Gas Appliance Servicing and Flue Testing SWMS

Suits licensed gasfitters and appliance service technicians who service and test domestic and commercial gas appliances and flues. It covers licence checks, gas and carbon monoxide detection, isolation, roof and ceiling access, servicing the burner and gas train, flue and combustion testing, relighting, unsafe appliances and the owner’s notice, and leaving the site.

Servicing a gas appliance is often minor maintenance, and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). Larger work on gas piping in a building can be construction work (s 289) and then these items may apply: work on or near pressurised gas piping, an area with a flammable atmosphere, fuel lines, a fall of more than 2 metres, and a confined space. Tick any that apply. A gas work licence is needed for the servicing itself under the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Gas Appliance Servicing and Flue Testing SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and check the licence, the appliance and the site” to “Pack up and leave the site”. The hazards and controls include:

• Gas leaks, fire and explosion
• Carbon monoxide from faulty appliances and flues
• Burns from hot appliance and flue parts
• Soot and dust when cleaning burners and flues
• Falls through ceilings and from ladders
• Heat and cramped postures in roof spaces
• Asbestos in older flues and eaves
• Cylinder handling and connections
• Unsafe combustion after relighting
• Manual handling of covers and fans
• Unsafe appliances left in use
• Working alone in occupied homes

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Gas work licence that allows the work, for each worker who services, repairs or tests a gas device (type A); servicing is gas work and an unlicensed worker is not directed to do it (Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 ss 725 and 726)
• Connecting or disconnecting a gas cylinder to an existing fitting or device does not need a gas work licence (s 726(4))
• Maker’s training on the appliance range, the test equipment and the flue gas analyser used
• Electrical work licence for any electrical work on appliances or controls beyond a plug-in connection (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• Training in carbon monoxide hazards, gas leak response and the emergency steps
• General construction induction training card (white card) where the work is construction work on a construction site, and the site induction
• First aid equipment and facilities as the work needs (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld): ss 706 (prescribed incidents), 725 and 726 (gas work and licences), 734A (safety obligations)
• Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 (Qld): ss 8 and 10 (dangerous incident, prescribed incidents), ss 140 to 144 (carrying fuel gas cylinders in enclosed vehicles), Schedule 2 Part 2 (preferred standards, including AS 4575 for servicing type A appliances)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 52, 53 and 355 (ignition sources, flammable stock, fire and explosion)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 42, 43 and 48 (first aid, emergency plan, remote or isolated work)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (if a plant room or subfloor meets the definition)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): s 55 (electrical work licence)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: safety boots; safety glasses; cut-resistant gloves for sharp panels; heat-resistant gloves for hot parts; fit-tested P2 respirator where soot or dust is released
• Emergency arrangements for: gas leak or smell of gas, carbon monoxide alarm or headache and nausea among occupants and fire
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.