Product Overview

Summary: This Welding and Soldering Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, practical steps for carrying out hot work safely in Australian workplaces. It helps you control fire, fume, electrical and burn risks while maintaining consistent quality, ensuring your welding and soldering tasks meet both WHS and industry expectations.

Welding and soldering are core activities across construction, manufacturing, maintenance and electrical work, but they introduce significant risks if not tightly controlled. This comprehensive Welding and Soldering Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, step-by-step method for planning, setting up, conducting and completing hot work, with a strong focus on hazard identification, risk control and WHS compliance. It supports businesses to meet their duty of care under Australian WHS legislation while maintaining productivity and workmanship standards.

The SOP guides workers and supervisors through pre-start inspections, hot work permit requirements, ventilation and fume control, correct selection and use of PPE, fire prevention measures and safe shutdown and housekeeping. It addresses the different risk profiles of welding (including arc, MIG, TIG, oxy-fuel) and soldering (including soft soldering and silver brazing), ensuring that controls are proportionate and practical. By implementing this procedure, organisations can reduce the likelihood of fires, explosions, electric shock, eye injuries and long-term respiratory disease, while also providing a clear, defensible framework for training, supervision and incident investigation.

Key Benefits

• Ensure consistent, safe welding and soldering practices across all sites and shifts.
• Reduce the risk of fire, explosion, electric shock and serious burns associated with hot work.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS laws, hot work permit systems and relevant Australian Standards.
• Improve air quality and reduce worker exposure to welding fumes, flux fumes and metal vapours.
• Streamline onboarding and refresher training with a clear, documented procedure for welders and soldering personnel.

Who is this for?

• Boilermakers
• Welders
• Soldering Technicians
• Fabrication Workshop Supervisors
• Maintenance Fitters and Turners
• Electrical Tradespersons
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Construction Site Supervisors
• Manufacturing Operations Managers
• Facilities and Asset Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Fire and explosion from sparks, slag and hot metal near combustible materials
• Exposure to welding fumes, flux fumes and metal vapours (e.g. lead, cadmium, zinc, manganese)
• Electric shock from welding equipment and faulty leads
• Eye damage and arc flash from ultraviolet and infrared radiation
• Burns from hot workpieces, spatter, solder and equipment
• Noise exposure from grinding, gouging and certain welding processes
• Confined space hazards when welding or soldering in tanks, pits or restricted areas
• Compressed gas cylinder handling and storage risks
• Manual handling strains from handling gas bottles, welding leads and heavy components
• Slip, trip and fall hazards from leads, hoses, slag and offcuts on the floor

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Applicable Processes (Welding and Soldering Types)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Competency, Training and Licensing Requirements
• 5.0 Required Tools, Plant and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• 6.0 Pre-Start Checks and Work Area Preparation
• 7.0 Hot Work Permits and Isolation Requirements
• 8.0 Safe Operating Procedure – Welding (Arc, MIG, TIG, Oxy-Fuel, etc.)
• 9.0 Safe Operating Procedure – Soldering and Brazing
• 10.0 Ventilation, Fume Extraction and Respiratory Protection
• 11.0 Fire Prevention, Fire Watch and Emergency Shutdown
• 12.0 Working in Confined or Restricted Spaces
• 13.0 Handling, Storage and Transport of Gas Cylinders and Consumables
• 14.0 Housekeeping, Waste Management and Post-Job Inspection
• 15.0 Incident Reporting, Near Misses and Corrective Actions
• 16.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement of the SOP

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and relevant state/territory variants)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth and relevant state/territory variants)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Welding processes
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the risk of hazardous chemicals in the workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work
• AS 1674.1: Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
• AS 1674.2: Safety in welding and allied processes – Electrical
• AS/NZS 4839: The safe use of portable and mobile oxy-fuel gas systems for welding, cutting, heating and allied processes
• AS/NZS 1674.4: Safety in welding and allied processes – Fume minimization
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 1337.1: Personal eye protection
• AS/NZS 2161 series: Occupational protective gloves
• AS 2865: Confined spaces (where welding/soldering in confined spaces may occur)