Welding risk assessment template
A welding risk assessment starts with the actual process, metal, coating and workplace. It must identify welding-fume exposure, fire and explosion, electric shock, burns, eye and skin injury, gases, noise and risks to other people, then record controls for the planned work. Copy and complete the worksheet below before the job. It is not a hot-work permit, a confined-space entry authorisation or proof that ventilation is adequate. The supervisor and competent assessor must verify controls at the work location.
HSE states that welding work needs a risk assessment to decide how fume exposure will be controlled. Even mild steel welding fume is a serious health hazard. The control choice depends on the welding process, duration, material, coating, location and people nearby. A generic “well ventilated” line is not enough for a long indoor welding task, and an ordinary face shield does not provide respiratory protection.
This page is a fillable welding assessment. The general risk assessment software and RAMS page explain wider document workflows. A separate hot-work permit may be needed where the site requires formal authorisation. Do not duplicate a permit form by calling this assessment a permit.
Information to obtain before assessing
Identify the process (for example MIG/MAG, TIG, MMA, oxy-fuel or other), parent metal, filler and surface treatment. Paint, galvanising, stainless steel and contamination can materially alter the fume profile. Ask where the work occurs: fabrication bay, open site, occupied premises, near combustibles or inside a vessel/pit. Check how long and how often welding will be done, where nearby people will stand, and whether existing local exhaust ventilation (LEV) actually captures the plume at the source.
Review the workpiece, manufacturer's equipment instructions, safety data sheets where relevant, site fire information, electrical supply, cylinder arrangements and any process-specific COSHH assessment. A confined or potentially oxygen-deficient space is a distinct decision; welding gases can displace oxygen. HSE's safety guidance says to avoid entry where possible and plan a safe system and rescue where unavoidable. If that separate system is absent, do not use this generic form to authorise entry.
Copyable welding risk assessment form
A. Scope and authorisation
| Field | Project-specific answer |
|---|---|
| Site, exact welding location and date | |
| Workpiece and scope; process and consumables | |
| Metal/coating/contaminants and information source | |
| Weld duration/frequency and work sequence | |
| Welder(s), supervisor, competence and briefing | |
| Other workers, occupants and public at risk | |
| Existing LEV, ventilation and test/maintenance evidence | |
| Site fire controls, hot-work permit and fire-watch requirement | |
| Electrical equipment, supply and inspection | |
| Confined-space decision and linked assessment/permit | |
| Assessor, approver, issue/revision and review trigger |
B. Hazard and control record
| Stage and hazard | People exposed and possible harm | Project-specific preventive control and evidence | Further action, owner and hold point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparing surface: coating or contaminant fume | |||
| Welding fume/metal constituents and bystanders | |||
| Inadequate LEV capture or outdoor fume exposure | |||
| Fire/explosion from sparks, heat, gas or nearby combustibles | |||
| Electric shock, damaged leads or poor return connection | |||
| Arc radiation, hot metal and flying particles | |||
| Cylinder, hose or gas storage/handling | |||
| Noise and associated grinding/cutting | |||
| Oxygen depletion/confined-space condition | |||
| Post-work smouldering, cleanup and handback |
Do not mark a control “complete” merely because it is listed. Record who has checked the extraction position, what material was moved out of the fire zone, where the fire watch stands and what the permit issuer authorised. If a critical safeguard is missing, state stop work and assign the correction before the arc is struck.
C. Fume-control decision
| Question | Evidence or decision |
|---|---|
| Can welding be avoided, reduced or done in a safer location/process? | |
| What metal, coating and process generate the fume? | |
| Indoor LEV type, capture point and current examination/test record | |
| Is visible fume escaping the capture zone or are other workers exposed? | |
| Is additional suitable RPE needed and how was it selected? | |
| For outdoor work, what RPE and separation protect welder and others? | |
| Who checks controls during the task and what stops work? |
HSE advises LEV for indoor welding when welding cannot be avoided. If LEV alone does not adequately control exposure, suitable RPE is needed; outdoors, LEV will not capture the plume in the same way, so RPE and protection of others are important. HSE's fume-control guidance gives details on RPE types by task duration, but selection must follow the actual assessment. Tight-fitting RPE requires a fit test and compatible facial hair/fit arrangements. LEV equipment needs maintenance and statutory thorough examination/testing where applicable; HSE says at least every 14 months for LEV.
D. Fire, electrical and emergency plan
| Decision | Specific answer |
|---|---|
| Combustibles, hidden voids and opposite side of work checked | |
| Fire protection, extinguisher type and person competent to use it | |
| Permit issuer, permitted area/time and permit closeout | |
| Fire watch during/after work as required by assessment/permit | |
| Gas isolation, cylinder storage and leak response | |
| Equipment isolation, emergency stop and shock response | |
| Alarm, evacuation, first aid and site contact |
Avoid asserting a fixed universal fire-watch period. The period and checking method follow the site permit, fire assessment, construction phase arrangements and any insurer/client rules. Welding near combustible linings or inside an occupied building can need controls beyond an outdoor fabrication area. HSE says that where hot work cannot occur in a safe area or combustibles cannot be removed, a fire watch should be maintained during and after the work.
E. Review and briefing
Record names and roles of everyone briefed and how nearby workers are shielded or excluded. Reassess if the metal or coating, process, location, duration, extraction, permit boundary, other trade, weather or fire condition changes; after a defect or near miss; and before restarting after a stop. Capture the new decision and approver, not just a changed date.
Three issues a generic welding form often misses
Fume is not controlled by a welding mask. A visor protects eyes and face from arc and spatter but is not fume extraction. Choose source capture and RPE based on the actual task. HSE's mild-steel welding-fume alert tightened enforcement expectations because of the cancer evidence. Do not describe mild-steel fume as harmless.
The back of the work can be the fire source. Heat and sparks may pass through or around a partition to unseen combustibles. Inspect adjacent spaces, floors and hidden voids and assign who checks them during and after the work. A hot-work permit is a control only if the listed precautions are in place and the permit is issued, monitored and closed properly.
A space can become oxygen-deficient. Argon and other shielding gases can displace air, including in pits and enclosed areas that do not look like a tank. If the location is a confined space or may become one, apply the separate confined-space assessment, atmospheric controls and rescue plan. HSE warns not to rely on emergency services alone for planned rescue and never to use oxygen to “sweeten” the air.
Example: repair welding in an occupied workshop
A maintenance team needs to weld a bracket onto a machine frame. The area has cardboard packaging and a nearby vehicle bay. The assessor identifies the base metal and coating, moves combustible stock, closes the vehicle lane and sets screens so bystanders cannot see the arc. A tested LEV unit is positioned to capture fume without pulling the plume through the welder's breathing zone. The hot-work permit names the watcher and post-work check. Electrical leads and return connection are inspected; the welder has a clear stop and alarm route. When the job expands to a coated section that was not in the original scope, the team stops to assess the coating and revise the controls.
The example does not prescribe a universal RPE type or fire-watch interval. Those need the task's assessment, product information and site procedure.
Where Complys fits
Keep the reviewed assessment, linked COSHH and permit records, action owner, revision and briefing evidence together. The risk assessment software page describes general records; the RAMS page describes construction documents. Neither should be presented as automatically measuring fume, verifying LEV, issuing permits, selecting RPE or certifying confined-space rescue. Verify any feature, pricing or CTA against the current implementation before integration.
Next step: identify the process/material/location, complete the hazard and fume-control sections, secure any site permit and competent review, then brief workers and verify safeguards before welding starts.
Source, claim and writer-side QA register — checked 5 October 2026
| Material claim | Primary source | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Welding requires a fume risk assessment and controls matched to exposure | HSE welding controls | Actual process and exposure determine adequate control. |
| Indoor LEV, residual-fume RPE and outdoor RPE considerations | HSE protect workers | Do not make a blanket respirator prescription. |
| Fire, electric-shock and confined-space hazards require separate planning | HSE other welding risks | Site hot-work permit and specialist confined-space system may be needed. |
| LEV must be maintained and thoroughly examined/tested at specified interval | HSE control-measure maintenance | Confirm device type and actual records. |
| Gas displacement/rescue must be addressed in confined spaces | HSE asphyxiation hazards | Generic welding template never authorises entry. |
Cannibalisation: no exact Complys welding risk-assessment template owner observed in current web check. A hot-work permit, general risk page and steel-erection RAMS have distinct tasks. Confirm repository/unpublished content and proposed route. Product truth: no automatic fume/permit/certification claim. Jurisdiction: GB. Links/CTA: observed .co.uk risk-assessment and RAMS pages, subject to canonical and implementation checks. Writer-side QA: direct answer, practical form, fume/fire/electricity/confined-space boundaries, example and primary-source register. Independent whole-page and competent welding safety review remain outstanding.