Oxygen and Acetylene Welding SWMS

For welders, fitters, boilermakers and maintenance crews using oxygen and acetylene sets on site or in the workshop. The job steps run from the hot work permit and cylinder handling through set-up and leak testing, welding or cutting, emergency response and shut-down.

Oxy-acetylene work 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 (such as a confined space, a flammable atmosphere or a fall of more than 2 metres); otherwise it works as a hot work risk assessment or written safe work procedure.

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

What is covered in our oxygen & acetylene welding SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Check the work area and issue the hot work permit” to “Shut down, fire watch and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Fire and explosion from flame, sparks and slag
• Gas leaks at cylinders, regulators and hoses
• Flashback and backfire at the torch
• Falling and damaged gas cylinders
• Oil and grease on oxygen fittings
• Welding fume, coatings and lead paint
• Eye damage from flame and light radiation
• Burns from hot metal and slag
• Noise from cutting
• Heat illness in hot conditions
• Hose damage and trip hazards
• Cylinder storage and manual handling
• Smouldering fires after work stops

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 the work is construction work
• Site induction, including the hot work permit system
• Training and demonstrated competency in oxy-fuel welding, cutting and heating on the equipment used
• No high risk work licence class covers welding, cutting or heating
• Fire watch person and operator trained to use fire extinguishers
• Competent person to fit and check the flashback arrestors
• Training in the fit, use and care of the respirator and other PPE

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
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (work in or near a confined space needs its own SWMS)
• AS 4839 The safe use of portable and mobile oxy-fuel gas systems for welding, cutting, heating and allied processes
• AS 1674.1 Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
• AS 4332 The storage and handling of gases in cylinders
• AS 2030.1 Gas cylinders – General requirements
• 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 (17 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 goggles or a face shield with filter lenses of the shade recommended for gas welding and cutting; fire-resistant leather welding gloves (gauntlet type)
• Emergency arrangements for: gas leak or cylinder fire, backfire or flashback and 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.