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Electrical · Australia

SWMS for electrical fault finding

By SiteSortedBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

Yes. Electrical fault finding usually includes high risk construction work (work on or near energised electrical installations or services), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

It must list the hazards, the controls and how they will be put in place, monitored and reviewed, and the workers must be consulted and sign before starting. The main hazards are electric shock from live wiring, electric shock from leads and power tools, falling from a ladder and working in an occupied home or building.

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SWMS example: electrical fault finding

This is a complete SWMS for electrical fault finding, with 6 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
Electrical fault finding · Electrical · Example
Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Work on or near energised electrical installations or services

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Talk to the client about the fault and keep people away from the switchboard
  • Working in an occupied home or building
Medium
  • Plan noisy, dusty or risky work for when the building is empty. Eliminate
  • Close off the work area with barriers, plastic sheeting or locked doors, and put up signs. Isolate
  • Keep fire exits and paths clear at all times. Administrative
  • Tell occupants before you turn off power, water or gas, and before noisy or dusty work. Administrative
  • Lock away tools, chemicals and materials each day, out of reach of children. Administrative
  • Clean up dust and debris at the end of each day. Administrative
Low
2Check the test meter on a known source before and after use
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Extreme
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not do live work except in the limited cases the WHS Regulations allow (r.157; in Qld, the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013). Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
3Do live testing only when it cannot be done dead, using insulated tools, mats and arc rated gear
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Stored energy
Extreme
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not do live work except in the limited cases the WHS Regulations allow (r.157; in Qld, the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013). Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Test before you touch: prove dead at the point of work with a voltage tester, proving the tester on a known live source before and after (AS/NZS 4836). Engineering
  • Only licensed electricians do electrical work. Administrative
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Administrative
  • If live work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools. Administrative
  • Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE
  • Release or block all stored energy before work: release the pressure in pipes, tanks and hoses, bleed hydraulics, release springs, lower loads. Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag all energy sources with personal locks. Isolate
  • Put mechanical blocks or props under raised parts like buckets, tipper bodies and doors. Engineering
  • Test that the system is dead and nothing can move before you start. Administrative
  • Follow the maker's procedure, for example for garage door and roller door springs. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses and gloves. PPE
Medium
4Isolate the faulty circuit, lock out and danger tag and prove dead before any repair
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Extreme
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
5Repair or replace the faulty part
  • Electric shock from leads and power tools
  • Cuts from sharp edges
  • Falling from a ladder
High
  • Use battery-powered tools where you can. Substitute
  • Plug all tools into an RCD-protected outlet or a portable RCD. Engineering
  • Keep leads off the ground and out of water, using lead stands or hooks. Engineering
  • Check leads, plugs and tools before every use. Tag out and remove anything damaged. Administrative
  • Test and tag leads, tools and RCDs at the intervals in AS/NZS 3012 (every 3 months on construction sites). Push-button test portable RCDs before each use. Administrative
  • Do not use tools in rain or wet areas unless they are rated for it. Administrative
  • Deburr or cover sharp edges, and fit edge protectors on exposed sheet metal. Engineering
  • Use knives with retractable or self-retracting blades. Engineering
  • Cut away from your body and keep your other hand clear. Administrative
  • Put used blades in a blade bin or sharps container. Administrative
  • Use two people to handle large sheets of metal or glass. Administrative
  • Use a platform ladder, mobile scaffold or EWP for longer jobs instead of a straight ladder. Substitute
  • Use industrial-rated ladders (AS/NZS 1892, 120 kg or more) in good condition. Remove any damaged ladder from site. Engineering
  • Set extension ladders at a 4 to 1 angle on firm, level ground, tied or footed, and reaching 1 metre above the landing. Engineering
  • Use ladders only for short, light work. Do not carry heavy or awkward loads up a ladder. Administrative
  • Keep three points of contact and your belt buckle between the stiles. Do not overreach. Administrative
Medium
6Retest, restore power and record what was found
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Working alone
Extreme
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
  • Do not do high risk work alone: work at height, confined spaces, live electrical or trenches. Eliminate
  • Set a check-in system: call or text at set times, and someone follows up if there is no reply. Administrative
  • Tell someone where you are working and when you expect to finish. Administrative
  • Carry a charged phone. Use a personal alarm or GPS device where there is no signal. Administrative
  • Keep a first aid kit on hand and know the site address for emergency services. Administrative
Medium

PPE

Steel cap bootsSafety glassesInsulated electrical glovesArc-rated clothing and face shieldP2 dust maskWork glovesCut-resistant glovesHard hat

Plant and equipment

Electrical test equipmentHand toolsStep ladder

Permits and plans

Electrical isolation permit

Emergency

Call 000. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS.

Free SWMS template for electrical fault finding

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this SWMS

Pre-start checklist for electrical fault finding

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Talk to the client about the fault and keep people away from the switchboard
  2. Check the test meter on a known source before and after use
  3. Do live testing only when it cannot be done dead, using insulated tools, mats and arc rated gear
  4. Isolate the faulty circuit, lock out and danger tag and prove dead before any repair
  5. Repair or replace the faulty part
  6. Retest, restore power and record what was found

Hazards to watch on electrical fault finding

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 6Working aloneA worker on their own is hurt or falls ill and nobody knows to help them.
Step 5Electric shock from leads and power toolsDamaged leads, plugs or tools, or water near power, give the user an electric shock.
Step 3Stored energyEnergy left in springs, hydraulics, compressed gas, raised loads or capacitors releases suddenly and crushes or injures workers.
Step 1Working in an occupied home or buildingResidents, staff or children wander into the work area and get hurt, or the work blocks exits or cuts off power or water while people are inside.
Step 5Falling from a ladderThe ladder slips or tips, or the worker overreaches, and they fall onto a hard surface.
Step 5Cuts from sharp edgesSheet metal, glass, blades, cable tray and offcuts cut hands and arms.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: Insignificant to CatastrophicBA
Highest risk on electrical fault finding: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and catastrophic becomes unlikely and major).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work more than 2 metres off the ground?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, clear sheet, fibro or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
  • Will you use an EWP (scissor lift or boom lift)?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

This task can involve these high risk construction work categories under the WHS Regulations:

  • Work on or near energised electrical installations or services

A SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. It must list the high risk work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be easy for the workers to read and understand.

Rules that apply: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.7 General electrical safety; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.7 and AS/NZS 3012; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 Falls; WHS Regulation 2011, regulation 48 (remote or isolated work).

Each state has its own regulator and some extra rules: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

Why SWMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • It is generic: another site address, tasks that are not on this job, or no sign it was reviewed for this site. WorkSafe WA says a generic SWMS may not meet the regulations unless it is reviewed and amended for the workplace.
  • The HRCW boxes are not ticked, or the ticks do not match the tasks (for example a roof job with no falls box ticked).
  • Falls are controlled only by "be careful", training or a harness, with no edge protection or scaffold and no reason why higher controls are not reasonably practicable.
  • Workers will clip on to a harness but there is no rescue plan for someone left hanging.
  • The "how controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed" part is missing, or it says the same thing on every row.
  • No worker sign-on, no person responsible for compliance, or a date given to the principal contractor that is before they actually received it.
  • Licence or White Card details are missing for workers operating plant or doing licensed high risk work.

Questions

Do I need a SWMS for electrical fault finding?

Yes. Electrical fault finding usually includes high risk construction work (work on or near energised electrical installations or services), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

Who signs the SWMS?

The person conducting the business (PCBU) or their supervisor prepares it with the workers, and every worker doing the high risk work signs to show they were consulted and understand it. Give a copy to the principal contractor before work starts.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this SWMS, and every revised version, until the high risk construction work is finished, where workers and inspectors can see it on site. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident.

What PPE is needed for electrical fault finding?

Usually Steel cap boots, Safety glasses, Insulated electrical gloves, Arc-rated clothing and face shield, P2 dust mask, Work gloves, Cut-resistant gloves, Hard hat. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

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Blank SWMS template: free SWMS templates. Also for other countries: United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources