Pipe Fitting and Pipe Welding SWMS

Suits mechanical, plumbing, process and civil contractors who fit and weld steel and stainless pipework and pipelines in plants, workshops and the field. It follows the job from planning, permits and isolating existing lines through heavy pipe handling, cutting and bevelling, fit-up, welding, pre-heat and heat treatment and weld inspection to pressure testing and reinstating the line. Plastic pipe fusion welding and hot tapping of live lines are outside it, and general welding, crane lifts, trenching, confined spaces and work at heights are covered by separate SWMS.

Pipe fitting and welding is high risk construction work when it is carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines, which is the work this SWMS is written for, so that item is ticked (WHS Regulation sections 291 and 299); tick any other items that apply, such as a confined space, a fall risk over 2 metres, a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, a flammable atmosphere or powered mobile plant. Pipework that is not on or near those lines does not need a SWMS under section 299, and the document then works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Pipe Fitting and Pipe Welding SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Release of pressure or product when a line is opened
• Fire and explosion from hot work on lines that held flammable product
• Heavy pipe rolling, falling and crushing workers
• Swinging pipe, valves and fittings
• Crushed fingers during fit-up and bolting
• Arc flash, burns and electric shock
• Welding fume, purge gas and toxic gases from coatings
• Asbestos in old gaskets and lagging, and lead coatings
• Burns during pre-heat and post-weld heat treatment
• Radiation near weld radiography
• Pressure test failures and whipping hoses
• Grinding noise, dust and flying particles
• Pipe contacting overhead power lines

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Is carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines

Licences, Training and Competency

• Pipe welding competency for the process, material and position used, shown by a trade qualification or a verification of competency by the employer, and any welding procedure or welder qualification the pipework specification requires
• Pipe fitting competency (trade qualification or verified competency) for the pipework and fittings installed; plumbing and drainage work needs a plumbing or drainage licence (Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 s 56), and gas work needs a gas work licence for a type A gas device or fuel gas refrigeration device, or a gas work authorisation for a type B gas device (Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 ss 725 to 727)
• Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation has no high risk work licence class for welding or pipe fitting; a licence is needed only for other plant used on the job (for example a forklift truck, or a boom-type elevating work platform with a boom length of 11 m or more) where Schedule 3 requires one
• High risk work licence in the dogging class, or a higher rigging class (Schedule 3 items 4 to 7), for anyone who slings pipe or directs a plant operator in moving a load that is out of the operator’s view (Schedule 19, dogging work)
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction including the plant owner’s permit-to-work, isolation and emergency rules
• Competent person to prepare or approve the isolation plan, the gas testing and the pressure test procedure; operators trained in the gas detector (instrument, alarms, calibration checks) and in the pressure test rig, procedure and exclusion zone
• Fire watch person briefed on the hot work permit and trained to use the fire extinguisher
• Respirator training for any worker who must wear one: individual fitting, fit checks before each use, care and storage
• Radiographers hold the licences the Radiation Safety Act 1999 requires (ss 12 and 13); all other workers are briefed on the radiography boundary
• Licensed electrician for connecting heating equipment to fixed wiring and for repairs to electrical equipment

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
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace 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 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
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks 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
• Radiation Safety Act 1999 (Qld) and Radiation Safety Regulation 2021 (Qld) (radiography of welds)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld)
• Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld) (gas work licensing; regulated gas piping)
• 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 (21 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.