Commercial LED Lighting Retrofit SWMS

Suits licensed electrical contractors and their crews who replace light fittings and retrofit LED lighting in offices, shops, warehouses and other commercial buildings. It follows the job from planning and isolation through removing old fittings, fixing and wiring new ones, testing and energising to waste disposal and handover. Elevating work platform operation and entering the ceiling space are covered by separate SWMS.

A SWMS is legally required when the work is high risk construction work, such as a fall of more than 2 metres or work on or near energised electrical installations (WHS Regulation sections 291 and 299), which are the two items ticked on the form, and energised electrical work needs its own electrical SWMS under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026; for smaller jobs this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. You can also tick asbestos disturbance, powered mobile plant, or the contaminated atmosphere item when drilling concrete or masonry creates silica dust, because the approved Queensland silica code treats construction work with a risk of silica exposure as work in an area that may have a contaminated atmosphere (s 291(l)).

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 Commercial LED Lighting Retrofit SWMS?

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

• Circuits still live after isolation
• Missed supplies such as solar, batteries and UPS
• Falls from ladders, platforms and elevating work platforms
• Falling through ceiling lining
• Lamps, diffusers and fittings dropping on people below
• Asbestos in older ceilings and fittings
• Hot lamps, broken tubes and old ballasts
• Heavy high-bay fittings
• Silica dust from drilling concrete
• Forklifts and plant near the work area
• Dark exits and disabled emergency lighting
• Faulty connections causing shock or fire later
• Unlicensed people doing electrical work
• Lamp and control gear waste

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
• Is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services

Licences, Training and Competency

• Electrical work licence that authorises the work: an electrical mechanic licence authorises all electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 ss 144 and 146), and the business holds an electrical contractor licence (Electrical Safety Act 2002 ss 55 and 56)
• A plain lamp swap is not electrical work where a person without electrical expertise can do it safely (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 18(2)(c): the Act’s example is replacing a light bulb in a light fitting); connecting or disconnecting supply wiring, and removing, replacing, altering or bypassing a luminaire, ballast or driver, is electrical work unless s 18(2) excludes it (s 18(1))
• Apprentices and other training persons are supervised at all times by a licensed electrical worker licensed for the work and, in their first 6 months, are kept away from live high voltage exposed parts and from live low voltage exposed parts they could touch (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 307)
• Competence in rescue and resuscitation for every worker who does, or helps with, electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 211)
• Helpers without a licence do only what the Act allows, such as locating or mounting equipment without making connections, or assisting under direct supervision without touching energised equipment (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 18(2))
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and the building’s site induction
• High risk work licence for the boom-type elevating work platform class where the boom length is 11 m or more; training and verified competency on the model for scissor lifts and shorter booms
• High risk work licence for the scaffolding class that matches the scaffold for anyone erecting, altering or dismantling a scaffold from which a person or object could fall more than 4 m
• Training in the safe use of ladders, step platforms and trestle platforms
• Asbestos awareness training (identification and safe handling) for workers who may disturb ceilings, insulation or old fittings
• Crystalline silica training (VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) where the dust assessment finds drilling concrete or masonry high risk

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): electrical work and licensing (ss 18, 55 and 56)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): licences (ss 144 and 146), energised work and isolation (ss 195 to 204), testing and certificates (ss 207 and 208), rescue training (s 211), training persons (s 307)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (mobile scaffold)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace 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 Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice 2021
• Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld): evacuation routes and fire safety installations (ss 7 and 54)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Elevating work platforms (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 (21 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.