Asbestos Enclosure Set-Up and Negative Air SWMS

For licensed asbestos removalists whose crews build and run the enclosure for friable and larger non-friable asbestos removal. It follows the job in order, from planning and sealing the area to the smoke test, daily checks and the dismantling that follows clearance, and uses the WHS Regulation chapter 8 sections and the removal code of practice.

Building, running and dismantling an asbestos removal enclosure is construction work that involves disturbing asbestos, so item 3 is ticked. Tick the confined space item (item 5) if the enclosure or work space is a confined space, and the fall item (item 0) if a person could fall more than 2 metres. The removal itself, and the air monitoring and clearance inspection, have their own SWMS.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Asbestos Enclosure Set-Up and Negative Air SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the enclosure job with the removal team” to “Respond to a breach, failure or exposure”. The hazards and controls include:

• Fibre release while sealing walls, ducts and openings
• Enclosure leaks found late or not found
• Negative air unit failure and power loss
• Falls while erecting frames, scaffold and sheeting
• Electric shock from isolation, lighting and water in the decontamination unit
• Fibres carried out through airlocks and on PPE
• Heat stress inside sheeted enclosures
• Enclosure dismantled before the air is confirmed clear
• Contaminated sheeting, filters and framing handled as waste
• Workers inside the enclosure with no one outside aware

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Involves, or is likely to involve, the disturbance of asbestos

Licences, Training and Competency

• Building, running and dismantling the enclosure is part of the asbestos removal work (WHS Regulation sch 19: work involving the removal of asbestos; s 477 places the enclosure on the licensed removalist), so it is done only by the licensed asbestos removalist’s workers, each holding the VET certification for the class of work (s 460): a class A asbestos removal licence where friable asbestos or asbestos-contaminated dust or debris is removed from inside it (WHS Regulation ss 485 and 486), and a class A or class B licence where more than 10 m2 of non-friable asbestos is removed (s 487)
• Where up to 10 m2 of non-friable asbestos is removed, a competent person trained under s 445 and no licence (ss 458 and 487), using the same enclosure, airlock and decontamination standard as this SWMS sets
• Nominated supervisor of the licence holder, present at the removal area whenever class A work is carried out, and readily available for class B work done by more than one person (ss 459 and 529)
• Each worker holds certification in the specified VET course for the class of removal, has job-specific training that is recorded and kept while they work and for 5 years afterwards, and has been told the health risks before being engaged (ss 460, 461 and 462)
• Health monitoring for each worker on licensed removal work, starting before the work (ss 435 and 436)
• Independent licensed asbestos assessor, holding an asbestos assessor licence, for the smoke test, air monitoring, clearance inspection and clearance certificate (ss 473, 474, 475 and 489)
• Licensed electrical worker to isolate and reconnect wiring and to connect power for the negative air units (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• High risk work licence for the class of any scaffold (person or object could fall more than 4 m), boom-type elevating work platform of 11 m or more or forklift used
• General construction induction training card (white card) and site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): chapter 8 (asbestos), including ss 458 to 462, 466, 469 to 471, 473 to 477 and 485 to 489
• How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (where scaffold is used)
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (where the enclosure or work space is a confined space)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): electrical work needs a licensed electrical worker (s 55)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): construction site electrical equipment and exclusion zones in schedule 2
• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld): transport and disposal of asbestos waste (named in WHS Regulation s 419(3)(e))
• AS 4260 High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters – Classification, construction and performance (as named in the removal code)
• AS/NZS 1716 Respiratory protective devices and AS/NZS 1715 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment (as named in the removal code)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 11 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: half-face respirator with P1 filters as a minimum while masking up and sheeting is erected or removed (full ‘A’ class PPE is recommended), or a powered air-purifying or supplied air respirator selected by a competent person; fit-tested and fit-checked
• Emergency arrangements for: negative air units stop and breach or leak of the enclosure
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.