply and fit-test P2/P3 respiratory protection per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716; upgrade to powered air-purifying respirators for RCF demolition and chromium-VI exposure; enrol exposed workers in health monitoring under Schedule 14 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW).
9. 9Require chemical-resistant gloves, safety glasses with side shields, long-sleeve FR clothing, steel-capped boots and heat-resistant gauntlets when handling hot brick or alkaline mortars; provide emergency eyewash within 10 seconds' travel.
10. 10Test and tag all 240V wet-cut saws and lighting per AS/NZS 3760, protect leads with RCDs, and ensure task lighting inside the vessel achieves a minimum of 160 lux at the work face.
11. 11Conduct daily pre-start toolbox talks covering the permit, atmospheric readings, emergency egress route and rescue signal; verify a documented rescue plan and trained rescuers are on site before any entry.
12. 12All workers must hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card) and relevant confined space and working at heights training; the SWMS must be developed in consultation with workers under section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW) and reviewed under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) after any incident, control change or at least annually.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A specialist refractory contractor is engaged to reline the lower cone of a rotary kiln at a cement works in Berrima, NSW during a 14-day planned shutdown. The scope requires demolition of 180 tonnes of spent chrome-magnesite lining, installation of new high-alumina firebrick to the burning zone, and monolithic castable to the transition. The crew of eight will work inside the kiln shell with access via a single 900 mm manway, at fall exposures of up to 3.4 m from the internal scaffold to the shell base. Before entry, the site WHS manager confirms the kiln shell has cooled below 40°C, isolates the burner and gas train under LOTO, and issues a confined space entry permit with continuous four-gas monitoring. The SWMS identifies section 291(a), (f) and (p) HRCW triggers, mandates PAPRs for demolition of the chrome-bearing brick, and specifies a two-person standby team with a tripod retrieval winch stationed at the manway. Health monitoring for silica and chromium is arranged through the contractor's occupational physician, and the SWMS is signed by all workers before entry commences.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Part 6.3 Construction work, sections 291, 299 and 302
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Part 4.3 Confined spaces
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 7 Hazardous chemicals (silica, RCF, chromium)
• Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — waste refractory disposal classification
• Dangerous Goods (Road and Rail Transport) Act 2008 (NSW) — transport of demolition waste containing chromium

Frequently asked questions