Post-Construction Builders Clean SWMS

Suits cleaning contractors and builders who carry out the final clean at the end of a construction or renovation project. It follows the work from planning the areas and removing debris, through dust, scraping, chemicals, windows and ladders, to externals and the final inspection. Routine cleaning of occupied premises is covered by a separate SWMS.

A builders clean that is part of a construction project is construction work, and a SWMS is legally required only when it is high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. Tick any high risk construction work item that applies to your job, such as work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres, and consider ticking the contaminated or flammable atmosphere item (WHS Regulation s 291(l)) where dust or solvent vapour makes the area a contaminated or flammable atmosphere.

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

What Is Covered In Our Post-Construction Builders Clean SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the clean and set up the work area” to “Pack up and final inspection”. The hazards and controls include:

• Construction dust and silica from cleaning
• Cuts from glass, nails and razor blades
• Sharps and debris handling
• Chemical burns and toxic gas from mixing products
• Falls from ladders and step platforms
• Window cleaning at balconies and sills
• Manual handling of debris and equipment
• Slips on wet and dusty floors
• Electric shock from wet fittings and leads
• Noise from floor machines
• Stormwater contamination from wash water
• Heat stress on external areas

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for each worker: a builders clean carried out as part of the construction project is construction work
• No high risk work licence applies to cleaning, vacuuming or hand tools (Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation)
• Site induction and training in this SWMS before starting
• Training in the chemicals used, their SDS and the dilution and mixing instructions
• Ladder, step platform or window cleaning pole training or supervised practice before working unsupervised
• First aid trained person on the crew or access to one, including cuts and chemical splashes
• Respiratory protective equipment training and fit-testing for any worker who wears a respirator
• Licensed electrician for any electrical fault found (only licensed electrical workers do electrical work)

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), Chapter 8A (crystalline silica substances)
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace 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
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)

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
• 10 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 glasses or goggles for scraping, chemicals and overhead work; chemical-resistant gloves matched to the product SDS; cut-resistant gloves for sharps and debris
• Emergency arrangements for: chemical in eyes, cut from glass or blade and fall from a ladder
• 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.