Welding Risk Assessment: A UK Guide and Template

A practical guide for UK site managers, contractors and small builders.

Welding looks routine, but it brings together some of the most serious hazards on any site in one task: a fume now recognised as a carcinogen, intense radiation, fire, high voltage and burning hot metal. A welding risk assessment is how you identify those hazards, put the right controls in place and prove you have done it. This guide explains the hazards, the controls for each, the legal duties behind them, and a template section you can copy and use on your own job.

What a welding risk assessment is

A welding risk assessment is a task specific assessment of the hazards created by welding, cutting and allied processes, and of the controls needed to keep welders and everyone nearby safe. It covers the fume, the arc, the fire risk, the electrical supply, noise, hot metal and the environment the work is carried out in, such as a confined space or an area with combustibles close by. The output is a written record of the hazards, who is at risk, the existing controls, and any additional controls needed before work starts.

The hazards of welding

Work through each of these for the actual process, material and location. The right controls depend on all three.

• Welding fume. The fine particles given off by welding are hazardous to health. Since February 2019 the HSE position, following the reclassification of welding fume by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, is that all welding fume, including mild steel welding fume, can cause cancer. Short term overexposure can also cause metal fume fever, a flu like reaction, and long term exposure is linked to lung and other respiratory disease.
• Radiation and arc eye. The welding arc emits intense ultraviolet and infrared radiation. This can cause arc eye, a painful inflammation of the surface of the eye, and burns to exposed skin. People working nearby are at risk too if the arc is not screened.
• Fire and hot work. Welding produces sparks, hot slag and heat that can ignite combustible materials, sometimes at a distance or after the work has finished.
• Electric shock. Arc welding uses electrical current, and damaged cables, poor connections or damp conditions raise the risk of shock, which can be fatal.
• Noise. Welding, grinding and associated cutting can generate high noise levels that damage hearing over time.
• Hot metal and burns. The workpiece, spatter and slag stay dangerously hot long after welding stops and cause burns on contact.
• Compressed gas cylinders. Gas welding and cutting and shielding gas supplies involve pressurised cylinders that can leak, be knocked over, or in a fire become a serious hazard.
• Confined spaces. Welding in a tank, duct or other confined space can allow fume, shielding gas and heat to build up and displace oxygen, and creates a fire and explosion risk.
• Manual handling. Moving heavy fabrications, cylinders and equipment brings the usual musculoskeletal risks.

The controls for each hazard

The law requires you to work down the hierarchy of control, removing or reducing risk at source before relying on protective equipment.

• Fume control. Use engineering controls first. For indoor welding provide local exhaust ventilation, known as LEV, to capture fume at source, and check it is used correctly and maintained. Where local exhaust ventilation does not control exposure to an adequate level, and for all outdoor welding, provide respiratory protective equipment as well. Select the respiratory protective equipment for the fume level and confirm it has an assigned protection factor high enough for the exposure, with face fit testing for tight fitting masks.
• Radiation. Fit a welding helmet or shield with the correct shade filter for the process and current, and set up welding screens or curtains to protect people working nearby from the arc.
• Fire. Operate a hot work permit, clear the area of combustibles or protect them with fire blankets, keep suitable extinguishers to hand, and set a fire watch during the work and for a period after it finishes.
• Electrical. Inspect cables, connections and the return path, keep equipment dry, and have electrical equipment checked by a competent person.
• Noise. Provide hearing protection where noise levels require it and reduce noise at source where you can.
• Burns. Provide flame resistant clothing, gauntlets and appropriate footwear, and control access to hot workpieces.
• Gas cylinders. Secure cylinders upright, use the correct regulators and flashback arrestors, check for leaks and store and handle them safely.
• Confined spaces. Where welding takes place in a confined space, apply a separate confined space assessment and safe system of work, including ventilation, atmosphere monitoring, rescue arrangements and, where needed, a permit to work.

The legal duties

Several sets of rules apply to welding at the same time.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, known as COSHH, cover welding fume. You must assess the exposure, prevent or adequately control it, and maintain the controls. Following the 2019 reclassification, HSE expects suitable engineering controls, meaning local exhaust ventilation, for all indoor welding, with respiratory protective equipment where needed and for outdoor welding, because there is no known level of safe exposure to a carcinogen.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees and others affected by the work. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require you to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, which for welding means the assessment described in this guide, and to appoint competent people to help you meet your duties.

Because welding is hot work, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is relevant. It requires the responsible person to assess and manage fire risk, which on site is typically delivered through a hot work permit and fire watch. Where welding involves confined spaces, the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 also apply, and gas cylinders and electrical work bring further specific duties.

How to complete a welding risk assessment, step by step

1. Define the work. Record the welding process, the material, the location, who will carry it out and their competence.
2. Identify the hazards. List the hazards for that specific job: fume, arc radiation, fire, electric shock, noise, hot metal, gas cylinders, confined space and manual handling as relevant.
3. Decide who could be harmed. Include the welder, other operatives, and anyone passing or working nearby who could be exposed to fume, arc or fire.
4. Set the controls. Record existing controls and the additional controls needed, working down the hierarchy from engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation to respiratory protective equipment and other PPE last.
5. Deal with the fire risk separately. Confirm a hot work permit is in place, the area is cleared, and a fire watch is arranged for during and after the work.
6. Record, brief and issue. Write it down, brief the welder and anyone affected, and make sure the controls are in place before work starts.
7. Review it. Revisit the assessment if the process, material or location changes, or if monitoring shows the controls are not working as intended.

Welding risk assessment template

Use the structure below as a starting point. Copy it into your own form and complete each row for the actual welding job. The example rows show the level of detail to aim for. Delete them and replace with your own.

Related guides

• Risk assessment for construction: the basics, for the underlying five step method.
• How to write a risk assessment, a plain-English walkthrough.
• What is a COSHH assessment, the assessment that covers welding fume.
• Young person risk assessment, for under-18 workers on site.
• RAMS template, to sit your assessment inside a full method statement.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general guidance for UK construction and is not legal advice. For requirements specific to your work, check current HSE guidance and your own obligations under COSHH, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.