Product Overview

Summary: This Metal Forging Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step-by-step framework for carrying out hot and cold forging tasks safely and efficiently in Australian workplaces. It focuses on controlling extreme heat, high-force equipment, and manual handling risks while supporting compliance with WHS legislation and industry best practice.

Metal forging involves the use of intense heat, heavy presses, hammers, and complex tooling to shape metal into high-strength components. Without a robust, documented process, the combination of hot metal, airborne scale, hydraulic systems, and repetitive manual tasks can quickly lead to serious injuries, equipment damage, and non-compliance with Australian WHS requirements. This Metal Forging Safe Operating Procedure sets out a practical, repeatable method for planning, setting up, operating, and shutting down forging operations so that your team can produce quality parts while keeping people safe.

Developed for Australian manufacturing and engineering environments, this SOP translates WHS obligations into everyday shop-floor actions. It defines responsibilities for operators, supervisors, and maintenance teams; specifies pre-start checks for presses, furnaces, and tooling; and details safe workflows for billet heating, transfer, forging, trimming, and cooling. It also embeds controls for heat stress, noise, airborne contaminants, pinch points, and ejection risks, giving you a defensible system of work that supports training, contractor onboarding, incident investigations, and audits by regulators or clients.

Key Benefits

• Ensure a consistent, safe method of work for all metal forging activities across shifts and sites.
• Reduce the risk of burns, crush injuries, and equipment failures through structured pre-start checks and control measures.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS legislation and relevant standards during audits and client reviews.
• Streamline training and competency assessment for new and existing forging operators and apprentices.
• Improve equipment uptime and product quality by integrating maintenance, housekeeping, and inspection steps into daily practice.

Who is this for?

• Forging Operators
• Boilermakers and Metalworkers
• Production Supervisors
• Workshop Managers
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Maintenance Supervisors
• Apprentice Coordinators
• Manufacturing Operations Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Thermal burns from hot metal, furnaces, and heated tooling
• Crush and amputation injuries from presses, power hammers, and mechanical handling equipment
• Impact injuries from ejected workpieces, tooling fragments, or scale
• Exposure to radiant heat and heat stress in hot work environments
• Noise-induced hearing loss from forging hammers, presses, and compressors
• Manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders from lifting billets, dies, and tooling
• Slip, trip, and fall risks from scale, oil, and offcuts on workshop floors
• Fire and explosion risks from fuel-fired furnaces, gas leaks, and combustible materials
• Exposure to fumes, smoke, and airborne contaminants from heating and surface treatments
• Hydraulic and pneumatic system failures leading to high-pressure fluid injection or sudden movement

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Process Overview (Hot and Cold Forging)
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Required Plant, Tooling and Safety Equipment
• 5.0 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements
• 6.0 Pre-Start Inspections and Work Area Preparation
• 7.0 Furnace and Heating Operations – Safe Use and Monitoring
• 8.0 Material Handling and Transfer of Hot Workpieces
• 9.0 Forging Operations – Presses, Hammers and Dies
• 10.0 Trimming, Finishing and Cooling Procedures
• 11.0 Hazard Identification and Risk Control Measures
• 12.0 Lockout/Tagout and Isolation for Maintenance and Die Changes
• 13.0 Housekeeping, Scale Management and Waste Disposal
• 14.0 Emergency Procedures (Burns, Crush Injuries, Fire, Heat Stress)
• 15.0 Inspection, Maintenance and Testing of Forging Equipment
• 16.0 Training, Induction and Competency Assessment
• 17.0 Recordkeeping, Review and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) – Chapters on Hazardous Work and Plant
• 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: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work
• AS 4024 Safety of machinery series
• AS/NZS 1715 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 1801 Occupational protective helmets
• AS/NZS 2161 Occupational protective gloves
• AS/NZS 1270 Acoustics – Hearing protectors