Do Electricians Need a SWMS in Australia?

Estimated Reading Time: 6 min read

Key Takeaways

• Electricians don’t need a SWMS simply because they’re carrying out electrical work.
• A SWMS is required when electrical work meets the definition of High Risk Construction Work.
• Construction work on or near energised electrical installations or services can fall within HRCW requirements.
• Other activities, such as certain work at heights or in confined spaces, can also trigger SWMS requirements.
• Your SWMS should reflect the actual electrical work, hazards and control measures involved.
• State and territory electrical safety requirements can also apply alongside SWMS obligations.

When Does an Electrician Need a SWMS?

A SWMS is required before carrying out High Risk Construction Work. For electricians, one particularly relevant HRCW category is construction work carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services. But that’s not the only situation to consider. An electrician’s job might involve several types of HRCW at once. For example, you could be installing electrical equipment at height, working in a confined space or carrying out work in an area with moving powered mobile plant.

The important question isn’t simply, “Am I doing electrical work?” It’s whether the construction work you’re performing falls into one of the HRCW categories that requires a SWMS. If you’re new to the process, our guide explaining what SWMS means is a useful place to start.

Does All Electrical Work Require a SWMS?

No. A SWMS isn’t automatically required for every electrical task. For example, an electrical job that doesn’t involve construction work classified as HRCW won’t require a SWMS solely because electricity is involved. Other electrical safety laws, codes, procedures and risk controls may still apply.

This is where things can get a little confusing. A SWMS is specifically associated with High Risk Construction Work. It shouldn’t be treated as a replacement for your broader electrical safety obligations. Before starting a job, identify what work you’re actually carrying out and whether any part of it meets the HRCW criteria.

What Electrical Work Can Be Considered High Risk Construction Work?

Construction work on or near energised electrical installations or services is one of the recognised categories of HRCW. An electrician may also encounter other HRCW categories depending on the job. These can include construction work involving a risk of a person falling more than two metres, work in or near a confined space, work in or near a trench of a certain depth, or work in an area where powered mobile plant is moving.

Say you’re installing electrical equipment on a commercial roof. The electrical work itself is only part of the picture. The height, access method and surrounding work environment may introduce additional high-risk activities that need to be addressed. Your SWMS should cover the HRCW relevant to the job rather than relying on a generic electrical document.

What Should an Electrical SWMS Include?

An electrical SWMS should clearly describe the high-risk construction work and the risks associated with it. It should also explain the measures that will be used to control those risks and how those controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Depending on the job, that could include electrical isolation, working around energised services, access requirements, PPE, testing procedures, plant interactions and other site-specific controls.

SafetyCheck’s Electrical Work SWMS Template provides a starting point that can be customised for the actual job. For more detail on the information a SWMS should contain, have a look at our guide to what’s in a SWMS.

Do Electricians Need a Different SWMS for Every Job?

Not necessarily from scratch. If you regularly perform similar work, an existing SWMS or template can provide a useful starting point. But you still need to check that it reflects the work being carried out and the hazards and controls relevant to the current job.

A residential electrical installation, commercial fit-out and solar installation can involve very different working environments. Simply changing the site address on an old SWMS isn’t enough if the risks have changed. SafetyCheck lets you reuse a SWMS and update it for the next project, which can save time without treating every site as identical.

Who Is Responsible for the Electrical SWMS?

The business carrying out the HRCW has responsibilities for ensuring a SWMS is prepared before the work starts. For a self-employed electrician, that responsibility may sit directly with your business. Where subcontractors, builders and principal contractors are involved, multiple duty holders can have overlapping responsibilities.

The important thing is to establish who’s responsible before the work starts rather than assuming the builder has handled it. Understanding what PCBU means can also help clarify how WHS responsibilities apply to businesses and sole traders.

What About Testing and Tagging?

Testing and tagging is another area where it’s worth separating electrical safety requirements from SWMS requirements. Testing and tagging doesn’t automatically require a SWMS simply because it’s electrical work. You need to consider whether the particular activity is construction work and whether it falls within a HRCW category.

If you need documentation specifically for this type of work, SafetyCheck also provides an Electrical Testing and Tagging SWMS Template that can be adapted where a SWMS is appropriate for the job.

Do SWMS Requirements Change Between States?

The broad approach to SWMS is similar across most Australian jurisdictions, but electricians shouldn’t assume every state’s legal framework is identical. Most states and territories have WHS legislation based on Australia’s model WHS laws. Victoria operates under its own occupational health and safety framework, and electrical safety legislation can also vary between jurisdictions.

If you work across state borders, our guide to SWMS in different states explains some of the differences worth checking. Always check the current requirements of the safety and electrical regulator in the jurisdiction where you’re working.

How Can Electricians Make SWMS Easier to Manage?

For a small electrical business, the frustrating part is often the paperwork rather than understanding the job. Using trade-specific templates can make the process quicker. Start with a relevant document, review the work and site conditions, then update the hazards and controls to reflect what’s actually happening. With SafetyCheck, you can create a SWMS from a template and share a digital SWMS with workers, builders and clients without printing another copy.

Create Electrical SWMS Faster with SafetyCheck

For Aussie electricians, the main thing to remember is simple: you don’t need a SWMS for every electrical job, but you do need one when your construction work falls within the High Risk Construction Work requirements. SafetyCheck makes the admin side easier with more than 40 pre-filled SWMS templates, including templates for electrical work, testing and tagging, lighting installation and solar panel installation. Start with a template, customise it for the actual job and keep the latest version available to the people who need it. That means less time starting documents from scratch and more time getting on with the work.

Explore SafetyCheck pricing or contact the SafetyCheck team to find a simpler way to create, manage and share electrical SWMS.