Product Overview

This Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) sets out the high-level safety controls and step-by-step procedures for operating and maintaining heat treatment ovens and injection moulding equipment to minimise risks to workers and the workplace. It is a comprehensive, fully editable document that consolidates multiple related processes into one easy-to-use SWMS, supporting WHS compliance and safer management of high risk plant operations.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Board pressing operations, including safe loading, pressing, and unloading of materials under heat and pressure
• Operation of conveyor ovens with overhead chain systems, including guarding, pinch-point control, and emergency isolation
• Use of flat belt conveyor ovens, including safe material placement, temperature control, and jam-clearing procedures
• Demoulding activities for hot or newly moulded products, including manual handling, PPE, and burn prevention controls
• Float glass production processes involving heat treatment, cutting, and handling of hot and fragile glass products
• Safe handling and operating of die-casting machines, including molten metal hazards, splash protection, and guarding
• Heat press operations for laminating, bonding, or forming materials, including pressure, temperature, and entrapment risks
• Use of heat sealer welders for plastics and packaging, including fume management and contact burn prevention
• Heat treatment of sports gear and composite materials, including curing cycles, ventilation, and fire risk controls
• Injection moulder setup, operation, and maintenance, including guarding, lockout/tagout, and safe clearing of blockages
• Operating kiln dryers, including loading/unloading procedures, temperature management, and confined hot space hazards
• Pressure treatment processes, including vessel loading, pressurisation, release of pressure, and chemical exposure controls
• Quick-set truss press operations, including safe positioning of components, entrapment prevention, and emergency stop use
• General plant start-up, shutdown, isolation, and lockout/tagout procedures for ovens, presses, and moulding equipment
• Housekeeping, ventilation, and hot work fire prevention measures around heat treatment and moulding areas

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for manufacturing plants, plastics and rubber processors, metal foundries, glass producers, timber treatment facilities, truss manufacturers, and site supervisors responsible for heat treatment ovens, injection moulding, and associated high-temperature plant.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Managing the Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Guidance on identifying, assessing, and controlling risks associated with plant such as ovens, presses, and moulding machines
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice: Controls for noisy plant and production lines
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice: Risk management for lifting, carrying, and handling hot and heavy moulded or treated products
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice: Requirements for any chemicals used in pressure treatment or mould release agents
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice: Framework for hazard identification, risk assessment, and implementation of controls
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017