Air Conditioner Servicing and Coil Cleaning SWMS

Suits air conditioning technicians, maintenance contractors and facility teams who service existing split, ducted and rooftop units. It covers planning, electrical isolation, ladder and roof access, filters, coil cleaning with chemicals, drip trays and drains, fans and refrigerant-side items, and restoring the unit. New installations and ceiling-space entry need their own SWMS.

Routine servicing and cleaning of an existing air conditioner is generally minor maintenance, which is not construction work, so the high risk construction work list in the WHS Regulation (section 291) does not apply, no item is pre-ticked and section 299 does not require a SWMS for it (section 289(3)(d)); the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If a job is construction work, tick the items that apply on the form, for example the fall item for roof access, the refrigerant lines item when refrigerant lines are worked on, and the energised services item when live electrical work is done.

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

What Is Covered In Our Air Conditioner Servicing and Coil Cleaning SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and check the building and the unit” to “Restore, test run and clean up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Electric shock when opening the unit
• Fans or compressors starting during cleaning
• Falls from ladders and roofs
• Falling through fragile roofing
• Chemical splashes and mixing cleaners
• Dust, mould and bacteria from filters and drip trays
• Cuts from sharp coil fins
• Pressurised spray and run-off
• Burns and refrigerant releases
• Flammable refrigerants igniting
• Asbestos in roofs and plant rooms
• Strains, heat and noise

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Electrical work licence (licensed electrical worker) for any work on wiring, controls or electrical parts, live testing or reconnection; fixed-wired air conditioners are electrical work under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (s 118 examples)
• Any licence or authorisation the law requires for opening a refrigerant circuit or adding or removing refrigerant (not set out in this template); sight it before work starts
• Gas work licence for anyone who installs flammable hydrocarbon gas in a unit that uses it as a refrigerant (Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 s 135); that work is outside this SWMS
• Training in ladder use, roof work, the fall protection equipment used and the rescue plan
• Training in the safe use of the coil cleaners and sanitisers, and in reading the SDS
• Asbestos awareness: recognise suspect material, stop work and report it
• General construction induction training card (white card) where the work is construction work or the site requires it, and site induction
• An adequate number of workers trained in first aid (WHS Regulation s 42)

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
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos 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
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): electrical work, isolation and energised work (ss 118, 193 to 199), overhead line exclusion zones (schedule 2)
• Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 (Qld): flammable hydrocarbon gas used as a refrigerant (ss 134 to 136)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld): carrying out plumbing or drainage work needs a licence (s 56, subject to s 58)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: chemical-resistant gloves rated for the cleaner in use (SDS); splash-proof goggles or a face shield when spraying or rinsing
• Emergency arrangements for: electric shock, chemical splash in the eyes or on skin and fall from a roof or ladder
• 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.