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Demolition · Australia

SWMS for small building demolition

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

Yes. Small building demolition usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), 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 falling from height, silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles, disturbing asbestos and electric shock from live wiring.

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SWMS example: small building demolition

This is a complete SWMS for small building demolition, 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)
Demolish a small building · Demolition · Example
Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Check the asbestos register, get asbestos removed, and get services disconnected
  • Disturbing asbestos
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Gas and fuel lines
  • Hitting underground services
Extreme
  • Before work, check the asbestos register (workplaces built before 2004). For homes, or if there is no register, have a competent person identify asbestos or assume it is present. Eliminate
  • Seal off the work area and keep everyone else out. Isolate
  • If asbestos must be disturbed, keep it wet, use hand tools not power tools, and clean up with an H-class vacuum. Engineering
  • Friable asbestos (Class A) and more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos (Class B) must be removed by a licensed removalist. Administrative
  • Stop work straight away if you find suspect asbestos. Do not touch it and tell your supervisor. Administrative
  • 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
  • Isolate and purge the line before work, with the owner's approval. Eliminate
  • Lock off and tag the isolation valve. Isolate
  • Check for leaks with a gas detector before and during work, and ventilate the area. Engineering
  • Only licensed gasfitters work on gas lines. Administrative
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Scan the area with a cable locator before digging and mark services on the ground. Engineering
  • Hand dig or vacuum excavate to expose services before using a machine near them. Engineering
  • Lodge a free BYDA (Before You Dig Australia) request and get the plans before any digging. Administrative
Medium
2Fence the site and set up traffic and public control
  • Public entering the work area
  • Road traffic
Extreme
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Engineering
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Administrative
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative
  • Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Administrative
  • Do the work at low-traffic times, or close the road or lane with approval. Eliminate
  • Put solid barriers between the work and traffic where speeds are high, not just cones. Isolate
  • Use a truck-mounted attenuator or buffer vehicle on high speed roads. Engineering
  • Have a Traffic Management Plan. Signs and cones are set out by accredited traffic controllers to your state's rules. Administrative
  • Get a road occupancy or street works permit from the road authority before you start. Administrative
  • Park work vehicles to shield the work zone, with beacons on. Administrative
  • Wear day and night hi-vis clothing (AS/NZS 4602.1). PPE
Medium
3Strip out by hand before machine demolition
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Cuts from sharp edges
  • Falling from height
Extreme
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Engineering
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Administrative
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. 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
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile work platform or EWP instead of working off a ladder. Engineering
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Engineering
  • Everyone working at height holds a White Card and has been briefed on this SWMS before going up. Administrative
  • Have a written emergency and rescue plan, tested before work starts, so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes (WHS Regulations r.80). Administrative
Medium
4Demolish with the excavator, keeping everyone outside the exclusion zone
  • Being hit by mobile plant
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Demolition and falling debris
Extreme
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Engineering
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Administrative
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Administrative
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Administrative
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Engineering
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Administrative
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Administrative
  • Install temporary support to the engineer's or temporary works design before any load bearing element is altered. Administrative
  • Check for asbestos, lead, live services and structural risks before demolition starts. Eliminate
  • Disconnect and cap power, gas and water before demolition. Isolate
  • Set an exclusion zone bigger than the distance the structure could fall. Isolate
  • Use a machine with a guarded cab instead of hand demolition where practical. Engineering
  • Use chutes or bins to get debris down. Never drop it from height. Engineering
  • Notify your state WHS regulator before demolition work where required. Administrative
Medium
5Keep dust down with water
  • General dust
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
  • Loud noise
Extreme
  • Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Substitute
  • Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Isolate
  • Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Engineering
  • Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Engineering
  • Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Administrative
  • If the job involves engineered stone: do not supply, fabricate or install engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs (banned since 1 July 2024). Removing, repairing or making minor changes to existing engineered stone is only allowed with water suppression or on-tool extraction, a fitted respirator, and written notice to the regulator before the work starts. Eliminate
  • Order materials cut to size, or use low-dust methods such as score and snap or a block splitter. Substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a separate area, with other people well away and upwind. Isolate
  • Use water on the blade or on-tool dust extraction connected to an H-class vacuum. Engineering
  • Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Administrative
  • If the cutting, grinding or drilling is high risk, prepare a silica risk control plan (or include the r.529CA assessment in this SWMS), train workers in silica risks and give them the plan before work starts. Administrative
  • Wear a fit-tested P2 (or better) respirator. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Substitute
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Isolate
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Engineering
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Administrative
  • If you have to shout to be heard 1 metre away, wear hearing protection. Administrative
  • Keep exposure below 85 dB(A) over 8 hours. Give hearing tests to workers who often need hearing protection. Administrative
Medium
6Sort and load waste into trucks, then level the site
  • Being hit by mobile plant
  • Road traffic
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Extreme
  • Operators hold a High Risk Work Licence where needed (for example forklift) and are trained and assessed on other plant. Administrative
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Administrative
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
  • Being hit by mobile plant: see step 4 for the full controls Administrative
  • Road traffic: see step 2 for the full controls Administrative
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skip bins and waste chutes close to the work. Engineering
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative
Medium

PPE

Steel cap bootsHard hatHi-vis shirt or vestSafety glassesP2 dust maskHearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)Cut-resistant glovesHalf-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters)OverallsWork gloves

Plant and equipment

Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machineSkid steer (Bobcat): Verification of competency (VOC) for the machineTipper or site dumper: Driver licence for the vehicle class, VOC for site dumpersHand toolsTrailer

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 small building demolition

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 small building demolition

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Check the asbestos register, get asbestos removed, and get services disconnected
  2. Fence the site and set up traffic and public control
  3. Strip out by hand before machine demolition
  4. Demolish with the excavator, keeping everyone outside the exclusion zone
  5. Keep dust down with water
  6. Sort and load waste into trucks, then level the site

Hazards to watch on small building demolition

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

Step 4Demolition and falling debrisPart of a structure collapses early, or debris falls and hits workers or the public during demolition or strip out.
Step 2, 6Road trafficPassing cars and trucks hit workers or plant working on or next to a road.
Step 1Gas and fuel linesDamaging or opening a gas or fuel line causes a leak, fire or explosion.
Step 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Step 1Disturbing asbestosBuildings built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, and any built before 2004 may. Drilling, cutting or breaking it releases fibres that cause cancer years later.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: Insignificant to CatastrophicBA
Highest risk on small building demolition: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and catastrophic becomes unlikely and moderate).

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 use a ladder or stepladder?
  • 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?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

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

  • Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine
  • Skid steer (Bobcat): Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine
  • Tipper or site dumper: Driver licence for the vehicle class, VOC for site dumpers

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 Regulations, Chapter 8 (Asbestos); WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.7 General electrical safety; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.2 Hazardous manual tasks; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 Falls; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 5.1 Plant; WHS Regulations, Chapter 8A (Crystalline silica substances and engineered stone); WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.1 Noise.

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 small building demolition?

Yes. Small building demolition usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), 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 small building demolition?

Usually Steel cap boots, Hard hat, Hi-vis shirt or vest, Safety glasses, P2 dust mask, Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), Cut-resistant gloves, Half-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters), Overalls, Work gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More demolition SWMS

SWMSInternal Strip Out9 stepsSWMSNon Friable Asbestos Removal10 stepsSWMSBathroom Demolition6 stepsSWMSLoad Bearing Wall Removal6 stepsSWMSConcrete Removal5 stepsSWMSChimney Removal6 steps

Related jobs in other trades

ConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingAlso involves electric shock from live wiringExcavation and earthworksTrenchingAlso involves hitting underground servicesRoofingRoof Tile ReplacementAlso involves public entering the work areaConcretingConcrete Slab PourAlso involves being hit by mobile plantConcretingFormworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plantAir conditioning and refrigerationSplit System InstallationAlso involves electric shock from live wiring

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkAsbestos AwarenessToolbox talkHearing Protection and Noise

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

Sources