Panel Beating and Dent Repair SWMS

For panel beaters and collision repair workshops that straighten, cut, grind and weld damaged vehicles. It follows the work in order, from reading the repair procedure and supporting the vehicle to pulling the structure, dressing metal, welding and clean-up. Body filler application and sanding need a separate SWMS.

Panel beating in a workshop is not high risk construction work, so WHS Regulation s 299 requires a SWMS only if the work is part of high risk construction work. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment, and no high risk construction work item is pre-ticked. If the work is done on a construction site, tick the items that apply, such as powered mobile plant (s 291(o)) or a contaminated or flammable atmosphere (s 291(l)).

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Panel Beating and Dent Repair SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Vehicle falling from a hoist or stands
• Chains and clamps failing under a frame pull
• Hearing loss from hammering and grinding
• Hand-arm vibration from tools
• Grinder kickback and flying particles
• Fire from welding sparks near fuel and trim
• Welding fume from zinc, coatings and lead
• Arc flash and burns
• Airbag and high-voltage battery hazards
• Solvent vapour from primers and sealers
• Cuts from sharp panels and offcuts
• Strains lifting doors and bonnets

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Trade qualification or on-the-job training and sign-off in panel beating, dent repair and the welding processes used
• Training in the frame (chassis) straightening machine and pulling equipment, and in the vehicle hoist or stands used
• Training in the manufacturer’s repair procedure for airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and high-voltage systems on hybrid and electric vehicles, before anyone works on those vehicles
• Training in the hazardous chemicals used (SDS read) and in the fit and use of respirators and eye protection
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 applies to panel beating, vehicle hoists or welding. A licensed electrical worker is needed for electrical work on workshop wiring or charge points (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); a vehicle’s own propulsion system is outside the Act’s definition of electrical equipment (s 14(2)), so competence on it rests on the training and the manufacturer’s procedure above
• First aider on site, briefed on burns, eye flash, crush injuries and deep cuts
• General construction induction training card (white card) only if the work is construction work
• Site or workshop induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 205 to 213 (plant: unauthorised alterations, proper use, guarding, operational controls, emergency stops, maintenance and inspection)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 219 (plant that lifts or suspends loads)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 56 to 58 (exposure standard for noise, managing hearing loss risk, audiometric testing)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 60 (hazardous manual tasks, including vibration)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 52, 53 and 355 (ignition sources, flammable material, fire and explosion in hazardous areas)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 344 and 346 (safety data sheets and the hazardous chemicals register); s 395 (information about health risks of a lead process)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• 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 14(2) (electrical equipment does not include apparatus, cable or wiring that is part of a vehicle’s propulsion unit or powered from it) and s 55 (electrical work licence)
• AS 4024 (series) Safety of machinery (as named in the Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.