Switchboard installation SWMS, drafted for your job
Replacing or installing a switchboard means live parts, stored energy from solar and batteries, and often an older board with unknown materials. 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
Switchboard installation
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work that may disturb asbestos
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Isolate and lock out supply | Shock if re-energised; solar back-feed | High | Isolate main and solar; lock and tag; prove, test, prove |
| 2 | Remove the old board | Asbestos in board backing | High | Check the register; stop if suspected |
| 3 | Mount the new board | Heavy lift; silica dust | Medium | Two-person lift; on-tool extraction and P2 |
| 4 | Terminate, test, re-energise | Arc flash; wrong polarity | High | Arc-rated PPE; full tests; observer present |
| 5 | Clean up and hand over | Trips; occupants re-entering | Low | Clear as you go; barriers until hand-over |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your switchboard 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 on or near energised electrical installations
- Work that may disturb asbestos
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 switchboard 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
Electric shock from live parts or an unexpected supply
Extreme- Isolate at the main switch and every other supply, then lock and tag with one lock per person
- Prove, test, prove with a tester checked on a known live source before and after
- Treat every conductor as live until it is tested dead
- 2
Back-feed from solar inverters, batteries or a generator
High- Find every source on site: solar AC and DC isolators, battery and generator inlet
- Isolate and tag each source and confirm the inverter has shut down
- 3
Arc flash while switching, testing or re-energising
High- Arc-rated clothing, face shield and insulated gloves rated for the work
- A safety observer with a rescue kit stands by during switching
- Keep everyone else clear of the board while it is re-energised
- 4
Asbestos in an older board or its backing panel
High- Check the asbestos register before touching an older board
- If you suspect asbestos, stop, keep people out and call an asbestos removalist
- 5
Manual handling of a heavy board or enclosure
Medium- Two-person lift with the board staged at waist height
- Use a board lifter or trolley for large enclosures
- 6
Silica dust drilling masonry for fixings
Medium- Drill with on-tool dust extraction
- Wear a P2 respirator while drilling and cleaning up
- 7
Occupants or other trades reaching the open board
Medium- Barrier and sign the work area and keep the board covered when unattended
- Tell occupants when power is going off and when it is back on
How the job usually runs
- 1Isolate and lock out supplyShock if re-energised; solar back-feed → Isolate main and solar; lock and tag; prove, test, prove
- 2Remove the old boardAsbestos in board backing → Check the register; stop if suspected
- 3Mount the new boardHeavy lift; silica dust → Two-person lift; on-tool extraction and P2
- 4Terminate, test, re-energiseArc flash; wrong polarity → Arc-rated PPE; full tests; observer present
- 5Clean up and hand overTrips; occupants re-entering → Clear as you go; barriers until hand-over
PPE for this job
- Arc-rated clothing
- Arc-rated face shield
- Insulated gloves
- Safety glasses
- P2 respirator
- Safety boots
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
Switchboard 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 solar and battery back-feed?
Yes, when you say the site has solar, a battery or a generator. The draft adds a step to find and isolate every source and to confirm the inverter has shut down before anyone touches the board.
What if the old board might contain asbestos?
The draft includes a stop-work step: check the asbestos register, keep people away and bring in an asbestos removalist before the board is disturbed. Tick asbestos when you start so the controls are included.
Can one SWMS cover a main board and sub-boards on the same job?
Yes. Describe the whole job when you start, including each board and the site, and the steps cover them together. It is still one job and one SWMS.
How much does a switchboard 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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