Vehicle Wiring and Auto Electrical Fitting SWMS

Suits auto electricians, mechanical workshops, caravan and four-wheel-drive fit-out businesses and fleet technicians. It covers planning and licensing, battery isolation, airbag and restraint circuits, working in cabs, wiring, accessory fitting, testing and finishing. Hybrid and electric vehicles have their own SWMS.

Vehicle wiring is not high risk construction work by itself, so no item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment that you tailor to your workshop. If the work is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Vehicle Wiring and Auto Electrical Fitting SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Battery short circuit, sparks and burns
• Battery gas ignition
• Accidental airbag deployment
• Damaged restraint circuits
• Fire from overloaded or chafed wiring
• Work above extra low voltage by unlicensed people
• Drilling into fuel and brake lines
• Awkward postures under the dash
• Soldering and heat tool burns
• Vehicle moving or falling from stands
• Exhaust fumes in the bay
• Battery acid and solvent contact

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Trade qualification or equivalent experience in auto electrical work, verified by the PCBU
• A licensed electrical worker (electrical work licence) for electrical work on electrical equipment above extra low voltage, such as a mains inlet or a mains-powered refrigeration unit (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); a vehicle’s own extra low voltage wiring is generally not electrical equipment, because s 14(1)(a) and (b) need a voltage greater than extra low voltage, and s 14(2) leaves out vehicle equipment that is part of the propulsion unit or powered from it
• Training in battery isolation, airbag and restraint circuit safety for the vehicles worked on, recorded by the PCBU (WHS Regulation s 39)
• No Schedule 3 high risk work licence class covers vehicle wiring or auto electrical fitting
• Training for the hoist, jacks and stands used (separate SWMS)
• Workers trained in first aid, or access to them (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Workshop induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 36, 39, 42, 44 and 60: hierarchy of controls, training, first aid, personal protective equipment and hazardous manual tasks
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 52 and 53: ignition sources in a hazardous atmosphere and flammable material quantities, ss 56 and 57: noise exposure standard and hearing loss
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 205 to 213: plant, ss 351 and 357: hazardous chemicals and spills
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): s 14 (electrical equipment, including ss 14(1)(c) and 14(2)), s 18 (electrical work) and s 55 (electrical work licence)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.