Working in Occupied Premises SWMS

Suits builders and trades working in homes, shops and offices that stay in use. It covers planning with the occupier, asbestos and old-building checks, barriers, service shut-downs, dust, noise and fumes, ladders, moving materials, security and handover.

Trade work in an occupied building is not high risk construction work by itself, so no items are pre-ticked. A SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); tick the asbestos disturbance item, the falls item for more than 2 metres or the energised electrical services item when the job involves them, otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and risk assessment.

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

What Is Covered In Our Working in Occupied Premises SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the work with the occupier and set the rules for the building” to “Clean up, reinstate services and hand back the area”. The hazards and controls include:

• Occupants and visitors entering the work area
• Vulnerable occupants and blocked exits
• Asbestos in older buildings and the asbestos register
• Lead paint and silica dust
• Unplanned loss of power, water and gas
• Electric shock and flooding when cutting into walls
• Fire alarms set off by dust or heat
• Dust spreading through occupied areas
• Noise, fumes and odours near occupants
• Falls from stepladders and ladders
• Manual handling of materials and waste in corridors
• Aggression and security of belongings
• Services and fire protection not restored at handover

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

• Trade licences and qualifications for the work being done, such as an electrical worker licence for electrical work (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• General construction induction training card (white card) when the work is construction work
• Training in the identification and safe handling of asbestos and asbestos-containing material and its control measures, for workers the business reasonably believes may be involved in asbestos removal work or asbestos-related work (WHS Regulation s 445)
• Competent person to inspect for asbestos before refurbishment of a building constructed before 31 December 1989 that has no asbestos register (WHS Regulation ss 447 and 451)
• Site induction and the occupier’s building induction
• First aid trained person on the job

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work 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
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)
• Fire Services Act 1990 (Qld)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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; safety glasses; gloves suited to the task; hearing protection for noisy tools
• Emergency arrangements for: follow the building’s emergency plan, suspected asbestos disturbed and unplanned loss of services or a serious injury
• 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.