Welding SWMS, drafted for your job
Hot work throws sparks into everything flammable, fills the air with fume, and leaves a workpiece that burns long after the arc stops. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, 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
Welding
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set up and clear the weld zone | Sparks reaching flammables | High | Clear or blanket; extinguisher ready |
| 2 | Check machine and leads | Faulty earth; shock | High | Inspect gear; dry gloves and mats |
| 3 | Weld with extraction running | Fume at the face; arc flash | High | Extraction on; helmet down, screens up |
| 4 | Hold a fire watch | Smoulder after sparks stop | High | Watcher stays until the zone cools |
| 5 | Grind, clean and pack up | Grit, noise, hot offcuts | Medium | Face shield; quench hot pieces |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your welding 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
High-risk work on this job
This task is not usually high-risk construction work. If your job involves any category, tick it when you start and the SWMS covers it.
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 welding 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
Welding fume and gases building up around the welder's face
High- Position so the plume drifts away from your face, work upwind or with a fan
- Use on-torch or portable extraction for galvanised, painted or stainless steel
- Ventilate the area and take breaks out of the fume
- 2
Sparks and spatter lighting off fuel, packaging or sawdust nearby
High- Clear flammables from the spark zone or cover them with a welding blanket
- Post a fire watch with an extinguisher during and after the weld
- Check for smoulder in cracks and wall cavities before leaving the area
- 3
Arc flash burning the welder's eyes or bystanders nearby
High- Helmet down to the right shade before striking the arc
- Screen the weld area so others are not flashed
- Warn people around you before striking up
- 4
Shock from the electrode, damp conditions or a faulty machine
High- Keep dry gloves, mats and clothing between you and the workpiece
- Check leads, the earth clamp and the machine before striking an arc
- Change electrodes without leaning on the workpiece or touching metal
- 5
Burns from hot metal, spatter and freshly welded work
Medium- Chalk-mark hot work and keep gloves on for anything recently welded
- Quench or isolate hot offcuts instead of leaving them on the bench
- 6
Gas bottles tipping, leaking or heating up near the weld
Medium- Chain bottles upright in a trolley with caps on when not in use
- Keep bottles out of the spark path and check hoses and fittings for leaks
- 7
Noise and flying grit from grinding and dressing welds
Medium- Hearing protection and a face shield over glasses for grinding
- Set up so sparks fly away from people and flammables
How the job usually runs
- 1Set up and clear the weld zoneSparks reaching flammables → Clear or blanket; extinguisher ready
- 2Check machine and leadsFaulty earth; shock → Inspect gear; dry gloves and mats
- 3Weld with extraction runningFume at the face; arc flash → Extraction on; helmet down, screens up
- 4Hold a fire watchSmoulder after sparks stop → Watcher stays until the zone cools
- 5Grind, clean and pack upGrit, noise, hot offcuts → Face shield; quench hot pieces
PPE for this job
- Welding helmet at the right shade
- Welding gloves
- Fire-resistant clothing
- Respirator for fume-heavy work
- Face shield for grinding
- Hearing protection
- Safety boots
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
Welding 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 the SWMS cover welding inside a tank or pit?
Yes. When you describe the space as enclosed the draft treats it as confined work: a standby person at the opening, forced ventilation, and leads and gas hoses arranged so nothing traps the welder inside.
What about welding galvanised or painted steel?
Say so when you start and the draft strengthens the fume controls: on-torch or portable extraction, a respirator, and regular breaks out of the plume, because the coating makes a nastier fume.
Are grinding and cutting covered in the same SWMS?
Yes. Prep and finishing are steps in the same job, so dressing welds, grinding and hot cutting carry their own controls alongside the welding itself.
How much does a welding 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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