Copper Pipe Soldering and Brazing SWMS

For plumbers, gasfitters, refrigeration and air conditioning technicians and maintenance crews who solder or braze copper pipework. It follows the job in order: planning the fire and fume risks, fire protection, torch setup, cleaning and fluxing, soldering, brazing, work in ceilings and enclosed spaces, pressure testing, fire watch and pack-up. General hot work, plumbing installation and refrigerant pipework have their own SWMS.

Soldering or brazing copper pipe is construction work when it is part of installing pipework in the construction, alteration or fitting-out of a structure (WHS Regulation s 289), but minor repair or maintenance is not construction work, and neither is high risk construction work by itself, so no item is pre-ticked. A SWMS is legally required when construction work also meets a s 291 item (s 299): tick item 9 when you work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines, item 8 near pressurised gas mains or piping, item 11 where the area may have a flammable or contaminated atmosphere, item 5 for a confined space, item 3 if asbestos may be disturbed and item 0 if anyone could fall more than 2 metres. 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 Copper Pipe Soldering and Brazing SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and assess the fire and fume risks” to “Fire watch, shut down and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Fire from sparks and heat in ceilings and cavities
• Gas leaks, flashback and cylinder handling
• Burns from hot pipe, flame and molten solder
• Metal fume, flux fume and cadmium in some older alloys
• Lead from older solder
• Steam from water left in the pipe
• Oxygen depletion from purge gas in enclosed spaces
• Asbestos in older lagging and linings
• Falls while working in ceilings or at height
• Heat illness in hot roof spaces
• Pressure test failures
• Fire watch and smouldering after the work

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

• The trade licence, registration or authority that the pipework itself requires (plumbing, drainage, gas fitting or refrigeration): this SWMS covers the soldering and brazing task and does not say who may do the plumbing, gas or refrigerant work
• Gas work licence or authorisation where the pipework is part of a gas system: installing, altering or repairing a gas system is gas work (Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 ss 725 to 727), and this SWMS does not authorise it
• Training and demonstrated competence in soldering and brazing with the torch type used, including lighting, leak testing and shut-down
• Fire watch trained to use the extinguisher and raise the alarm
• Training in the SDS for each flux, solder and brazing alloy, and a respirator fit test for anyone who needs a respirator
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction
• Asbestos awareness so workers recognise suspected asbestos in older lagging, linings and sheet, stop work and report it
• An adequate number of people trained in first aid, and a first aid kit on the job (WHS Regulation s 42)

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 49, 51 to 53 and 355 (exposure standards, hazardous atmospheres, ignition sources, flammable and combustible material, fire and explosion)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 344, 346 and 351 (safety data sheets, register and chemical risks)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 62 (confined spaces), ss 419 and 422 (asbestos), s 306D (construction work where a person could fall at least 2 m, or at least 3 m in housing construction work, or on a roof with a slope over 26 degrees) and ss 316 and 317 (construction induction)
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021 (covers allied processes such as brazing and soldering: fire, gas cylinders, fume and lead)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld): ss 725 to 727 (gas work)
• Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 (Qld): ss 139 to 144 (carrying fuel gas cylinders in enclosed vehicles)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 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 glasses with side shields, and a darker lens or face shield for brazing as the torch maker or filler maker advises
• Emergency arrangements for: fire, burn and gas leak or cylinder fire
• 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.