Industrial vessel demolition SWMS, drafted for your job
Industrial vessels can retain flammable residues behind linings and baffles even after draining, while cutting changes the stability of the shell. Tell us the vessel and site: your SWMS is drafted around isolation and dismantling, and you check it on site before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Industrial vessel demolition
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Demolition of load-bearing or structural parts
- Work in or near a confined space
- Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
- Work where the air may be contaminated or flammable
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Assess vessel history and materials | Residual chemicals and hazardous linings | Extreme | Identify contents and arrange specialist cleaning and material assessment |
| 2 | Disconnect and verify isolation | Connected feeds and stored energy | Extreme | Physically isolate lines and verify the vessel is depressurised |
| 3 | Set access and entry controls | Falls and contaminated vessel atmosphere | Extreme | Use external methods or establish assessed entry and rescue arrangements |
| 4 | Support and dismantle sections | Shell collapse and ignition during cutting | Extreme | Follow the engineered sequence and maintain atmosphere checks |
| 5 | Lower contain and clear waste | Unstable sections and contaminated residues | High | Use controlled lifts and segregate assessed waste streams |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your industrial vessel demolition SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
Categories this task often involves
You tick the ones your job involves. Each ticked category gets its own steps and controls, in your state's wording.
- Demolition of load-bearing or structural parts
- Work in or near a confined space
- Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
- Work where the air may be contaminated or flammable
- Work where someone could fall from height
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a industrial vessel demolition job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Explosion from fuel or chemical residues heated during vessel cutting
Extreme- Use a specialist to clean and assess the vessel before any cutting
- Prefer cold dismantling where practicable and monitor the atmosphere throughout the work
- 2
Chemical or steam release from lines connected to the vessel
Extreme- Physically isolate and secure every feed drain and connected energy source
- Verify isolation and release stored contents before opening vessel connections
- 3
Toxic air or oxygen loss inside the vessel shell
Extreme- Use external dismantling methods to avoid entry wherever practicable
- Plan any entry with atmosphere checks ventilation an outside observer and rescue arrangements
- 4
Vessel shell sections collapsing as support rings are cut
Extreme- Follow an engineered cutting sequence and support each section before release
- Keep people out of the collapse area and stop if the shell distorts
- 5
Asbestos or hazardous lining dust released from vessel insulation
High- Identify insulation and internal coatings before disturbing the vessel
- Use an asbestos removalist for suspect asbestos and contain other assessed lining waste
- 6
Falls from vessel tops and partly removed access platforms
High- Use independently supported access and edge protection suited to the dismantling sequence
- Remove access only after the crew has another protected route
- 7
Suspended vessel sections rotating while being lowered to the laydown area
High- Use planned lifting points and secure sections before the final cut
- Close the load path and land sections onto stable supports
How the job usually runs
- 1Assess vessel history and materialsResidual chemicals and hazardous linings → Identify contents and arrange specialist cleaning and material assessment
- 2Disconnect and verify isolationConnected feeds and stored energy → Physically isolate lines and verify the vessel is depressurised
- 3Set access and entry controlsFalls and contaminated vessel atmosphere → Use external methods or establish assessed entry and rescue arrangements
- 4Support and dismantle sectionsShell collapse and ignition during cutting → Follow the engineered sequence and maintain atmosphere checks
- 5Lower contain and clear wasteUnstable sections and contaminated residues → Use controlled lifts and segregate assessed waste streams
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Safety helmet
- Safety glasses
- Cut-resistant gloves
- Task-selected respiratory protection
- Protective clothing selected for vessel residues
- Hearing protection
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Industrial vessel demolition SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does this cover process tanks rather than ship breaking?
Yes. This draft covers industrial vessels such as storage tanks, silos and reactors. Describe the vessel history, connected services and dismantling method; ship breaking needs a separately assessed marine work scope.
Can the draft include cutting a vessel that held fuel?
Only after specialist cleaning, isolation and atmosphere assessment establish a suitable method. The draft includes those hold points, considering cold dismantling and checking conditions throughout removal rather than relying on draining alone.
How much does a industrial vessel demolition SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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