Molten Metal Pouring SWMS

For foundries and metal casting workshops that pour ferrous or non-ferrous metal from ladles into moulds. It follows the pour from the plan and exclusion zone through drying and inspecting ladles and moulds, receiving and skimming the metal, moving the ladle by crane, pouring, spilled and leftover metal, heat, radiation and fume, and the response to a burn or run-out. Furnace charging and tapping, crane operation and ladle relining are separate work and need their own SWMS.

Molten metal pouring in a foundry is not construction work, so WHS Regulation s 299 requires a SWMS only if the work is part of high risk construction work; otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If the job is construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, such as a fall of more than 2 m, a confined space or energised electrical installations or services; none is pre-ticked.

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

What Is Covered In Our Molten Metal Pouring SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the pour and set up the pouring area” to “After the pour: clear the area and make safe”. The hazards and controls include:

• Molten metal splashes and run-out
• Steam explosions from moisture
• Wet ladles, tools and moulds
• Ladle tipping, swinging or dropping
• Crane and lifting gear failure under heat
• Radiant heat and heat stress
• Ultraviolet and infrared eye damage
• Metal fume, carbon monoxide and silica dust
• Burning gases from moulds and cores
• Spilled and leftover metal
• Hot castings and slag
• Burns and emergency response
• Fatigue on hot shifts

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

• Pourers, ladle crane operators and helpers trained and assessed as competent in the foundry’s pouring procedure, the ladles and moulds used, and the emergency response, before they pour unsupervised; trainees pour only under the direct supervision of a competent pourer
• Crane operator high risk work licence for the class of crane Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation requires (for a bridge or gantry crane, the bridge and gantry crane class in item 12, as that item describes how the crane is controlled)
• High risk work licence in the dogging class (or a rigging class) for anyone slinging a ladle or directing a crane operator who cannot see it (WHS Regulation Schedule 19, dogging work)
• Competent person to inspect, maintain and repair ladles, shanks, lifting gear, cranes and refractory linings to the maker’s recommendations (WHS Regulation s 213)
• Training in molten metal hazards, the use and care of heat-resistant PPE, heat stress and the foundry’s emergency procedures
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders or access to them, including burn care (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Site induction covering the exclusion zone, the escape routes and the emergency shower and eye wash locations

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 208, 210 and 213: guarding, operator controls that can be locked off, and maintenance and inspection of plant
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 219: plant that lifts or suspends loads
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 81 and 82 and schedules 3 and 19: high risk work licences and dogging work
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 40, 44 to 46 and 49 to 50: extremes of heat, personal protective equipment, and airborne contaminants
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 56 to 58: noise exposure standard, managing hearing loss and audiometric testing
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 60: hazardous manual tasks
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) ss 35 to 39: notifiable incidents and preserving the site
• Foundry Industry Code of Practice 2004 (molten metal, working in heat, airborne contaminants, plant and machinery)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace 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 (heat)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (burns, emergency showers)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld) s 55: electrical work only by licensed electrical workers
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (model code, not approved in Queensland; guidance only)

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
• 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: heat-resistant, fire-retardant coat or jacket, apron, trousers and spats or gaiters, worn so molten metal cannot get inside boots, gloves or collars; no synthetic clothing, including underwear, in the furnace and pouring areas
• Emergency arrangements for: molten metal splash or burn, run-out, ladle failure or tipped ladle and steam explosion or violent eruption
• 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.