Boiler and Pressure Vessel Internal Entry SWMS

Suits boilermakers, maintenance crews and inspection contractors who enter boilers and pressure vessels to clean, descale or inspect them. It follows the entry in order, from the risk assessment and permit through cooling and depressurising, isolation, ventilation and atmosphere testing, rescue arrangements, work inside and close-out. General confined space entry has its own SWMS.

Cleaning or inspecting the inside of a boiler or pressure vessel is work on plant. Under WHS Regulation s 290(2) the construction work chapter does not apply to plant unless an exception applies, such as work that relates to construction work or outage or overhaul of fixed plant involving 5 or more businesses, so no high risk construction work item is pre-ticked and s 299 requires a SWMS only if the work is high risk construction work. Where it is, tick confined space (s 291(f)) and contaminated or flammable atmosphere (s 291(l)) if they apply. Either way the written risk assessment and entry permit that Part 4.3 requires (ss 66 and 67) still apply, and registration of a boiler or pressure vessel is a separate duty under Schedule 5.

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

What Is Covered In Our Boiler and Pressure Vessel Internal Entry SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the entry, assess the vessel and prepare the permit” to “Close the entry and make the vessel safe to return to service”. The hazards and controls include:

• Oxygen-deficient or toxic air inside the vessel
• Flammable gas and fire or explosion
• Steam, hot water or fuel entering from connected lines
• Burns from hot surfaces and deposits
• Burners, pumps or fans starting while people are inside
• Failed or delayed rescue through a small manway
• Heat stress in a steel vessel
• Scale, soot and chemical cleaning vapours
• Electric shock from lights and tools
• Asbestos in older lagging and gaskets
• A person or tool left inside when the vessel is closed

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

• Confined space entry training for every entrant, standby person and supervisor, covering the hazards, controls, PPE, entry permit and emergency procedures (WHS Regulation s 76)
• Competent person to carry out the risk assessment, complete the entry permit and test the atmosphere
• Gas monitor user trained and competent in testing, calibration checks and reading the instrument
• Rescuers trained and fit, and competent in the rescue and respiratory equipment used
• Boiler operation licences are in Schedule 3 (items 26 and 27: standard and advanced boiler operation, each described as operation of a boiler); entering a shut-down boiler to clean or inspect it is not described as operating it, but anyone who restarts or operates the boiler holds the class Schedule 3 sets
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders as the first aid assessment shows the work needs (WHS Regulation s 42)
• General construction induction training card (white card) only where the work is construction work
• Licensed electrical worker for any electrical isolation that is electrical work (Electrical Safety Act 2002, s 55)

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), Chapter 4 Part 4.3 (confined spaces, ss 62 to 77)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): Schedule 5 (registration of plant and plant designs) and Schedule 3 (boiler operation classes)
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (older lagging and gaskets)
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021 (hot work done under its own SWMS)
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021 (heat)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 133 and 136 (safety switches and specified electrical equipment for maintenance and repair work), s 140 if the entry is construction work
• AS 2865 Confined spaces (as named in the Confined Spaces code)
• AS 4343:2014 Pressure equipment – Hazard levels (as named in Schedule 5 of the WHS Regulation)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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 with non-slip soles; cotton or flame-resistant overalls with long sleeves, and a hard hat; safety glasses and gloves suited to the task and any chemicals
• Emergency arrangements for: the standby person never enters the vessel to attempt a rescue
• 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.