Protective Coating of Steel Structures SWMS

For industrial painters and coating contractors who prepare and coat steel bridges, tanks, frames and plant. It follows the work from assessing old coatings and setting up access and containment to blasting, mixing, spraying, curing and waste removal.

Blasting and coating inside a containment can create a contaminated or flammable atmosphere, and scaffold work is usually more than 2 metres up, so items 0 and 11 are ticked. A SWMS is required by law for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). Also tick any other item that applies, such as confined space (tanks and vessels), energised electrical installations or services, or a traffic corridor in use.

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 Protective Coating of Steel Structures SWMS?

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

• Falls from scaffold, EWPs and steel structures
• Dust and heavy metals from blasting
• Isocyanate and solvent vapour from spray coatings
• Fire and explosion of solvent vapour and static
• High-pressure injection from airless spray guns
• Compressed air hose whip and blast pot failure
• Containment collapse and scaffold wind loading
• Breathing air contamination for air-fed helmets
• Noise from compressors and blasting
• Spent abrasive and coating waste handling

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:

• Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m
• Is carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card)
• Site induction
• Abrasive blasting operator training and competency, including the blast pot, deadman control and air-fed helmet
• Training in the spray equipment and coating system, including two-pack and isocyanate coatings
• Respirator fit testing and training for air-fed and tight-fitting respirators
• High risk work licence in a scaffolding class (Schedule 3) for anyone erecting scaffolding from which a person or thing could fall more than 4 m; other scaffolding erected by a competent person
• Rope access technicians and EWP operators trained for the equipment where used; a high risk work licence applies only to a boom-type EWP with a boom length of 11 m or more (Schedule 3 item 21); use a separate SWMS
• First aider on site

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Abrasive Blasting Code of Practice 2021
• Spray Painting and Powder Coating Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (for enclosed tanks and containment that are confined spaces)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead electric line exclusion zones (ss 10-13 and Sch 2)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 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.