TIG Welding SWMS

Suits fabricators, boilermakers, sheet metal workers and food-industry welders who TIG weld stainless steel and aluminium in workshops and on site. It follows the job from the hot work permit and electrical set-up through shielding gas cylinders, tungsten grinding, cleaning, welding, purging and post-weld cleaning to cool-down and pack-up. General welding, stick, oxy-fuel and arc welding are covered by separate SWMS.

TIG welding is not high risk construction work by itself; a SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only when the welding is construction work that also meets an item in s 291, such as a confined space, a fall of more than 2 metres or a flammable atmosphere, and otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. No item is ticked by default: tick the items that apply to your job.

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 TIG 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:

• Fire from sparks, hot metal and flammable cleaners
• Stainless steel fume containing hexavalent chromium and nickel
• Ozone and aluminium fume from the TIG arc
• Arc flash, ultraviolet burns and arc eye
• Shielding gas displacing oxygen in low and enclosed areas
• Gas cylinders falling or leaking
• Radioactive dust from grinding thoriated tungsten
• Phosgene from degreasing solvent residues
• Electric shock and high-frequency interference with pacemakers
• Acid burns from pickling and passivation products
• Purged pipes and sealed vessels under pressure
• Hot work pieces and torch burns
• Noise from grinding and brushing
• Neck, shoulder and wrist strain from fine work

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Trade qualification or verified competency in TIG welding of the materials used (stainless steel and aluminium), and the welder qualification the job specification requires where it requires one
• Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation has no high risk work licence class for welding; a high risk work licence is needed only for other plant used on the job, such as a boom-type elevating work platform where the length of the boom is 11 m or more
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction including hot work permit rules
• Information and training on the welding equipment, shielding gas cylinders, safety data sheets, PPE, first aid and emergency procedures (WHS Regulation s 39; Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021 section 1.2)
• Training in the fit, use and care of the respirator and other PPE, with a respirator fit test for each wearer
• Fire watch person trained to use the extinguisher and raise the alarm
• Confined space entry training and a separate SWMS if welding or purging in a confined space
• The warning statement for thoriated tungsten electrodes (breathing in or swallowing grinding dust, and how to prevent it) given to every person who will use them (Radiation Safety Regulation 2021 (Qld) s 96)
• Medical advice before a worker with a pacemaker or other implanted medical device is exposed to welding electromagnetic fields
• Health monitoring arranged through a registered medical practitioner with experience in health monitoring where there is a significant risk of exposure to chromium (inorganic) or another chemical in Schedule 14 (WHS Regulation ss 368 to 371)
• Licensed electrician for repairs to the welding machine, power supply and leads

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 Risk of Falls at Workplaces 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 equipment in manufacturing, construction and rural work (ss 133, 140 and 141)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Radiation Safety Act 1999 (Qld) and Radiation Safety Regulation 2021 (Qld): exemption for thoriated tungsten welding electrodes (s 96 of the Regulation, made under s 210 of the Act)
• AS 1674.1 Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
• AS 1674.2 Safety in welding and allied processes – Electrical
• AS 60974.1 Arc welding equipment – Welding power sources (hazard reducing devices)
• 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 3957 Light-transmitting screens and curtains for welding 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.