Hexavalent Chromium Work SWMS
Operations generating Cr(VI) compounds — stainless steel and chrome-alloy welding, hard chrome electroplating, thermal spray coating, chromate surface treatment, and chrome paint removal.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is generated during stainless steel and chrome-alloy welding, hard chrome electroplating, thermal spray (HVOF and plasma) operations, chromate conversion coating, and abrasive removal of chromate primers. Cr(VI) is an IARC Group 1 human carcinogen reclassified by Safe Work Australia as a Non-Threshold Genotoxic Carcinogen (NTGC) effective 1 December 2026, meaning no safe airborne concentration exists and exposure must be reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). Under WHS Regulation 2025 and Part 7.1 of the WHS Regulations, PCBUs must manage risks of airborne contaminants, conduct atmospheric monitoring, provide health surveillance under Schedule 14, and consult workers on control selection. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory because this work meets the criteria for high-risk construction and hazardous chemical handling, and serves as the primary evidence of risk assessment, control hierarchy application, and worker consultation required during regulator audits and post-incident investigations.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Lung adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following cumulative exposure with latency of 15-40 years
Nasal septum perforation, chrome ulcers on hands and forearms, and confirmed bladder and lung carcinogenesis from chronic mist exposure
Acute respiratory irritation, sensitisation dermatitis, and long-term carcinogenic risk from sub-micron Cr(VI) particulate deposition in alveoli
Allergic contact dermatitis, chrome ulcers penetrating to subcutaneous tissue, and systemic absorption contributing to genotoxic body burden
Worker and bystander inhalation exposure exceeding ALARP, cross-contamination of clean zones, and regulatory breach of atmospheric monitoring duties
Gastrointestinal absorption, documented increased risk of stomach cancer, and chronic systemic chromium accumulation detected in biological monitoring
Take-home exposure to family members, environmental contamination breaching EPA notification thresholds, and PCBU liability for third-party harm
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Substitute the process entirely where feasible: specify pre-fabricated stainless components, low-chromium consumables, or mechanical fastening to remove the Cr(VI)-generating task from the scope of work.
- 2Elimination — Decommission obsolete hexavalent hard chrome plating lines and redesign workflows to eliminate chromate conversion coating where corrosion performance permits alternatives.
- 3Substitution — Replace hexavalent chrome plating with trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) electrolytes, HVOF tungsten carbide coatings, or nickel-tungsten alloys validated against the original engineering specification.
- 4Substitution — Use chromate-free conversion coatings (zirconium, titanium-based, or rare-earth systems) and low-fume welding consumables certified to AS/NZS 4855 with reduced Cr(VI) emission factors.
- 5Engineering — Install on-torch fume extraction, low-vacuum-high-volume (LVHV) capture at welding arc, push-pull ventilation over plating tanks, and enclosed HVOF spray booths exhausting through HEPA filtration tested to AS 4260.
- 6Engineering — Provide wet-method dust suppression for grinding/blasting, sealed glove-box plating cells, and continuous real-time aerosol monitoring with alarm setpoints aligned to ALARP review triggers.
- 7Administrative — Implement atmospheric monitoring per AS 3640, health surveillance under WHS Reg Schedule 14 (urinary chromium, nasal/skin examinations), restricted-access Cr(VI) zones, and signed pre-start briefings referencing this SWMS.
- 8Administrative — Maintain a hazardous chemicals register, SDS access, exposure records for 30 years per WHS Reg s50, and rotate workers to minimise individual cumulative dose under ALARP principles.
- 9PPE — Supply powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) with P3/TM3 cartridges fit-tested to AS/NZS 1715, chemical-resistant gloves to AS/NZS 2161, coated coveralls (Type 5/6), and dedicated laundering — no take-home washing.
- 10PPE — Provide eye/face protection to AS/NZS 1337, two-stage decontamination showers, separate clean/dirty change rooms, and disposable inner gloves changed at every break to prevent ingestion transfer.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sections 35-38 require risk assessment, atmospheric monitoring, induction, and control of Cr(VI) as a Schedule 10 prohibited/restricted carcinogen with mandatory ALARP demonstration.
Mandates fit-testing, minimum protection factor calculation, and PAPR selection for NTGC carcinogens where engineering controls cannot achieve ALARP exposure reduction.
Establishes sampling methodology for Cr(VI) personal monitoring and the obligation to monitor whenever workers may be exposed to airborne carcinogens above background.
Requires baseline and ongoing health monitoring by a registered medical practitioner including urinary chromium, skin and nasal examinations, with records retained 30 years.
Who this is for
- →Stainless steel fabrication and welding workshops
- →Hard chrome electroplating and metal finishing facilities
- →HVOF and plasma thermal spray coating contractors
- →Aerospace and defence MRO chromate treatment teams
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
On a regional aerospace component overhaul facility, a fabrication supervisor convenes the Monday pre-start brief before a scheduled stainless steel TIG welding campaign on landing gear support brackets. The supervisor opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the three welders and one trades assistant through the seven Cr(VI) hazards, pausing on fume inhalation and dermal contact as the priority risks for the day's task. The team confirms the on-torch LVHV extraction has been tested that morning at 250 L/min capture velocity, PAPR units are fit-test current, and the welding bay is cordoned with restricted-access signage. Each worker reviews the control hierarchy section, confirms PAPR cartridge change-out dates, and signs the SWMS sign-on register acknowledging the ALARP duty under the NTGC reclassification. Mid-shift, the assistant notices that an adjacent grinding task on chromate-primed aluminium has commenced without isolation, creating a cross-contamination risk identified as Hazard 5 in the SWMS. He stops work, references the administrative control requiring restricted-access zoning, and escalates to the supervisor who relocates the grinding task and updates the SWMS daily review log. The document functions as both the pre-task risk briefing tool and the live field reference for dynamic control adjustment, evidencing consultation and ALARP decision-making for any subsequent regulator inspection or health monitoring review.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals CoP; Safe Work Australia hexavalent chromium WEL
Frequently asked questions
Is hexavalent chromium work high risk construction work?
Not because of the chemical itself. Cr(VI) is regulated as a hazardous chemical and carcinogen under Part 7.1 rather than by a s291 category, so most workshop welding, plating and thermal spray work sits under the general duty to have a documented safe system of work. Where the task is construction work and independently meets a s291 category — a contaminated atmosphere, a confined space, or a fall risk of more than 2 m — a SWMS becomes mandatory under s299 as well. The Part 7.1 obligations apply either way: risk assessment, atmospheric monitoring, health surveillance and worker consultation on control selection.
Which tasks in my shop actually generate Cr(VI)?
More than most crews expect. Stainless steel and chrome-alloy welding generates it in the fume, hard chrome electroplating evolves it as tank mist, HVOF and plasma thermal spray of chromium carbide coatings release sub-micron particulate, chromate conversion coating exposes skin to it in solution, and abrasive removal of chromate primers puts it into the air as dust. That last one catches people out because it is grinding, not chemistry — the worked example turns on an adjacent grinding task on chromate-primed aluminium starting without isolation and contaminating a controlled zone.
What does ALARP mean in practice for a genotoxic carcinogen?
It means you cannot control to a number and stop. Cr(VI) is an IARC Group 1 human carcinogen classified as non-threshold genotoxic, so there is no airborne concentration treated as safe and exposure must be driven as low as reasonably practicable. Practically, that pushes the hierarchy hard: specify pre-fabricated stainless components or mechanical fastening to remove the task, move hard chrome to trivalent chromium electrolytes or HVOF tungsten carbide, use chromate-free conversion coatings, and only then reach for capture and respirators. Worker rotation is used to limit individual cumulative dose, and every control decision is recorded as ALARP evidence.
What health monitoring and record keeping applies?
Health monitoring by a registered medical practitioner under the hazardous chemicals schedule — urinary chromium plus nasal and skin examinations — with baseline and ongoing rounds, alongside atmospheric monitoring sampled by a competent person. Exposure records are retained for 30 years, because the cancers involved have latency measured in decades and the record has to outlive the job. A hazardous chemicals register and current safety data sheets are maintained, and restricted-access Cr(VI) zones are signed and enforced so that monitoring covers everyone genuinely exposed rather than only the operator.
How do you stop workers taking chromium home?
By treating decontamination as a control, not a courtesy. The document requires two-stage decontamination showers, separate clean and dirty change rooms, coated coveralls and dedicated on-site laundering — no work clothing washed at home and no contaminated PPE in a private vehicle. Disposable inner gloves are changed at every break to break the hand-to-mouth ingestion route from contaminated surfaces and amenities. Take-home exposure reaches family members who never consented to it and never appear in your monitoring program, which is why the duty to other persons is engaged directly.
Document details
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