Cadmium Exposure Work SWMS
Handling, cutting, welding, grinding or heating cadmium-containing materials — galvanised steel welding, cadmium electroplating, nickel-cadmium battery processing, and metal recycling.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Work involving cadmium and cadmium-containing materials — including welding or cutting cadmium-plated steel, electroplating operations, nickel-cadmium battery dismantling, and non-ferrous metal recycling — generates respirable cadmium oxide fume and dust that is classified by IARC as a Group 1 human carcinogen. Under WHS Regulations 2017 Part 7.1, cadmium and its compounds are scheduled hazardous chemicals attracting prescribed exposure standards, mandatory air monitoring under regulation 50, and statutory health monitoring under regulations 368–378. The revised Workplace Exposure Standard taking effect 1 December 2026 reduces the TWA to 0.001 mg/m³ (respirable), making engineering controls and respiratory protection non-negotiable. A SWMS is mandatory because this work falls within High Risk Construction Work Schedule 3 categories for hazardous chemicals and confined/enclosed atmospheres, and PCBUs must document hazard identification, controls, and consultation before work commences. This SWMS provides the documented risk assessment, control hierarchy, and sign-on framework required by regulation 299 and the Code of Practice for Construction Work.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Acute chemical pneumonitis, pulmonary oedema within 4–24 hours, potential fatality; long-term lung and prostate carcinogenesis
Chronic obstructive lung disease, emphysema, irreversible proximal tubule kidney damage and proteinuria from cumulative body burden
Gastrointestinal absorption causing nephrotoxicity, osteomalacia (itai-itai syndrome), and breach of regulation 358 prohibition on eating in contaminated zones
Chemical burns, dermatitis, conjunctival irritation; cyanide co-exposure risks systemic toxicity and asphyxiation in enclosed plating bays
Flash fire, explosion in confined recycling enclosures, plus acute cadmium oxide release exceeding STEL by orders of magnitude
Secondary family exposure, breach of regulation 357 contamination control duties, and prolonged background exposure to non-workers
Failure to detect urinary cadmium >5 µg/g creatinine or β2-microglobulinuria; breach of regulations 368–378 and worker compensation liability
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Specify cadmium-free alternatives at procurement: substitute cadmium-plated fasteners with zinc-nickel coatings and remove cadmium brazing alloys from welding inventories under regulation 35.
- 2Elimination — Prohibit hot work on any unidentified plated steel until XRF analyser screening confirms absence of cadmium coating above detection threshold.
- 3Substitution — Replace cadmium-bearing silver brazing rods with cadmium-free BAg-series alloys (AS 1167.1) and substitute cyanide plating baths with alkaline non-cyanide chemistries where process permits.
- 4Engineering — Install local exhaust ventilation (LEV) achieving 0.5 m/s capture velocity at the fume source, designed and tested per AS/NZS 60079 and AIOH LEV guidance, with HEPA-filtered discharge.
- 5Engineering — Enclose battery dismantling and plating operations in negative-pressure rooms with continuous air monitoring and interlocked shutdown if cadmium exceeds 50% of the 2026 WES.
- 6Administrative — Conduct atmospheric monitoring per AS 2985 at task commencement and quarterly thereafter; retain results 30 years under regulation 50 and provide to workers within 14 days.
- 7Administrative — Implement statutory health monitoring program (urinary cadmium, β2-microglobulin, blood cadmium) by a registered medical practitioner before commencement and biennially per regulations 368–378.
- 8Administrative — Establish decontamination protocol: dedicated change rooms, separate clean/dirty lockers, on-site laundering of workwear, and prohibition on eating, drinking, or smoking in work zones (regulation 358).
- 9PPE — Supply powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) with P3 particulate filters meeting AS/NZS 1716, fit-tested annually per AS/NZS 1715, for all hot work and dust-generating tasks.
- 10PPE — Issue chemical-resistant nitrile gauntlets, coveralls (Type 5/6 per AS/NZS 4501.2), and indirect-vent goggles or full-face shields for plating bath work and battery electrolyte handling.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Triggers duties for risk assessment, register, labelling, air monitoring (r50), health monitoring (r368–378) and induction for all cadmium handling tasks.
Sets the cadmium and compounds TWA at 0.001 mg/m³ respirable; PCBU must ensure no worker exposure exceeds this WES under regulation 49.
Provides the approved methodology for hazard identification, control selection, and SDS-driven risk assessment that satisfies regulation 36 due diligence.
Mandates fit testing, minimum protection factor calculation, and respirator program elements for the PAPR/P3 systems used during cadmium fume generation.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Cadmium oxide fume and respirable cadmium dust are Schedule 10 hazardous chemicals and confirmed human carcinogens, triggering mandatory SWMS preparation under regulation 299 before any task commences.
PCBUs must prepare and consult workers on this SWMS before work starts, retain it for the project duration plus two years (or until notifiable incident records mature), and produce it on inspector request; penalties are substantial and indexed annually, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Welders and boilermakers cutting plated structural steel
- →Electroplaters operating cadmium chemical plating lines
- →Battery recyclers dismantling nickel-cadmium cells
- →Scrap metal yard supervisors processing mixed non-ferrous loads
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
On a metropolitan metal recycling facility's nickel-cadmium battery dismantling line, the shift supervisor opens this SWMS at the 6:45 am pre-start brief with a crew of four operators. Working through the hazards register, she confirms today's task involves manual decanting of ruptured NiCd cells flagged by the previous shift — elevating the inhalation and thermal runaway hazards to the day's critical risks. She references the controls hierarchy on page two: the negative-pressure enclosure is verified operational via the magnehelic gauge reading -25 Pa, LEV capture velocity is checked at the cell-cutting station, and the continuous cadmium monitor baseline reads 0.0004 mg/m³ — below the trigger threshold. Each operator confirms current PAPR fit-test certification and signs the SWMS sign-on register against their named role. Two hours into the task, an operator identifies a swollen cell showing electrolyte weep. Per the SWMS escalation protocol, work stops, the cell is isolated in the bunded quarantine drum, and the supervisor amends the SWMS in the field-change column to mandate Type 5/6 coveralls plus secondary nitrile gauntlets for the recovery step. The amendment is initialled by all four workers before recommencement, satisfying the consultation duty under regulation 47 and creating the audit trail required for the next WorkSafe inspector visit.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Code of Practice — Hazardous Manual Tasks