Pool Heater and Heat Pump Installation SWMS

Suits pool equipment installers, plumbers and gas fitters who install gas pool heaters and electric heat pumps. It covers the pool area, moving the unit, siting and the base, water connections, the electrical supply, the gas connection and leak test, commissioning and handover.

Installing the gas, electrical and water connections of a pool heater is construction work (WHS Regulation s 289(2)(e)), and a SWMS is required before high risk construction work starts (s 299). The chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines item is pre-ticked because connecting the gas supply to a gas heater is a main part of the work; a job installing an electric heat pump only does not need it. Tick the energised electrical item where work is on or near live electrical parts, the fall of more than 2 metres item where the unit is on a roof or raised platform, and the drowning item where the work is in or near water with a drowning risk.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Pool Heater and Heat Pump Installation SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Arrive, assess the yard and make the pool area safe” to “Hand over, clean up and leave the site”. The hazards and controls include:

• Children and open pool areas
• Slips on wet pavers and pool surrounds
• Manual handling of heavy units
• Unit toppling on soft or uneven bases
• Siting clearances for heat, exhaust and noise
• Pool water and solvent cement on skin and eyes
• Electric shock during supply connection
• Gas leaks, fire and explosion
• Carbon monoxide and exhaust gases
• Burns from hot surfaces and heater exhaust
• Moving fan blades and parts
• Flooding near electrical equipment

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 chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Gas work licence that allows the work, for anyone who installs, alters, tests or services a gas pool heater (Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 ss 725 and 726; a gas pool heater is a gas device (type A) under Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 s 12 and sch 1)
• Electrical work licence that authorises the work, for the supply circuit, isolating switch and connection of the electrical parts of the heater or heat pump (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• Plumbing licence that covers the work, for connections to the water supply and other pipes that carry water within the premises (Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 s 56); a trainee works under direct supervision (s 58)
• Workers trained in the manufacturer’s installation and commissioning steps for the model being installed
• First aid certificate for the person appointed as the job’s first aider
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld)
• Petroleum and Gas (Safety) Regulation 2018 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace 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
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: safety boots with slip-resistant soles; work gloves for handling the unit and cutting pipe; safety glasses when cutting, de-burring, gluing and during the gas test
• Emergency arrangements for: gas smell or leak, electric shock and person in the pool
• 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. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

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