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TIG Welding Risk Assessment

TIG Welding Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

TIG Welding Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with TIG welding through a structured, management-level WHS Risk Management framework that addresses governance, planning, plant, people, and systems. This TIG Welding Risk Assessment supports compliance with the WHS Act, strengthens Due Diligence, and helps protect your business from operational and legal liability exposures.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, WHS Duties and Consultation: Assessment of officer due diligence, PCBU responsibilities, consultation mechanisms with workers, and integration of TIG welding risks into the broader WHS management system.
  • Procurement, Design and Engineering Controls: Management of equipment selection, ventilation and extraction design, guarding, interlocks, and engineered controls to minimise TIG welding hazards at the source.
  • Plant, Equipment Integrity and Maintenance Systems: Systems for inspection, testing, tagging, calibration, and preventative maintenance of TIG welders, gas cylinders, leads, and associated welding plant.
  • Hazardous Chemicals, Fumes and Atmospheric Contaminants Management: Controls for shielding gases, welding fumes, ozone, metal particulates, storage of cylinders, SDS management, and local exhaust ventilation requirements.
  • Electrical Safety and Energy Control Systems: Assessment of electrical shock risks, earthing, RCD use, isolation and lockout procedures, and managing stored energy in welding and associated equipment.
  • Competency, Training and Supervision: Frameworks for verifying TIG welding competency, licensing where applicable, refresher training, supervision levels, and competency records for employees and contractors.
  • Safe Work Procedures, Permits and Work Planning: Development and implementation of documented procedures, hot work permits, job planning, and coordination of simultaneous operations involving TIG welding.
  • Personal Protective Equipment Management: Selection, issue, fit, maintenance and replacement of PPE including welding helmets, respiratory protection, gloves, clothing, and eye and face protection.
  • Facility, Housekeeping and Fire Safety Systems: Management of workshop layout, segregation of hot work areas, combustible storage controls, housekeeping standards, fire detection and firefighting equipment.
  • Contractor, Labour Hire and Third-Party Management: Protocols for prequalification, induction, competency verification and monitoring of contractors and labour hire workers performing TIG welding.
  • Incident Reporting, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement: Systems for reporting near misses and incidents, trend analysis, corrective actions, audits, and periodic review of TIG welding risk controls.
  • Health Surveillance, Ergonomics and Psychosocial Risk Management: Assessment of exposure to fumes and radiation, manual handling, posture, fatigue, workload, and stress factors associated with TIG welding tasks.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Operations Managers, and Safety Leaders responsible for planning, approving, and overseeing TIG welding activities within their organisation.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, WHS Duties and Consultation
  • • Lack of clear allocation of WHS responsibilities for welding activities under WHS Act 2011 leading to gaps in oversight
  • • Insufficient consultation with welders, supervisors and HSRs on TIG welding risks and controls
  • • Inadequate integration of TIG welding risks into the organisation’s overall WHS management system
  • • Failure to ensure PCBUs, officers and supervisors understand their due diligence obligations in relation to welding operations
  • • No formal process to review and update welding-related WHS policies when legislation, standards or work practices change
2. Procurement, Design and Engineering Controls
  • • Selection of TIG welding plant and equipment that is not fit for purpose or non-compliant with relevant Australian Standards
  • • Inadequate consideration of elimination or substitution options at the design and procurement stage (e.g. use of alternative joining methods or less hazardous processes)
  • • Poor workshop layout increasing exposure to welding fumes, UV radiation, manual handling and interactions with other plant
  • • Lack of engineered ventilation or fume extraction systems leading to excessive exposure to welding fumes and gases
  • • Insufficient segregation of welding bays from other work activities creating fire, burn and eye injury risks for non-welding personnel
3. Plant, Equipment Integrity and Maintenance Systems
  • • Failure of welding plant due to inadequate inspection, testing and maintenance regimes
  • • Degraded or damaged cables, leads, electrode holders and gas hoses creating electric shock, fire and explosion risks
  • • Absence of a formal tagging, isolation and lockout system for defective welding equipment
  • • Lack of scheduled calibration and functional checks leading to unsafe welding parameters and poor quality welds
  • • Use of non-genuine or incompatible spare parts and accessories compromising equipment safety performance
4. Hazardous Chemicals, Fumes and Atmospheric Contaminants Management
  • • Exposure of welders and nearby workers to hazardous welding fumes, ozone, nitrogen oxides and shielding gases
  • • Inadequate management of compressed gas cylinders leading to leak, fire or explosion risks
  • • Insufficient control of chemicals associated with TIG welding (e.g. cleaning solvents, pickling pastes, anti-spatter products) and poor SDS management
  • • Lack of health monitoring for workers regularly exposed to welding fumes and associated substances
  • • Inadequate assessment and control of oxygen-deficient or contaminated atmospheres when welding in partially enclosed or confined spaces
5. Electrical Safety and Energy Control Systems
  • • Risk of electric shock from faulty welding leads, poor earthing, damaged insulation or wet working conditions
  • • Inadequate electrical design of welding circuits leading to overloading, short circuits or fire
  • • Lack of formal lockout–tagout (LOTO) and isolation procedures when servicing or setting up TIG welding plant
  • • Uncontrolled use of extension leads, power boards and adaptors in welding areas
  • • Insufficient periodic testing and tagging regime for portable electrical equipment associated with welding operations
6. Competency, Training and Supervision
  • • Inadequate competency of welders and assistants to safely operate TIG welding equipment and understand associated hazards
  • • Lack of formal verification of qualifications, licences or trade certificates for welding tasks requiring specific competencies
  • • Insufficient supervision, especially for new, young or inexperienced welders and during high-risk activities
  • • Training that focuses only on welding quality without adequately covering WHS obligations, risk controls and emergency response
  • • No systematic refresher training or competency reassessment when equipment, processes or standards change
7. Safe Work Procedures, Permits and Work Planning
  • • Absence of formal safe work procedures (SWPs) for TIG welding leading to inconsistent practices
  • • Inadequate planning and authorisation of high-risk welding tasks, including hot work on or near flammable materials or in restricted areas
  • • Failure to integrate TIG welding controls into broader site systems (e.g. isolation plans, process safety, construction sequencing)
  • • Unclear criteria for when permits to work or hot work permits are required, resulting in uncontrolled ignition sources
  • • No formal process to assess and manage changes to welding methods, locations or schedules
8. Personal Protective Equipment Management
  • • Inconsistent use of appropriate PPE resulting in burns, eye damage, UV exposure and inhalation of fumes
  • • Provision of PPE that does not meet relevant Australian Standards or is unsuitable for TIG welding conditions
  • • Inadequate systems for PPE issue, maintenance, replacement and fit, especially for respiratory protection
  • • Lack of training for welders and supervisors on correct selection, limitations and care of PPE
  • • Over-reliance on PPE instead of higher order controls within the hierarchy of control
9. Facility, Housekeeping and Fire Safety Systems
  • • Accumulation of combustible materials, flammable liquids or gases in or near welding areas increasing fire risk
  • • Inadequate fire detection, suppression and emergency equipment suitable for welding-related fires
  • • Blocked access and egress routes from welding bays compromising emergency evacuation
  • • Poor housekeeping leading to trip hazards, obstructed equipment access and increased likelihood of contact with hot work surfaces
  • • Lack of formal hot work area designation and control of ignition sources near flammable atmospheres or containers
10. Contractor, Labour Hire and Third-Party Management
  • • Contractors and labour hire workers performing TIG welding without alignment to the PCBU’s WHS standards and procedures
  • • Unclear allocation of WHS responsibilities between host PCBU, contractors and labour hire providers for welding work
  • • Inadequate prequalification and selection processes for welding contractors, leading to engagement of parties with poor WHS performance
  • • Insufficient onboarding, induction and supervision of third-party welders in site-specific TIG welding hazards and controls
  • • Failure to coordinate TIG welding activities among multiple PCBUs operating in the same workplace
11. Incident Reporting, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
  • • Under-reporting of welding-related incidents, near misses and health concerns, preventing identification of systemic issues
  • • Lack of structured investigation of welding incidents leading to repeated failures and missed opportunities for learning
  • • Inadequate performance monitoring of TIG welding safety systems, including audits and inspections
  • • Failure to track and close corrective actions arising from welding risk assessments, incidents and audits
  • • Insufficient review of welding safety performance by management, resulting in inadequate resourcing or priority
12. Health Surveillance, Ergonomics and Psychosocial Risk Management
  • • Long-term health effects from chronic exposure to welding fumes, UV radiation and noise not being identified or managed
  • • Musculoskeletal disorders due to poor ergonomic design of welding tasks and prolonged static postures
  • • Fatigue and workload pressures contributing to errors and reduced adherence to welding safety procedures
  • • Psychosocial hazards such as bullying, production pressure or inadequate support impacting safe decision-making during welding activities
  • • Lack of systems to identify and manage fitness for work issues in welders (e.g. vision, respiratory conditions)

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Model Code of Practice – Welding Processes: Guidance on managing health and safety risks associated with welding, including TIG welding.
  • Model Code of Practice – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Framework for identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, and reviewing control measures.
  • Model Code of Practice – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Requirements for ventilation, amenities, and general workplace conditions relevant to welding operations.
  • Model Code of Practice – Hazardous Chemicals: Guidance on classification, labelling, storage and handling of gases and other hazardous substances used in TIG welding.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS 1674.1: Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
  • AS 1674.2: Safety in welding and allied processes – Electrical
  • AS/NZS 4836: Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment
  • AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
  • AS/NZS 1716: Respiratory protective devices
  • AS/NZS 1337.1: Personal eye protection for industrial applications
  • AS/NZS 2161: Occupational protective gloves
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

$79.5

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