Boiler & Pressure Vessel Installation SWMS

Boiler and pressure vessel installation is the physical installation of boilers, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, deaerators and accumulators — from delivery through hand-over. It is high risk construction work under the WHS Regulation because it is carried out in or near a confined space, on or near pressurised gas piping, and in artificial extremes of temperature (s291), so a SWMS is mandatory (s299). The central hazard is the confined space: pressure vessels become confined spaces under AS 2865 once their openings are restricted, and their internals can hold oxygen-deficient or flammable atmospheres from welding-fume build-up or residual transport inerting gas — nitrogen or argon left in a vessel is an invisible asphyxiant. Around it sit the heavy lift (vessels are routinely 10 to 50-plus tonnes and often multi-storey, so crane overload, rigging failure and falls from height are live risks), the catastrophic rupture and fragment ejection of a hydrostatic test, welding fume and radiographic NDT, pressurised gas piping nearby, and slips on test water and coating overspray. Vessels above the relevant AS 4343 hazard threshold require plant design registration and plant item registration, the latter issued after the hydrostatic test is accepted by an Authorised Inspector. This SWMS supports the engineered lift study and the registered work to AS 1210 and AS 1228 — it does not replace them — and controls the confined-space, heavy-lift, pressure-test and hot-work envelope around the installation. It is supplied in eight jurisdiction editions, each citing its own Act, Regulation, regulator and plant-registration regime.

Hazards identified

8 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Complete welding, NDT and internal fit-out off site so on-site confined-space entry and hot work are minimised
2. 2Substitution — Substitute remote internal inspection and bolted connections for personnel entry and on-site hot work wherever the design allows
3. 3Engineering — Engineered heavy-lift study signed by a chartered (NER/CPEng) engineer, with certified rigging and a planned exclusion zone
4. 4Engineering — Confined space entry permit to AS 2865 with continuous atmospheric monitoring and forced ventilation, after positive purge of any transport inerting gas
5. 5Engineering — Hydrostatic test exclusion zone with the Authorised Inspector witnessing the test per AS 1210, and edge protection for multi-storey work
6. 6Administrative — Plant design registration before construction and plant item registration sequenced through the test-acceptance pathway
7. 7Administrative — Hot-work permits, a radiation-safety controlled area marked per the ARPANSA code for radiographic NDT, and lift coordination between the lift, mechanical and pressure engineers
8. 8Administrative — Health monitoring for welding fume and other triggers, and housekeeping controls for test water and overspray
9. 9PPE — Air-supplied or appropriate respiratory protection for confined-space entry and welding fume, with a retrieval harness
10. 10PPE — Fall-arrest for multi-storey work, eye and face protection, hard hat and anti-static footwear in hazardous areas

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

At 6:30 am a rigging and mechanical crew from Pinnacle Process arrives to set a 28-tonne pressure vessel onto its multi-storey support structure. The supervisor confirms the engineered heavy-lift study and the plant design registration are on site. Before the vessel is touched, the crew checks it was purged of the nitrogen used to inert it during transport — an unpurged vessel is a silent asphyxiant — and treats the internals as a confined space, with no entry until the atmosphere is proven and a permit signed. The lift is run to the study: certified rigging, an exclusion zone clear beneath the load, and a dogger directing the crane. Once landed and bolted, workers connecting at height on the structure are on fall-arrest. A pressurised gas line runs near the connection point, so it is identified and protected before any work near it. Later the hydrostatic test is set up with an exclusion zone and the Authorised Inspector witnessing to AS 1210; the radiography crew marks a controlled area per the ARPANSA code for the weld shots. Every registration and hold point is signed before the vessel is handed over.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 1210 Pressure vessels
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice

Frequently asked questions