New electrical installation SWMS, drafted for your job
A new build means rough-ins on ladders and in roof spaces, a temporary supply that is already live, and other trades working over and around your cabling. Describe 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
New electrical 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
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set up temporary supply | Live temp board; trips on leads | High | Board on stands; leads off the ground |
| 2 | Rough in cables and containment | Falls in roof space; heavy pulls | High | Boards on joists; drum stand and rollers |
| 3 | Mount switchboard and fittings | Heavy board lift; drilling dust | Medium | Two-person lift; on-tool extraction |
| 4 | Terminate and dress wiring | Sharp conductor ends; clutter | Low | Trim as you go; keep the floor clear |
| 5 | Test before energisation | Faults behind walls; wrong polarity | High | Insulation, continuity and polarity tests |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your new electrical 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
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 new electrical 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
Shock from the temporary builder's supply or a partly energised circuit
High- Isolate and lock out before roughing in near any live board
- Test each circuit dead before cutting into or extending it
- Cover and label live parts that other trades can reach
- 2
Contact with overhead or underground service mains during the connection
High- Find the service route before digging or raising ladders near the point of attachment
- Keep ladders, scaffold and cable runs clear of the overhead service line
- 3
Falls from ladders, trestles and between joists during rough-in
High- Work off a platform ladder or trestle instead of a straight ladder all day
- Lay crawl boards across the joists before moving through the roof space
- Keep accessways clear so nobody falls carrying cable or fittings
- 4
Backs and shoulders hauling heavy cable through long runs
Medium- Set up rollers and a drum stand so the cable feeds freely
- Pull as a team with one person calling the feed from the drum end
- 5
Other trades drilling, cutting or dropping gear around your cabling
Medium- Walk the site each morning and mark where cables and live parts run
- Cap and label cable ends and tell the supervisor when circuits go live
- Sequence the work so nobody is working above your ladder or roof space
- 6
Arc flash and shock at first energisation and testing
High- Run insulation resistance, continuity and polarity tests before energising
- Energise one circuit at a time standing clear of the board
- Arc-rated PPE and insulated gloves for first switching
- 7
Heat, dust and sharp framing in ceiling and underfloor spaces
Medium- Crawl boards, knee pads and a headlamp in dark spaces
- Watch for nails, screws and cut edges on framing before reaching in
How the job usually runs
- 1Set up temporary supplyLive temp board; trips on leads → Board on stands; leads off the ground
- 2Rough in cables and containmentFalls in roof space; heavy pulls → Boards on joists; drum stand and rollers
- 3Mount switchboard and fittingsHeavy board lift; drilling dust → Two-person lift; on-tool extraction
- 4Terminate and dress wiringSharp conductor ends; clutter → Trim as you go; keep the floor clear
- 5Test before energisationFaults behind walls; wrong polarity → Insulation, continuity and polarity tests
- 6Energise and hand overArc flash on first switch → One circuit at a time; stand aside
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Safety glasses
- Insulated gloves
- Knee pads
- P2 respirator
- Hard hat for site 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
New electrical 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 one SWMS cover rough-in and fit-off on the same build?
Yes. Describe the whole job, including the stages, when you start and the steps cover rough-in, fit-off and testing between them. It is still one job and one SWMS.
What about other trades working near our cabling?
The draft includes a site coordination step: mark cable runs, cap and label ends, and tell the site supervisor when circuits go live so nobody drills into or touches something energised.
Is the temporary builder's supply covered?
Yes. The draft starts with the temporary supply setup: board mounted on stands, leads run off the ground, and isolation and testing before work near anything already live.
How much does a new electrical 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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