Safe Operation of Stick Welders SWMS

For welders, fabricators and maintenance crews using stick electrodes on site or in the workshop. The job steps run from setting up the welding area and checking the welder through welding, slag removal, fire watch and pack-up.

Stick welding is not high risk construction work by itself, so a SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only when the welding is construction work that also meets an item in s 291 (such as a confined space, work near energised installations or a fall of more than 2 metres); otherwise it works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment.

New to SWMS? Read What is a safe work method statement?

What is covered in our safe operation of stick welders SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Set up the welding area” to “Pack up and store equipment”. The hazards and controls include:

• Fire from sparks, spatter and hot slag
• Electric shock from the electrode holder and leads
• Arc flash and arc eye
• Burns from hot metal and electrode stubs
• Welding fume and gases
• Lead and toxic coatings on the metal
• Pacemakers and electromagnetic fields
• Noise from chipping and grinding
• Damaged leads and faulty welders
• Heat illness in hot conditions
• Smouldering fires after welding
• Slips, trips and manual handling

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

• Trade qualification or documented training in manual metal arc (stick) welding, with competency confirmed by the supervisor
• No high risk work licence is required for stick welding
• General construction induction training card (white card) when welding on a construction site
• Site induction, including the hot work permit rules
• Fire watch person trained to use the extinguisher and raise the alarm
• Training in the fit, use and care of the respirator and other PPE
• Licensed electrician for repairs to the welder’s electrical parts

Legislation and codes of practice referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals 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 Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• AS 1674.1 Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
• AS 1674.2 Safety in welding and allied processes – Electrical
• AS/NZS 1338.1 Filters for eye protectors – Filters for protection against radiation generated in welding and allied operations
• AS/NZS 1716:2012 (Respiratory protective devices) and AS/NZS 1715:2009 (Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment)

What you get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 pages), laid out on 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: welding helmet with a filter shade suited to the welding current and electrode size; dry welding gauntlet gloves (fire-resistant, covering hands and wrists)
• Emergency arrangements for: fire, electric shock and arc eye or burns
• 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.

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