Water Meter Installation and Replacement SWMS

Suits plumbers and water service contractors who install, replace or relocate water meters and meter assemblies at property boundaries and in footpaths. It covers roadside and pedestrian management, locating underground services, excavation, cement pipe, making metal pipework safe to open, fitting the meter, testing and reinstatement.

Installing a water meter is construction work (the installation of an essential service, WHS Regulation s 289(2)(e)), and work adjacent to a road in use is high risk construction work (s 291(n)), so that item is ticked. Tick the other items the job involves: a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, disturbance of asbestos, gas mains or fuel lines, and energised electrical installations or services.

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

What Is Covered In Our Water Meter Installation and Replacement SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job, check records and notify occupants” to “Backfill, reinstate and clear the site”. The hazards and controls include:

• Traffic striking workers at the roadside
• Pedestrians entering the work area
• Striking underground electric, gas and water services
• Trench and pit collapse
• Asbestos cement pipe and fittings
• Electric shock through metal water pipes
• Pressure release and water spray
• Heavy meter box lids and awkward postures
• Spiders, snakes and wasps in meter boxes
• Solvent cement and primer
• Dust from cutting pavers and concrete
• Uneven reinstatement left on the footpath

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, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor that is in use by traffic other than pedestrians

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Plumbing licence that covers the work (Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 s 56); a trainee works under the direct supervision of a licensed person (s 58(1)(b)); an authorised person of the water service provider removing, repairing or replacing a prescribed water meter is exempt (s 58(1)(d))
• Person who prepares the traffic management plan and traffic guidance scheme holds the Transport and Main Roads Traffic Management Design qualification
• Traffic controllers hold current accreditation under the Transport and Main Roads Traffic Controller Accreditation Scheme
• Workers who may meet cement pipe trained in the identification and safe handling of, and suitable control measures for, asbestos and asbestos-containing material (WHS Regulation s 445)
• Trained operator for the cable and pipe locator
• Licensed electrical worker for any electrical connection made across or restored on a metal water pipe
• Site induction and the water service provider’s contractor induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld)
• Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019 (Qld)
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• 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
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): underground electric lines, ss 14 and 15
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines
• Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 3: Static Worksites (guide)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 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 boots; high-visibility long-sleeve shirt and trousers (garments suitable for roadside work); hard hat; safety glasses
• Emergency arrangements for: service strike (power, gas or water), traffic incident or vehicle entering the work area and cement pipe broken or cut
• 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.