Intruder Alarm Installation SWMS

Suits security and alarm installers fitting intruder alarms, sensors, keypads and sirens in homes, shops, offices and industrial sites. It follows the job from survey and access set-up through cabling, drilling, device mounting, control panel and battery installation, commissioning and handover. Mains wiring and ceiling-space entry are covered by separate SWMS.

A SWMS is legally required when the work is high risk construction work, such as work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 m (WHS Regulation ss 291 and 299). Intruder alarm installation is not high risk by itself, so no box is pre-ticked: tick the falls box if a person could fall more than 2 metres, asbestos if it could be disturbed, energised electrical installations if the work is near them, the contaminated atmosphere box if drilling masonry creates silica dust, and any other item that applies. Otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment.

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 Intruder Alarm Installation 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 and step platforms
• Dropped tools and devices striking people below
• Contact with energised mains cables
• Falling through ceilings and heat in ceiling spaces
• Drilling into hidden cables, pipes and asbestos
• Silica dust from drilling masonry
• Noise from drilling and sirens
• Battery short circuits and acid
• Cuts from cable stripping
• Overhead power lines near eaves and poles
• Awkward postures when pulling cable

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

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction
• Licensed electrical worker for any mains wiring or hard-wired mains connection (Electrical Safety Act 2002 ss 18 and 55); this is outside the SWMS (use the Electrical Installation SWMS)
• Security or alarm technician competency in the system installed
• Training in ladder and step platform use, and in working near overhead power lines
• Asbestos awareness training for older buildings (WHS Regulation s 445 requires training for workers who may be involved in asbestos removal or asbestos-related work)
• Crystalline silica training where the assessment finds drilling high risk (WHS Regulation s 529CD)
• First aid equipment and facilities, and trained first aiders as the work and site need (WHS Regulation s 42)

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): ss 306A to 306N (falls, ladders and trestle platforms in construction work)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 56 and 57 (noise), s 445 (asbestos training) and ss 529A to 529CD (crystalline silica)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• 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
• 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): ss 14, 18 and 55 (meaning of electrical equipment, electrical work and licence requirement)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): s 10 and sch 2 (overhead power line exclusion zones)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 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.