Roof Plumbing and Guttering SWMS

Suits roof plumbers, plumbers, roofers and builders who install or replace gutters, downpipes, flashings and roof drainage on houses and other buildings. It follows the job from planning the fall protection and checking old roofing for asbestos to working from ladders, platforms and the roof, removing and fitting gutters, connecting to stormwater and packing up. Metal roof sheeting, internal plumbing and below-ground drainage each need a separate SWMS.

A SWMS is required under WHS Regulation s 299 when the work is construction work (testing, maintenance or repair of a minor nature is excluded, s 289) and a person could fall more than 2 metres (s 291), so that is the item ticked; below that height this document works as a written safe work procedure; you can also tick energised electrical installations if power lines are near the eaves, and the contaminated atmosphere item if drilling masonry creates silica dust, as the Queensland silica code advises.

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 Roof Plumbing and Guttering SWMS?

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

• Falls from ladders at the eaves
• Falls from the roof edge and through fragile roofing
• Slipping on wet, mossy or steep tile and metal roofs
• Contact with overhead power lines and service lines
• Falling gutters, tools and offcuts striking people below
• Disturbing asbestos in old gutters, eaves and flashings
• Lead-based paint on old fascias and gutters
• Cuts from sharp gutter and flashing edges
• Strains from lifting long gutter lengths
• Fumes and skin contact from sealants, primer and solvent cement
• Dust from drilling masonry, noise and sparks
• Stings, nests and droppings in gutters
• Heat, sun and wind on the roof

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 a risk of a person falling more than 2m

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Site induction, including roof access and rescue rules
• Licence for the work: gutters, downpipes and flashings are not plumbing or drainage work under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (its definitions cover water supply, sanitary plumbing and sewage, and s 80 names roof gutters and downpipes only as a stormwater installation), so no plumbers licence is needed for them; tank connections and sewer drainage go to a licensed plumber or drainer (ss 12, 13 and 56), and trainees work under a licensee’s direct supervision (s 58)
• QBCC contractor licence for roofing, gutter and flashing work valued over $3,300 including labour, materials and GST (Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 s 42; Regulation 2018 sch 1 item 2): the Metal fascias and gutters class (sch 2 pt 42) or the Roof and wall cladding class (pt 43, which includes rainwater goods and flashings) covers it, and the Plumbing and drainage class (pt 18) lists both; work of $3,300 or less is not building work
• Training in the fall protection used (edge protection, travel restraint or fall arrest), in the rescue plan, and in how to inspect, set up and use ladders, for everyone who uses them
• Competent person to install travel restraint systems and inspect restraint and fall arrest systems at least every 6 months; engineer or competent person to approve anchors
• High risk work licence for the scaffolding class that matches the scaffold (basic, intermediate or advanced) for anyone erecting, altering or dismantling a scaffold from which a person or object could fall more than 4 m
• High risk work licence for the boom-type elevating work platform class where the boom length is 11 m or more (no licence class applies to scissor lifts)
• Workers trained to recognise asbestos and its controls, and a competent person to identify or assume asbestos in old gutters, eaves and roofing
• Licensed electrician to isolate, or confirm the isolation of, cables, lights or solar wiring on the fascia, eaves or roof that the work could touch
• Crystalline silica training (VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) where the dust assessment finds drilling masonry high risk
• Trained first aider on site

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (where scaffold is used at the eaves)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (existing gutters, eaves and roofs)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld): licence for plumbing or drainage work (s 56); roof gutters and downpipes are a ‘stormwater installation’ that an owner must not allow to be connected to an on-site sewage facility or sanitary drain (s 80)
• Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones in schedule 2
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)
• AS/NZS 4994.2 Temporary edge protection – Roof edge protection – Installation and dismantling (named in the Falls Code)
• AS/NZS 1892.5 Portable ladders – Selection, safe use and care (named in the Falls Code)
• WorkSafe Queensland guidance: Managing the risk of falls while working on roofs in housing construction (guidance, not a code)
• Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld) s 42 and Queensland Building and Construction Commission Regulation 2018 (Qld) sch 1 item 2 and sch 2 pts 18, 42 and 43: QBCC licences for roofing and gutter work
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls in housing construction (guidance)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (19 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.