Welding Work SWMS
MIG, TIG, stick, and oxy welding on structural steel, pipework, and fabrication on site and in workshops.
SWMS variants reference your state's WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
This SWMS covers the full scope of welding and allied hot-work processes on Australian construction sites and in fabrication workshops — gas metal arc welding (MIG/GMAW), gas tungsten arc welding (TIG/GTAW), shielded metal arc welding (stick/MMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), oxy-acetylene cutting and gas welding, plasma arc cutting, and ancillary grinding and tacking work. It is written for qualified welders and boilermakers, welding apprentices under direct supervision, welding subcontractors on structural steel and pipework packages, and fabrication shop operators.
Welding work triggers high-risk construction work categories under Schedule 1 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW). Category 17 — work in an area with an atmosphere containing an airborne contaminant at concentrations exceeding the Workplace Exposure Standard — is routinely triggered because welding fume (not otherwise specified) has a WES of 1 mg/m³, reduced from 5 mg/m³ on 17 November 2025, and stainless-steel fume contains hexavalent chromium at a WES of 0.05 mg/m³. Welding fume is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by IARC. Hot work in confined spaces triggers Category 11, and structural welding at height triggers Category 3. Section 299 of the WHS Regulation requires a SWMS before HRCW commences.
Hazards identified
12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Lung cancer (IARC Group 1), metal fume fever, pneumoconiosis, and sensitisation; stainless-steel welding produces hexavalent chromium at 50 times the carbon-steel fume WES.
Arc eye (photokeratitis), permanent retinal burns, and skin burns from direct or reflected UV during arc processes without adequate shielding.
Major fire or deflagration from sparks, slag, or radiant heat igniting stored flammables, solvent vapour, or hydrocarbon residues in tanks and pipe.
Fatal shock from contact with live electrode in damp conditions, from return path through the body, or from damaged cables on wet or metallic floors.
Flame acceleration in oxygen enrichment from a leaking oxy-acetylene line, or asphyxiation in argon-enriched pits during TIG in enclosed areas.
Fatal projectile injury from an unsecured acetylene, oxygen, or argon cylinder; explosive failure from acetylene cylinders stored or used on their side.
Fatal or permanent injury from falls exceeding 2 metres when welding structural steel from scaffold, EWP, or boatswain's chair.
Second and third-degree burns from spatter lodged in clothing, contact with heat-affected steel, or slag ejection during chipping.
Permanent hearing loss and tinnitus from exposure above 85 dB(A), with arc-air gouging routinely exceeding 115 dB(A) at the operator position.
Lumbar disc injury and shoulder strain from repeated handling of structural plate, pipe spools, electrode cartons, and fume-extraction hoses.
Fatal projectile injury from an unsecured acetylene, oxygen, or argon cylinder; explosive failure from acetylene cylinders stored or used on their side.
Fatigue, musculoskeletal strain, and mental health harm from sustained fixed-posture welding under piece-rate or fast-track conditions.
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Eliminate hazardous welding consumables wherever practicable. Substitute low-manganese, low-hexavalent-chromium electrodes and wires when specification permits; prefer cored wires and solid wires with lower fume generation rates.
- 2Local exhaust ventilation at the fume source — on-torch extraction for MIG/TIG, portable extraction arms for stick and FCAW, and fixed booths for production welding. Capture velocity sized to keep fume below the 1 mg/m³ WES.
- 3Where local exhaust is not practicable, use an air-purifying powered respirator with PAPR helmet per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716 — cartridge-filter half-face respirators are not adequate for stainless-steel welding.
- 4Hot-work permit system for all welding, cutting, and grinding outside dedicated welding bays. Permit requires a fire watch 30 minutes after work finishes, a 10-metre combustibles exclusion zone, and a charged extinguisher at the point of work.
- 5Confined-space welding follows AS 2865-2009 and AS 1674.1-1997: permit-to-work, pre-entry and continuous atmospheric testing (oxygen, LEL, fume), forced ventilation, and rescue standby. Gas lines and electrode holders removed from the space during breaks.
- 6Electrical safety per AS/NZS 1674.2-2007: welding machines fitted with voltage reduction devices where working in electrically hazardous environments, cables inspected before every shift, and no welding with wet clothing or on damp floors.
- 7Compressed gas cylinder management per AS 4332:2004 and the Dangerous Goods Code — cylinders stored upright, chained, segregated by gas type, with oxygen and acetylene separated by a 5-metre distance or a 1.6-metre fire wall. Flashback arrestors at both regulator and torch ends.
- 8Fall protection follows the Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces. Scaffold or EWP as the primary control for structural welding; travel restraint for basket work; fall-arrest harness per AS/NZS 1891.1 only where higher-order controls are not reasonably practicable — verified compatible with welding ignition risk.
- 9Screens, curtains, and welding booths per AS 1674.2-2007 to contain arc flash from adjacent workers and the public. Warning signs at the perimeter of the work zone.
- 10PPE baseline: auto-darkening helmet with correct shade (AS/NZS 1337.1 and AS/NZS 1338.1), flame-resistant jacket or coat, leather or chrome-tanned gauntlet gloves, safety footwear with spat covers, and hearing protection during grinding and gouging.
- 11Mechanical handling for plate over 25 kg, pipe spools, and consumable drums. Welding positioners and manipulators used for production work to reduce fixed-posture welding.
- 12All welders hold a valid White Card (CPCCWHS1001) and welding qualification to AS/NZS 2980 or ISO 9606 as required by the specification. Apprentices work under direct supervision of a qualified tradesperson.
- 13Psychosocial controls per WHS Regulation 2025 r55A-55D: realistic daily production targets, task rotation out of sustained overhead welding, scheduled breaks from PAPR-hood wear, and a stop-work right for inadequate ventilation.
- 14Health monitoring for workers engaged in welding stainless steel, galvanised steel, or coated materials — baseline and periodic lung function testing and biological monitoring where indicated per WHS Regulation r368.
- 15Conduct a daily pre-start toolbox talk covering scope, consumables, ventilation, fire watch, and confined-space status. Record attendance.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Binding guidance on welding fume control, ventilation, PPE, radiation, and fire prevention — the primary reference for this SWMS.
Baseline for HRCW categorisation, SWMS content, and principal contractor interaction.
Governs SDS management for welding consumables and gas cylinders.
Binding for welding inside tanks, vessels, pipework, and structural confines.
Applies to structural welding above 2 metres.
Technical standard for hot-work fire precautions including the 10-metre exclusion and fire-watch requirements.
Technical standard for welding power-source safety, voltage reduction, and earthing.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Welding fume WES is 1 mg/m³ following the 17 November 2025 reduction, and hexavalent chromium WES is 0.05 mg/m³; both are routinely exceeded without engineering controls.
Welding inside tanks, vessels, pressure pipe, and enclosed structural sections meets the AS 2865-2009 definition of a confined space with a hazardous atmosphere during hot work.
Structural welding on columns, beams, truss chord, and elevated pipework typically occurs above 2 metres on scaffold, EWP, or temporary platform.
Because welding work can trigger multiple HRCW categories, Section 299 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) requires the SWMS to be prepared before work commences, kept available on site for inspection, reviewed and updated if the work changes, and provided to the Principal Contractor on request. Failure by a PCBU to prepare or maintain a current SWMS for HRCW is an offence under Section 300; maximum penalty for a body corporate is $36,000 per offence and $7,200 for an individual. Exposure to hexavalent chromium or manganese above the WES triggers additional notification and health monitoring obligations under Part 7.1 of the Regulation.
Who this is for
- →Qualified welders and boilermakers engaged on construction and fabrication work.
- →Welding apprentices working under direct supervision of a qualified tradesperson.
- →Welding and fabrication subcontractors engaged by a Principal Contractor on steel or pipework packages.
- →Fabrication shop supervisors and WHS leads preparing site-specific SWMS for off-site or on-site fabrication.
- →Pipe welders working on pressure, gas, or process pipe where qualification records are required.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx, Word 2016 or newer compatible).
- ✓Title page with PCBU name, ABN, site address, project, and revision date fields.
- ✓Signed approval block for PCBU, Principal Contractor, and nominated welding supervisor.
- ✓Hazard register with the 12 hazards above, each with consequence, inherent risk, controls, and residual risk scored on a 5x5 matrix.
- ✓Hierarchy-of-control measures cross-referenced to WHS Regulation sections and applicable Codes of Practice.
- ✓Hot-work permit template aligned to AS 1674.1-1997 with fire-watch sign-off block.
- ✓Consultation record for HSR sign-off and worker input per Section 47 of the WHS Act.
- ✓Worker sign-on register for daily acknowledgement with space for welding qualification records.
- ✓Legislation schedule pre-populated for NSW with variance table for VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT, ACT.
- ✓Emergency contacts, fire and confined-space rescue procedure, and review-and-update log.
Worked example
A two-person welding crew — one qualified pressure welder and one second-year apprentice — is subcontracted to perform on-site TIG root and MIG fill-and-cap welds on 150 mm stainless-steel process pipe inside a pharmaceutical plant extension in Macquarie Park. The work occurs on a mezzanine 3.2 metres above the factory floor. The welder completes this SWMS: the elevated working position triggers HRCW Category 3 and requires scaffold with kickplate; the stainless fume triggers Category 17 and requires PAPR hood plus on-torch extraction; the hot work triggers a permit, a 10-metre combustibles-clear zone, and a fire watch. The SWMS is signed by the PCBU, handed to the Principal Contractor, acknowledged by both workers, and posted at the scaffold gate. During shift two the adjacent trade stores solvent drums inside the exclusion zone; work is stopped, the drums are relocated, and the incident captured in the SWMS review record.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — Section 19 primary duty; Section 27 officer due diligence; Section 47 worker consultation.
- WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) — r. 298-300 (SWMS); r. 49-51 (WES/WEL); r. 368-381 (health monitoring); r. 55A-55D (psychosocial).
- Dangerous Goods (Road and Rail Transport) Act 2008 (NSW) — transport of compressed gas cylinders.
- Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — air emissions from production welding.
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) — welding as part of regulated construction work.
Frequently asked questions
Does this SWMS reflect the 17 November 2025 welding fume WES reduction?
Yes. The document uses 1 mg/m³ as the current Workplace Exposure Standard for welding fume (not otherwise specified), reduced from 5 mg/m³ on 17 November 2025. It also notes the general WES-to-WEL transition on 1 December 2026 which may further tighten limits for some constituents.
Is stainless-steel welding addressed?
Yes. The SWMS addresses hexavalent chromium (WES 0.05 mg/m³) and the IARC Group 1 classification of welding fume. It specifies PAPR-hood respiratory protection rather than cartridge-filter half-face respirators for stainless-steel work, which cannot reliably keep exposure below the Cr(VI) WES.
Can I use this SWMS in Victoria?
You can use it as a starting point. Victoria operates under the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017. Update the legislation schedule with OHS-Act equivalents and cite WorkSafe Victoria Compliance Codes — in particular the Welding Processes Compliance Code — in place of SafeWork Australia Codes of Practice.
Does the SWMS cover hot-work permits?
Yes. A hot-work permit template is included, aligned to AS 1674.1-1997 with fire-watch sign-off, combustibles-clear exclusion distance, and extinguisher position. The permit is issued separately from the SWMS for each hot-work task outside a dedicated welding bay.
How often does this SWMS need to be reviewed?
Review whenever the work, consumables, or hazards change materially, after an incident, or when a worker raises a concern. At minimum, review every 12 months, at the start of each project, and when the regulatory baseline changes. The 1 December 2026 WES-to-WEL transition is a mandatory trigger for review.
Is this SWMS compliant with the 1 July 2026 Section 26A changes?
Yes. From 1 July 2026, 34 approved Codes of Practice become legally binding under Section 26A of the amended WHS Act. This SWMS cites the currently-approved Codes that will become binding — Welding Processes, Construction Work, Hazardous Chemicals, Confined Spaces, and Managing the Risk of Falls. No amendment is required for the 2026 transition.
Document details
Other SWMS Templates
Need something custom?
Build a site-specific SWMS from scratch using the SWMS Builder. Select your trade, add your site details, and generate a compliant document in minutes.
Open SWMS Builder →