Lighting Rig and Fixture Installation at Height SWMS

For lighting crews, production companies and venue technicians who hang, focus and strike lighting fixtures on truss and rigs for stages and events. It follows the job in order, from the lighting plot and rig hand-over through ground pre-rigging, access by EWP, tower or ladder, truss climbing, clamping and bonding fixtures, temporary power and focusing, to weather, power lines and strike. Chain hoist and truss rigging, crane lifts and stage deck assembly are covered by separate SWMS.

Installing lighting on a truss rig is usually construction work (alteration or fitting-out of a structure, WHS Regulation s 289), and where a person could fall more than 2 metres a SWMS is legally required (ss 291(a) and 299), so the fall item is ticked. Untick it if the job is not construction work, in which case this works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. Add energised electrical installations if overhead lines are near an outdoor rig.

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 Lighting Rig and Fixture Installation at Height 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 height when climbing truss or working from EWPs and ladders
• Rig not handed over or overloaded by the lighting plot
• Fixtures, clamps and tools dropped on people below
• Clamps slipping and unrated safety bonds
• Person left hanging in a harness after a fall
• Electric shock from temporary power and damaged leads
• Moving heads starting up near the crew
• Burns from hot lamps and fixtures
• Bright beams, strobes and noisy sound checks
• Wind, storms and overhead power lines at outdoor events
• Manual handling of heavy fixtures and road cases
• Fatigue and rushed strikes

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

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, plus venue and site induction
• Training in fall protection, harness use and rescue for everyone who works at height or may carry out a rescue, and training and assessment in truss climbing for anyone who climbs
• Verified competency in hanging, clamping and focusing the fixture types used, and in the haul line, bag and tool lanyard methods for moving them to height
• Boom-type elevating work platform licence (boom length 11 m or more, WHS Regulation Schedule 3 item 21) for anyone operating one; EWP operation has its own SWMS
• Licensed electrician for supply wiring, distribution, testing and repairs (Electrical Safety Act 2002 ss 18 and 55); plugging a flexible cord into a socket outlet and mounting or fixing equipment in place without making the connections are not electrical work (s 18(2)(a) and (n))
• Dogging and rigging licences (Schedule 3 items 4 to 7) apply to dogging work and rigging work as Schedule 19 defines them, including setting up hoists and using mechanical load-shifting equipment; if the job needs either, hold the licence for the class and use the separate SWMS for hoist and truss rigging
• Competent person to inspect clamps, safety bonds, harnesses, ladders and access equipment, and to approve harness anchorage points before first use
• First aid equipment and facilities, and trained first aiders as the work and site need (WHS Regulation s 42), including someone who knows the rescue plan

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 Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones, Schedule 2 (uninsulated lines), and electrical equipment for construction work, s 140
• 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 (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Elevating work platforms (guidance)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (guidance)
• AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites, and AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs (both named in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 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.