Product Overview

Summary: This High Pressure Cleaning Safe Operating Procedure sets out safe, consistent methods for using high and ultra-high pressure water cleaning equipment across Australian workplaces. It helps businesses control serious risks such as injection injuries, slips, noise and flying debris while maintaining professional cleaning standards and WHS compliance.

High pressure cleaning is widely used across construction, facilities management, local government, transport and manufacturing to remove grime, coatings and contaminants quickly and effectively. However, the combination of high-pressure water, detergents, height work and public access areas creates a significant risk profile if not tightly controlled. This High Pressure Cleaning Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step-by-step framework for planning, setting up, operating and shutting down high pressure cleaning activities in line with Australian WHS expectations.

The SOP addresses real-world challenges faced by Australian businesses, including managing overspray near the public, preventing high-pressure injection injuries, controlling slips on wet surfaces, and integrating contractor work into existing site safety systems. It supports PCBUs to demonstrate due diligence by documenting risk controls, operator competency requirements, lock-out and isolation steps, and emergency response procedures for incidents such as line bursts, chemical exposure or contact with live electrical equipment. Implementing this SOP helps organisations reduce incident rates, standardise training, and provide a defensible, auditable process that aligns with WHS legislation and relevant Australian Standards.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of high-pressure injection injuries, slips, falls and eye injuries through clearly defined safe work methods.
• Ensure compliance with Australian WHS legislation and relevant standards for plant, PPE, noise and hazardous chemicals.
• Standardise high pressure cleaning practices across sites, contractors and shifts to improve consistency and quality of work.
• Streamline training and onboarding for new operators with a clear, task-focused procedure and defined competency requirements.
• Minimise equipment damage, unplanned downtime and costly call-outs by embedding pre-use inspections and maintenance checks.

Who is this for?

• High Pressure Cleaning Operators
• Facilities and Maintenance Managers
• Construction Site Supervisors
• Commercial Cleaning Supervisors
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Property and Asset Managers
• Council and Local Government Works Supervisors
• Manufacturing and Workshop Managers
• Transport Depot Managers

Hazards Addressed

• High-pressure water injection injuries to skin and soft tissue
• Impact from flying debris, loosened materials and water jets
• Slips, trips and falls on wet or uneven surfaces
• Electric shock from contact with live electrical installations or leads
• Noise exposure from high pressure pumps and engines
• Exposure to hazardous cleaning chemicals, detergents and degreasers
• Manual handling injuries from hoses, lances and equipment movement
• Ergonomic strain from sustained awkward postures and vibration
• Environmental contamination from wastewater, detergents and dislodged contaminants
• Public and bystander exposure to spray, noise and projectiles in shared access areas

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 References, Definitions and Applicable Legislation
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Supervisors, Operators, Contractors)
• 4.0 Competency, Training and Licensing Requirements
• 5.0 Equipment Specifications and Pre-Use Inspection Checklist
• 6.0 Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safety Devices
• 7.0 Planning the Task and Site Risk Assessment (JSA/SWMS Integration)
• 8.0 Exclusion Zones, Signage and Public Protection Controls
• 9.0 Safe Operating Procedure – Setup, Operation and Shutdown
• 10.0 Chemical Handling, Mixing and Application Controls
• 11.0 Working at Heights, Near Traffic and in Confined or Restricted Areas
• 12.0 Environmental Management and Wastewater Disposal Requirements
• 13.0 Hazard Identification and Control Measures (Risk Matrix)
• 14.0 Emergency Procedures (Injections, Line Burst, Electric Shock, Chemical Exposure)
• 15.0 Cleaning, Decontamination and Post-Task Housekeeping
• 16.0 Maintenance, Tag-Out and Fault Reporting
• 17.0 Recordkeeping, Monitoring and Review of the Procedure

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and harmonised state and territory legislation)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Plant, Hazardous Chemicals, Noise, PPE)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work
• AS/NZS 4233.1: High pressure water jetting systems – Safe operation and maintenance
• AS/NZS 4233.2: High pressure water jetting systems – Construction and performance
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 1337.1: Personal eye protection
• AS/NZS 2161: Occupational protective gloves
• AS 1319: Safety signs for the occupational environment