Wet Abrasive (Dustless Slurry) Blasting SWMS
Wet abrasive (dustless slurry) blasting SWMS for NSW. Silica risk control plan, RCS 0.05 mg/m3, high-pressure stream, lead coatings, air-supplied respirator and slurry waste. Editable DOCX, instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Wet abrasive (dustless slurry) blasting is surface preparation in which abrasive is delivered in a high-pressure water stream so that dust is suppressed at the nozzle. It is high risk construction work under the NSW WHS Regulation 2025 where it is carried out in or near a confined space, at a height with a risk of a fall of more than 2 m, on or near energised electrical services, or adjacent to a road or traffic corridor (s291), so a SWMS is mandatory under s299. Separately, and regardless of the HRCW triggers, blasting concrete, masonry, stone or any substrate containing at least 1% crystalline silica is processing a crystalline silica substance and, where assessed as high risk, requires a silica risk control plan, with exposure managed against the respirable crystalline silica workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³. The wet method greatly reduces airborne silica compared with dry blasting — its main advantage — but it does not eliminate the hazard, and the slurry generated carries the silica and any heavy metals stripped from old coatings, so the runoff is a controlled waste that must not enter drains or waterways. The high-pressure stream itself can amputate or inject, lead and heavy-metal coatings add a toxic exposure, and the wet, slippery work area combines with the usual height, electrical, traffic and confined-space risks. The SWMS controls silica and slurry, the high-pressure hazard, lead coatings, and the construction triggers, with air-supplied respiratory protection where required and SafeWork NSW as the regulator.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Silicosis; exceedance of the RCS workplace exposure standard 0.05 mg/m³
Amputation, deep laceration or fluid-injection injury
Lead poisoning; health-monitoring trigger for lead-risk work (WHS Reg Part 7.1)
Environmental contamination and breach of environmental and trade-waste duties
Fall fatality (WHS Reg Part 4.4)
Asphyxiation, electrocution or struck-by (WHS Reg s291 and Part 4.7)
Noise-induced hearing loss above the exposure standard
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Remove and treat the component off site in a controlled facility so on-site blasting and runoff are avoided
- 2Substitution — Substitute a non-silica abrasive (garnet, steel grit) for silica-bearing media, removing the silica source from the slurry
- 3Engineering — Wet (slurry) blasting to suppress airborne dust at the nozzle, with real-time silica monitoring to verify exposure below 0.05 mg/m³
- 4Engineering — Slurry containment, bunding and collection so silica- and metal-laden runoff is captured and removed as controlled waste, never to drains
- 5Engineering — Edge protection and platforms for height, traffic management for road proximity, and isolation of energised services and confined-space permits
- 6Administrative — Silica risk control plan and a dead-man control on the lance, with an exclusion zone around the high-pressure stream
- 7Administrative — Health monitoring for silica and, where coatings contain lead, for lead, with hygiene and decontamination facilities
- 8Administrative — Lead-risk controls and containment where old coatings are stripped
- 9PPE — Air-supplied (Type CE) blasting helmet and respirator, not a filter mask, plus high-pressure-resistant clothing and gloves
- 10PPE — Eye and hearing protection and non-slip footwear for the wet work area
Applicable Codes of Practice
Primary code for silica, slurry and abrasive-blasting safety
Duties for silica and lead exposure control
Selection and use of air-supplied blasting respirators
Fall-protection duties for blasting at height
Entry duties where blasting is carried out in a confined space
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Slurry blasting is carried out in or near confined spaces such as tanks.
Blasting is performed at height with a fall risk over 2 m.
Blasting is carried out on or near energised electrical services.
Blasting is performed adjacent to roads and traffic corridors.
Who this is for
- →Wet and dustless-blasting operators
- →Surface-preparation and protective-coating contractors
- →Occupational hygienists managing silica and lead exposure
- →Environmental coordinators managing slurry and runoff
- →Principal contractor HSE managers overseeing blasting works
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
At 7:30 am a crew from Tidewater Blasting sets up to strip a coating from a concrete bridge pier beside a creek. Two things drive the plan: the substrate is concrete, so respirable silica is in play, and the creek means slurry must never reach the water. They choose wet slurry blasting to suppress dust at the nozzle and lay bunding and a collection sump around the pier base to capture every drop of runoff. Because the old coating tests positive for lead, lead-risk controls and hygiene facilities are set, and both silica and lead health monitoring are current. The lance has a dead-man trigger and an exclusion zone is marked around the high-pressure stream so no one can be caught by it. Part of the pier is above 2 m, so the operator works from an edge-protected platform, mindful that the wet surface is slippery. A silica monitor runs to confirm exposure stays under 0.05 mg/m³ even with the wet method, and the operator is in an air-supplied blasting helmet. At the end of the shift the captured slurry is pumped to drums for disposal as controlled waste, and the sump is checked dry before the crew leaves the creek bank.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Abrasive Blasting Code of Practice
- Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice