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Welding & Hot Work JSA (NZ)

Fume is the exposure that shortens careers; fire is the one that makes the news. This analysis covers both, and it is written to run alongside the hot work permit rather than duplicate it.

⚖️HSWA + GRWM Regs 5–7
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
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Welding JSAs almost always lead with fire and burns, and those are real. But the exposure that accumulates is fume — and what is in the fume depends far more on what the metal is coated with than on the process. Galvanised steel produces zinc oxide. Stainless produces hexavalent chromium. Painted, primed or plated stock adds whatever the coating contains. This analysis makes the substrate and coating a required field before the process is even selected.

Fume controlled by "weld in a ventilated area"

General ventilation dilutes; it does not capture. Local exhaust at the arc is the control that removes fume before it reaches the breathing zone.

Coated metal welded without checking the coating

Galvanising, plating and paint change the fume composition completely. Removing the coating back from the weld zone is often the simplest effective control.

Fire watch ends when the welding does

The ignition that starts a fire usually smoulders. The post-work monitoring period is where the hot work permit and this JSA connect.

Who this is for

Welders and fabricators
Workshop and site welding across MIG, TIG, MMA and oxy processes.
Structural steel erectors
Site welding at height with fire risk below.
Maintenance and plant repair
Hot work in occupied buildings and around process equipment.
Roofers and plumbers doing hot work
Brazing, soldering and torch-on membrane are hot work even when nobody calls it welding.

The hot work permit is a separate control document and is required in addition where the work is outside a designated hot work area. Hot work in a confined space needs all three documents.

What's inside the template

Word — 15 pages (pre-populated JSA + substrate check + forms) · Formats: DOCX

  • Section 1 — Task and scopeProcess, position, location, duration, occupancy and whether the work is inside a designated hot work area.
  • Section 2 — Substrate and coating checkBase metal, coating, plating and prior paint — determined before process selection because it drives the fume controls.
  • Section 3 — Permit interfaceWhether a hot work permit is required, its number, and which controls it carries so they are not duplicated here.
  • Section 4 — Pre-populated step analysisSet up, isolate and prepare, coating removal, weld, cool, inspect and clean down — each with hazards and controls drafted.grwm 5
  • Section 5 — Fume controlCoating removal, process substitution, local exhaust at the arc, positioning out of the plume, then respiratory protection last.grwm 6
  • Section 6 — Specific fume hazardsGalvanised, stainless, plated, painted and cadmium-bearing stock — what each produces and why it matters.
  • Section 7 — Health monitoringWhere fume exposure triggers monitoring obligations and who arranges it.grwm 9
  • Section 8 — Radiation and burnsArc eye, skin exposure, screening for others nearby, and hot metal handling.
  • Section 9 — Fire and ignitionCombustibles, concealed spaces, the other side of the wall, and fire watch responsibilities linked to the permit.
  • Section 10 — Gas cylinders and equipmentStorage, securing, flashback arrestors, leak testing, hose condition and transport.hs 3 1
  • Section 11 — Electrical safetyReturn path, cable condition, damp conditions, and welding on or near live plant.
  • Section 12 — Confined or restricted spacesWhere the work is inside a vessel or restricted volume, and which additional documents apply.
  • Section 13 — Others on siteScreening, exclusion, and coordination with adjacent trades and occupants.hswa 34
  • Section 14 — Pre-start and crew sign-onEquipment condition, changes to surroundings, crew changes.
  • Appendix A — Substrate and fume referenceMetal and coating against fume constituents and required controls.
  • Appendix B — Equipment pre-use checkLeads, hoses, regulators, flashback arrestors, extraction function.
Compliance checklist

HSWA 2015 ss.30, 34, 36 · GRWM Regulations 2016 regs 5–7

A Job Safety Analysis is not a named statutory document in New Zealand — unlike an Australian SWMS, no regulation requires one by that name. Its weight comes from the duties it discharges, and from the fact that main contractors and prequalification schemes treat it as the expected evidence that a high-risk task was thought through before it started.

  1. GRWM reg 5Identify hazards that could give rise to reasonably foreseeable risks to health and safety→ Step-by-step breakdown — hazards identified against each step rather than for the task as a whole
  2. GRWM reg 6Eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable; otherwise minimise by substitution, isolation, engineering, then administrative controls, then PPE→ Control column — every control declares its hierarchy level
  3. GRWM reg 7Ensure control measures are effective and maintained so they remain effective→ Verification and pre-start review sections
  4. HSWA s36Primary duty of care — ensure health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable→ Residual risk assessment and the sign-on record
  5. HSWA s34Consult, cooperate and coordinate with other PCBUs where duties overlap→ Interfacing trades section — who else is affected by this task and how it is coordinated

How this template compares

The most common alternative in New Zealand is an Australian SWMS with the branding changed. It is worth being precise about why that is a problem.

FeatureBlank JSA formAU SWMS relabelledOH Consultant JSA (NZ)
Cost$0NZD 25–60NZD 99
Legislative anchorNone statedAU WHS Regulation — no NZ equivalentHSWA 2015 + GRWM Regs 2016
Task steps pre-draftedNo — you write themAustralian work sequencesNZ work sequence, editable
Hazards pre-populatedNoSometimesYes — per step
Hierarchy of control level per controlNoRarelyRequired field
Interfacing trades / overlapping dutiesNoNo — different provisionSection on s34 coordination
Pre-start and sign-on recordSignature lineSignature lineSign-on plus pre-start change check
Correct document name for NZYesNo — SWMS is not an NZ instrumentYes — JSA / Task Analysis

Reviewed by OH Professionals

Written and reviewed by the occupational health and safety team at OH Consultant. These are drafted as New Zealand Job Safety Analyses, not as Australian SWMS with the terminology swapped. That distinction is substantive: a SWMS is an instrument created by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content and a statutory trigger. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, so a document presented as a "NZ SWMS" is citing a requirement that does not exist here.

Legislation referenced

Frequently asked

Do I need the hot work permit as well as this JSA?+
Where the work is outside a designated hot work area — on site, in an occupied building, or anywhere the surroundings have not already been assessed and set up — yes. The permit controls the fire risk in the surroundings and the post-work monitoring period. This JSA controls the work itself, including fume, which the permit does not address.
Why does the coating matter more than the process?+
Because it determines what you are breathing. Welding galvanised steel produces zinc oxide fume. Stainless produces hexavalent chromium. Plated, primed and painted stock adds whatever is in the coating, sometimes including cadmium on older material. The process affects the rate; the coating affects the toxicity. Section 2 makes it a required field for that reason.
Is general ventilation sufficient for fume?+
Rarely. General ventilation dilutes fume in the room; it does not stop it reaching the welder's breathing zone, which is directly above the arc. Local exhaust positioned at the arc is the control that actually removes it, and Section 5 places it ahead of respiratory protection accordingly.
What about brazing and soldering — is that hot work?+
Yes. Anything producing flame, spark or enough heat to ignite adjacent material is hot work, which includes brazing, soldering, torch-on membrane and abrasive cutting. Plumbers and roofers doing this work are frequently caught out by permit requirements they did not think applied to them.
Is a JSA the same as a SWMS?+
In substance they do the same job — break a task into steps and assign hazards and controls to each. In law they are not the same. A SWMS is an Australian instrument required by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, which is why the NZ convention is Job Safety Analysis or Task Analysis. If a supplier is selling you a "New Zealand SWMS", they are selling you an Australian document.
Is a JSA legally required in New Zealand?+
Not by name. What is required is that you identify hazards under GRWM Regulation 5, apply controls in the hierarchy order under Regulation 6, and keep them effective under Regulation 7. A JSA is how those duties are discharged at task level, and main contractors and prequalification schemes ask for it as a matter of course.
How does this relate to my SSSP?+
The SSSP is the project-level plan covering how health and safety is managed across the whole site. Job Safety Analyses sit underneath it — one per higher-risk task. On a typical job you have one SSSP and several JSAs, and the SSSP indexes them.
Who should complete and sign it?+
Someone competent in the work, with the crew who will actually do the task involved in developing it rather than handed a finished document. The sign-on section records that involvement, which is the part that distinguishes a JSA that was used from one that was filed.
How often does it need reviewing?+
Before each use, at minimum as a pre-start check for anything that has changed — different site conditions, different plant, different crew, weather. The pre-start section exists for that. A full review is warranted after any incident involving the task, or when the method or equipment changes.
Can I edit it for my business?+
Yes — it ships as an editable .docx with a single-buyer licence covering use across your own business and its projects. It is a starting point that reflects standard practice for the task, not a substitute for assessing the specific job in front of you. It is not licensed for resale or redistribution as your own template product.