Arc Welder SWMS

For welders, fabricators and maintenance crews who arc weld on site or in the workshop. The job steps cover the work area and hot work permit, machine and lead set-up, metal preparation, welding, hot conditions, fire watch and pack-up.

Arc welding is not high risk construction work by itself, so a SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only when it is construction work that also meets an item in s 291 (for example a confined space, a flammable atmosphere, 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 arc welder SWMS?

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

• Fire from sparks, spatter and hot slag
• Electric shock from the machine, leads and wet conditions
• Return current through chains and structure
• Arc flash and arc eye
• Welding fume and toxic gases
• Coatings, solvents and lead paint
• Pacemakers and electromagnetic fields
• Grinder kickback and flying particles
• Noise from grinding and chipping
• Heat illness in hot conditions
• Shielding gas cylinders
• Manual handling of steel
• Smouldering fires after welding

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

• General construction induction training card (white card) when working on a construction site
• Site induction
• Welding competency for the process and material, shown by a trade qualification or a verification of competency by the employer
• No high risk work licence is needed to arc weld; one is needed only for other plant used on the job (for example a crane or forklift truck) where Schedule 3 of the Regulation requires it
• Fire watch person briefed on the hot work permit and trained to use the fire extinguisher
• Respirator fit and use training for any worker who must wear a respirator
• Licensed electrician for repairs to the electrical parts of the welder

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 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 4332 The storage and handling of gases in cylinders
• 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 (15 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 lens of the correct shade for the process and current; leather gauntlet welding gloves
• Emergency arrangements for: electric shock, fire 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.