Industrial Mixer and Blender SWMS

Suits manufacturers, packers, feed and chemical blenders and maintenance teams who run ribbon, paddle, drum, pan and planetary mixers and blenders. It follows the work from the pre-start check, loading and dust control, through mixing, sampling and unloading, to isolation, cleaning and shut-down. Entering a mixer vessel needs a confined space assessment and permit, which the Confined Spaces SWMS covers. Commercial kitchen mixers have their own SWMS.

Operating an industrial mixer or blender in a factory or plant is not high risk construction work by itself, so no item is pre-ticked. A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only for high risk construction work. If your job is construction work, tick the items that apply, such as work in or near a confined space (s 291(f)), work in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere (s 291(l)) or movement of powered mobile plant (s 291(o)). Otherwise it works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

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

What Is Covered In Our Industrial Mixer and Blender SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Pre-start check of the mixer, guards and controls” to “Shut down, tidy up and record the work”. The hazards and controls include:

• Entanglement in paddles, ribbons and shafts
• Missing or bypassed guards and interlocks
• Machine starting during cleaning and maintenance
• Stored energy in drives and lines
• Reaching into the vessel to sample or clear
• Powder dust and respiratory harm
• Combustible dust fires and explosions
• Crystalline silica in some powders
• Entry to vessels, hoppers and bins
• Falls from loading platforms
• Strains from bags, drums and bins
• Chemical splashes and cleaning products

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

• Training and verified competency in the mixer or blender used: its controls, guards, interlocks, emergency stop, and safe loading and unloading, confirmed by a competent person before unsupervised use
• Training in the site’s isolation (lock-out) procedure for cleaning, adjustment and maintenance
• Training in the SDS, handling and exposure controls for each powder, liquid and cleaning product used
• Confined space information, training and instruction for anyone who could enter or work at a vessel (WHS Regulation s 76), with a recorded risk assessment by a competent person (s 66), an entry permit (s 67) and a stand-by person (s 69) before any entry; entry is not covered by this SWMS
• Crystalline silica training for workers where the processing of a powder with at least 1% crystalline silica is high risk (WHS Regulation s 529CD)
• Competent person to maintain and inspect the mixer to the maker’s recommendations (WHS Regulation s 213)
• Licensed electrical worker for electrical repairs above extra low voltage (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• No high risk work licence class covers industrial mixers or blenders (WHS Regulation Schedule 3)
• First aider on shift (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (entry is outside this SWMS)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021 (loading platforms)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 133 and 134, only where the work is manufacturing work as s 123 defines it (assembly, disassembly, fabrication, installation, maintenance, manufacturing, refurbishment or repair, other than amusement, construction or rural industry work); s 133 covers inspection and testing of specified electrical equipment and a safety switch at the socket-outlet, and s 134 applies only where manufacturing work is the primary work at the workplace
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 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 toe protection and non-slip soles; safety glasses with side shields, and goggles where dust is airborne
• Emergency arrangements for: person caught or drawn into the mixer and fire or dust explosion warning (smoke, a flash or a dust cloud)
• 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.