Electrical Installation SWMS

Suits electrical contractors and licensed electricians who install and maintain wiring, switchboards and fittings in houses, commercial fit-outs and light industrial buildings. It follows the job from planning and drilling through conduit, cabling, safe isolation, termination, testing and first energising to certificates and handover. Live work, domestic switchboard upgrades and work near overhead power lines are covered by separate SWMS.

A SWMS is legally required when the work is high risk construction work, such as work on or near energised electrical installations or services (WHS Regulation sections 291 and 299), and energised electrical work needs its own electrical SWMS under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026; otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. 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, you can also tick that item (WHS Regulation s 291(l)) when drilling or chasing concrete, brick or block creates silica dust.

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 Electrical 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:

• Circuits that are still live after isolation
• Missed sources of supply such as solar, batteries and generators
• Asbestos in older boards, linings and ceilings
• Drilling into hidden cables, pipes and reinforcement
• Silica dust from drilling and chasing masonry
• Falls from ladders and trestles and through ceilings
• Heat, insulation fibres and stings in roof and under-floor spaces
• Strains from handling cable drums, trays and switchboards
• Wrong or loose connections causing fire or shock later
• Energising an installation with an undetected fault
• Missing test results, certificates and notices
• Electric shock, arc flash and electrical fire

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:

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

Licences, Training and Competency

• Electrical work licence that authorises the work (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); an electrical mechanic licence authorises all electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 ss 144 and 146); the business holds an electrical contractor licence (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 56)
• Apprentices and other training persons, supervised at all times by a licensed electrical worker licensed for the work (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)
• Competent person, trained or experienced for the task, to test whether equipment is energised and to carry out and read the installation tests
• Training in the isolation and lock-out procedure in use, and in the test instruments and PPE for the job
• Unlicensed helpers, limited to the tasks that are not electrical work under Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 18(2) (see the planning step)
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Site induction
• Asbestos training (WHS Regulation s 445) for workers who may be involved in asbestos-related work
• Crystalline silica training (VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) where the dust assessment finds drilling or chasing high risk (WHS Regulation s 529CD)

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 78, 79 and 306C to 306O (falls, ladders and trestle platforms in construction work)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 419, 422, 445 and 446 (asbestos) and ss 529A to 529CD (crystalline silica)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 191, 192 and 140 (wiring rules, AS/NZS 3012), ss 17 and 18 (unsafe equipment, flexible cables) and s 30 (safety switches in domestic residences)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 195 to 204 (energised work, lock-out), ss 31 to 36 (work in roof spaces), s 211 (rescue and resuscitation training) and s 307 (training persons)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 207, 208, 210, 217 to 219, 223, 228, 229, 233 and 234 (testing, serious defects, connection, certificates and notices)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 292 and 296 (serious electrical incidents and dangerous electrical events)
• 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
• 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
• AS/NZS 3000 (Electrical installations, known as the Wiring Rules) and AS/NZS 3012 (Construction and demolition sites), as named in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026
• AS/NZS 3017 (Verification by inspection and testing), as named in the Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021

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.