Asbestos Removal SWMS

For licensed class B and class A asbestos removalists who take down fibro and other asbestos cement sheeting from walls, eaves, fences and roofs. It follows the job in order, from the licence class, control plan and regulator notice through wet removal, roof work, waste, decontamination and the clearance inspection. Friable asbestos removal is outside it and needs a class A licence and a separate SWMS.

Asbestos removal is high risk construction work because it involves disturbing asbestos (WHS Regulation s 291), so that item is ticked and a SWMS is required before work starts (s 299); this SWMS does not replace the asbestos removal control plan or the regulator notice a licensed removalist must also prepare, and you can also tick falls over 2 metres for roof and eave work, energised electrical installations and powered mobile plant where they apply.

New to SWMS? Read What is a safe work method statement?

What is covered in our asbestos removal SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job: licence class, control plan and notices” to “Clearance inspection, handover and records”. The hazards and controls include:

• Asbestos fibres released by breaking, cutting or power tools
• Friable or unidentified material found behind sheets
• Contact with live wiring and overhead power lines
• Falls from roofs and through brittle asbestos cement sheeting
• Slips on wet sheets, PVA and lichen
• People and neighbours entering the removal area
• Respirators that leak, fit badly or fail
• Heat illness in sealed coveralls and respirators
• Fibres carried out on clothing, footwear and equipment
• Torn waste bags and unlabelled waste
• Dust stirred up by dry sweeping or compressed air
• Strains and cuts from handling sheets and waste
• Reoccupying before a clearance certificate

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

• Asbestos removal licence held by the removalist: class B or class A for more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos or asbestos-containing material, or its dust or debris (WHS Regulation ss 485 to 487); friable asbestos needs class A and is outside this SWMS. Up to 10 square metres needs no licence but must be done by a competent person trained under section 445 (section 458)
• Each worker on licensed removal: certification in the specified VET course for the class of work, and training in this job’s control plan, kept on record for 5 years after the worker stops (ss 460, 461). Class B supervisor, where more than one person works: at least 18, VET certified for class A or class B work, at least 1 year of industry experience, readily available whenever work is under way (ss 459, 529)
• Health monitoring arranged before licensed removal starts, with the health risks explained to each worker before they are engaged (ss 435, 462)
• Competent person to identify the asbestos or assume it is present, and to select respirators; samples go only to a NATA-accredited laboratory for the test method or another laboratory the Regulation allows (ss 422, 423, 479)
• Independent competent person (not involved in the removal) for the clearance inspection and certificate: knowledge and skills in asbestos removal industry practice plus VET certification for asbestos assessor work or class A or B removal, or a tertiary qualification in occupational health and safety, hygiene, science, building, construction or environmental health (ss 473, 474)
• General construction induction training card (white card) and site induction; licensed electrician to isolate electrical wiring and fittings in the work area
• High risk work licence for the class of any scaffold (fall of a person or object more than 4 m) or boom-type elevating work platform (boom 11 m or more) used for access
• Training for every worker in fitting, using, cleaning and storing the respirator and PPE; 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)
• 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
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021 (only if a ceiling space or roof void turns out to be a confined space)
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (where scaffold is used for access)
• 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 (ss 18 and 55)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): construction site electrical equipment (s 140) and overhead power line exclusion zones
• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld): transport and disposal of asbestos waste (named in WHS Regulation s 419(3)(e))
• AS/NZS 1716 Respiratory protective devices and AS/NZS 1715 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment (as named in the removal code)
• AS/NZS 60335.2.69:2017 Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Particular requirements for wet and dry vacuum cleaners, including power brush, for industrial and commercial use (for H class vacuum cleaners, as named in the approved removal and silica codes)
• AS 1319 Safety signs for the occupational environment (as named in the removal code)
• AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites (named in Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 140)

What you get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (20 pages), laid out on 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: disposable coveralls with hood and cuffs, single use, one size too big, rated type 5 category 3 or equivalent, with no external pockets or hook-and-loop fasteners; legs worn over the footwear and the hood over the respirator straps
• Emergency arrangements for: sheet crumbles or dust is released, friable or unidentified suspect material found and fall through brittle roof sheeting
• 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.

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