Foundry / Metal Casting Work SWMS

Foundry and metal casting work involves melting ferrous and non-ferrous metals at temperatures exceeding 700°C, transferring molten material via ladles or automated pour systems, and discharging into sand, investment, or permanent die moulds. The work generates intense radiant heat, metal fume containing silica, lead and metal oxides, and carries catastrophic risk from molten metal-water explosions, ladle failures, and mould blow-outs. Under the WHS Regulation 2025 and harmonised state legislation, foundry pour operations meet the threshold for High Risk Construction Work and hazardous chemical handling, making a documented Safe Work Method Statement mandatory before work commences. The PCBU must consult workers in developing the SWMS, ensure it is accessible at the workplace, and review it after any incident or process change. This template addresses the full pour cycle — furnace charging, tapping, transfer, pour, pour-out and shake-out — with controls aligned to AS 4024 machinery safety and the Foundry Industry Code of Practice.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Replace sand-water cooling of moulds with dry permanent die casting where casting geometry permits, removing molten-metal-water explosion pathway entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Eliminate manual ladle pours for high-volume runs by installing automated pour systems with programmable tilt and flow control isolating workers from the pour stream.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute leaded brass and beryllium copper alloys with low-toxicity equivalents; substitute phenolic-bonded sands with inorganic binders to reduce hazardous fume.
4. 4Substitution — Replace silica moulding sand with olivine or zircon sand in respirable-dust generating operations to reduce crystalline silica exposure below the 0.05 mg/m³ WES.
5. 5Engineering — Install local exhaust ventilation hoods at furnace tap, pour station and shake-out grid designed to AS 1668.2 capture velocities with fume extraction logged.
6. 6Engineering — Provide refractory-lined pour pits, splash barriers, infrared heat shields, and interlocked ladle preheat stations ensuring all tools and moulds are verified moisture-free before tap.
7. 7Administrative — Implement a documented pour permit requiring moisture verification, PPE inspection, exclusion zone marking, and two-person sign-off before furnace tap commences.
8. 8Administrative — Schedule rotation, mandated rest cycles in air-conditioned recovery areas, and TWL heat stress monitoring per AS/NZS ISO 7243 during ambient temperatures above 28°C WBGT.
9. 9PPE — Issue aluminised proximity suits to AS/NZS 4501, leather spats, face shields with gold-coated visors, IR-rated safety glasses, and Class 5 P2 respirators during pour and fume-generating tasks.
10. 10PPE — Provide Class 5 hearing protection, heat-resistant Kevlar gloves rated to 500°C contact, and air-supplied respirators for confined furnace relining tasks above CO action levels.

Applicable Codes of Practice

Worked example

At a regional non-ferrous foundry casting bronze marine fittings, the day-shift leading hand convenes the pre-start brief at 0630 before the first tap. The crew of four gathers at the pour bay whiteboard with this SWMS open on a ruggedised tablet. The leading hand walks through the molten metal hazard line and confirms ladle preheat records from the previous shift show the transfer ladle held at 400°C overnight — eliminating residual moisture. He references the engineering control requiring infrared shield deployment, and the apprentice repositions the shield to cover the pour station walkway. The fume extraction reading is logged at 0.6 m/s face velocity against the AS 1668.2 requirement noted in the SWMS. Each crew member signs the SWMS register, noting their aluminised suit serial number and respirator fit-test date. Mid-pour, the WBGT meter reads 29.5°C — triggering the rotation protocol documented in the administrative controls section. The leading hand pauses the second pour, rotates the apprentice into the air-conditioned recovery room for fifteen minutes, and annotates the SWMS field-amendment log. At shift end, the signed SWMS, pour permit and heat exposure log are filed to the foundry's WHS management system, satisfying the two-year retention requirement under WHS Regulation 2025.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 4024 — Safety of machinery; Plant safety CoP

Frequently asked questions