Air conditioning installation SWMS, drafted for your job
Split systems and ducted units mean ladders and hot roof spaces, refrigerant under pressure and a heavy outdoor unit hung off a bracket or craned to a roof. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it on site before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Air conditioning installation
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Check site and unit positions | Hidden services, weak fixing | Medium | Scan walls; confirm bracket and pad fixing |
| 2 | Mount indoor and outdoor units | Fall at height; heavy lift | High | EWP or scaffold; lifter or two-person lift |
| 3 | Run and flare the pipework | Cuts; leaking flares | Medium | Flare carefully; pressure test with nitrogen |
| 4 | Braze and insulate the joints | Fire near linings; hot metal | High | Heat shield, extinguisher and a fire watch |
| 5 | Wire and isolate the supply | Live supply; charged capacitor | High | Isolate, lock out and prove dead first |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your air conditioning installation SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
Categories this task often involves
You tick the ones your job involves. Each ticked category gets its own steps and controls, in your state's wording.
- Work where someone could fall from height
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a air conditioning installation job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Fall from a ladder or roof edge while mounting the outdoor unit
High- Use an EWP or scaffold where the unit position makes a ladder awkward
- Tie off the ladder top and bottom and keep three points of contact
- Harness and anchor when working near an unprotected roof edge
- 2
Refrigerant escaping during flaring, pressure testing or charging
High- Pressure test with nitrogen only, never refrigerant or oxygen
- Work outdoors or keep the space ventilated; refrigerant pools in low spots
- Gloves and eye protection on; liquid refrigerant burns skin on contact
- 3
Shock from the supply circuit or a charged capacitor in the unit
High- Isolate and lock out the circuit before opening the unit electrics
- Prove dead at the isolator and discharge capacitors before touching terminals
- Match the isolator and cable to the unit maker's instructions
- 4
Heat and cramped crawling in the roof space on a ducted job
High- Start early, take breaks out of the roof and keep water up top
- Work in pairs with one person at the manhole who can raise the alarm
- Lay crawl boards across the ceiling joists before moving around
- 5
Back and crush injuries hoisting the outdoor unit to its bracket
Medium- Two-person lift or a lifter for wall brackets and roof mounts
- Stage the unit at bracket height instead of holding it against the wall
- 6
Silica dust and hidden services when coring the wall penetration
Medium- Scan the wall for pipes and cables before the core drill goes in
- Drill with a water feed or on-tool extraction and wear a P2 respirator
- 7
Fire from brazing near timber framing, insulation or wall linings
Medium- Heat shield behind the joint and a fire extinguisher within reach
- Keep a fire watch until the joint and surroundings have cooled
How the job usually runs
- 1Check site and unit positionsHidden services, weak fixing → Scan walls; confirm bracket and pad fixing
- 2Mount indoor and outdoor unitsFall at height; heavy lift → EWP or scaffold; lifter or two-person lift
- 3Run and flare the pipeworkCuts; leaking flares → Flare carefully; pressure test with nitrogen
- 4Braze and insulate the jointsFire near linings; hot metal → Heat shield, extinguisher and a fire watch
- 5Wire and isolate the supplyLive supply; charged capacitor → Isolate, lock out and prove dead first
- 6Vacuum, charge and commissionRefrigerant release; leaks → Vacuum first; leak check before charging
PPE for this job
- P2 respirator
- Safety glasses
- Cut-resistant gloves
- Safety boots
- Fall arrest harness
- Sun protection for roof work
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Air conditioning installation SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does the SWMS cover both split and ducted systems?
Yes. Say which systems the job involves when you start. Ducted work adds the roof space steps: crawl boards, a second person at the manhole and breaks out of the heat. A split system keeps the ladder and bracket controls.
What about working in a roof space on a hot day?
The draft includes a roof space step when you describe a ducted job: boards on the joists, someone watching from the manhole, and an early start with regular breaks out of the heat.
Are refrigerant handling steps included?
Yes. Flaring, nitrogen pressure testing, vacuuming and charging are covered as their own steps with the controls a crew uses on site, including ventilation and gloves and eye protection.
How much does a air conditioning installation SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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