SWMS for demolition work in Australia: site-specific template

A demolition Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) sets out the high-risk demolition work, the hazards and controls for each critical step, and how the controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Under the model WHS framework, demolition of a load-bearing element or one related to structural integrity is high-risk construction work and requires a SWMS before work begins. Other high-risk triggers, such as asbestos, fall risk or powered mobile plant, may also apply. A blank template is only a starting point. The actual demolition sequence and temporary support must be designed and checked by competent people before any element is removed.

Safe Work Australia's model Demolition Work Code of Practice describes preparation, structural stability, services, asbestos, methods, plant and public protection. The model Construction Work Code sets out the SWMS approach. Each state or territory enacts its own rules; WorkSafe Victoria's SWMS guidance operates under Victoria's OHS Regulations. Verify the current jurisdiction's demolition licensing, notification, high-risk-work and construction-plan duties. Do not import a Queensland process or model-law threshold into a Victorian site.

This page gives fillable decision fields, not a pre-approved demolition method, engineered sequence, isolation certificate or asbestos clearance. It should be used with the structural survey, engineer's method/temporary-works design, asbestos information, service isolations, site plan, plant documentation and the principal contractor's arrangements.

Confirm the scope and stop conditions

Hold work where the structural load path is unknown, the required engineer's sequence or temporary support is absent, a service may be live, suspected asbestos is unresolved, a mobile-plant separation cannot be established, the public can enter the collapse zone, or the planned work differs from the approved method. A signature at the end cannot release those conditions.

Pre-demolition evidence pack

Before the SWMS is completed, identify what the team knows about the structure and what it still needs to verify. Record structural drawings and alterations, a condition survey, fire-damage or deterioration evidence, floor and roof loading limits, adjoining supports, basements and voids. Obtain service information and confirmation from relevant owners for electricity, gas, water, sewer, telecommunications and any process lines. Inspect the asbestos register and commission competent assessment where information is missing. Check other hazardous material such as lead, silica-containing masonry or contaminated residues.

The Safe Work Australia demolition page says to check the asbestos register before work; if there is no register, a competent person should inspect the structure. Do not assume “building erected recently” means asbestos-free, and do not allow demolition to disturb it until the correct removal and clearance arrangements are made. A demolition SWMS should identify where those separate specialist records are held, not attempt to replace them.

Fillable work-step and control table

Use actual sequence steps. The example prompts below are not a generic order to follow. A competent demolition/structural team determines the method; some jobs require top-down or staged dismantling, others need a different engineered solution.

Describe how a measure will be implemented and checked. “Use exclusion zone” is inadequate without the location, barrier type, access owner and inspection when plant or the collapse envelope moves. “Use props” is inadequate without the engineer's design, installation check, permitted loading and removal sequence. If a control cannot be verified, work remains on hold.

Critical hazards to develop in the SWMS

Structural stability and collapse

Identify load-bearing elements, stability systems, adjoining walls and any hidden changes to the original design. The engineer's sequence should state what may be removed, what support remains, load limits, inspection points and the conditions for proceeding. Do not let an operator choose the next wall or beam by convenience. Include the possible effect of vibration, impact, weather, fire damage and debris loading on the remaining structure. Set a clear abandonment and evacuation process if movement, cracking or unanticipated support is found.

Services and stored energy

Record the service owner, shut-down arrangement, test/confirmation and custody of the isolation. Some services may feed adjacent occupied premises. A drawing alone is not proof that a cable or pipe is dead. Underground services must also be considered for plant and debris routes. The nominated competent person should verify isolation before the task step and manage re-energisation separately.

Asbestos, silica and other exposures

Specialist asbestos assessment/removal and clearance must be decided under local law. For silica dust from concrete, masonry or other CSS, select material/task-specific controls and check whether the processing is high risk under the applicable crystalline-silica rules. Dust, noise, lead, biological contamination and waste exposures also need competent decisions. Do not invent a generic respirator grade, wet-cutting procedure or exposure limit in this SWMS. An occupational hygienist may need to assess a changed method or enclosed work.

Plant, falling materials and people nearby

The selected excavator, high-reach equipment, lifting gear or access plant must suit the engineer's method and site ground conditions. Record the machine reach, stability, exclusion envelope, spotter communication, pedestrian segregation and public boundary. Protect adjacent trades and neighbours from falling materials. Debris should be lowered or controlled by an approved method; uncontrolled drop can overload floors, hit services or breach the boundary. Vehicle movements and waste loads need their own route and traffic controls.

Falls, openings and access

Removing slabs, stairs, roofs and walls changes edge protection and access as the job proceeds. Show how each stage is accessed, which barriers remain, and the rescue arrangements if fall protection depends on equipment. Do not use damaged stairs or a floor whose capacity has not been confirmed. The SWMS must be reviewed when an access route disappears or a new opening is created.

Work-stage hold points and coordination

Consult the crew preparing and doing the work. Explain the sequence, hand signals, barriers and stop points in a pre-start briefing; keep the current SWMS available at the work location. When the work is not being carried out in accordance with the SWMS, stop the relevant work and review the controls before resuming. The principal contractor and other PCBUs must coordinate interfaces; one contractor's SWMS does not describe every public-protection or site-management duty.

Practical example: partial wall removal in an occupied building

A contractor proposes to remove part of an internal wall during a refurbishment. The wall's load-bearing role is unclear, services may pass through it, and the adjoining office remains occupied. The job is not released on the strength of a generic “demolition SWMS”. The project obtains structural review and any support design, confirms the service routes and isolations, checks asbestos information, defines the occupied-area boundary and emergency egress, then writes a staged step card for the approved method. If opening up reveals an unexpected beam or service, the crew stops and the engineer or service specialist reassesses. The example illustrates a decision process, not a design or safe sequence for a real building.

Approval and change record

The document owner should revise the SWMS when structural conditions, sequence, equipment, services, weather, public access or work area change. Keep earlier versions and approval evidence according to the applicable law and project system. A ticked table from last week should not be mistaken for approval of a newly exposed structure.

Link and product boundary

The existing Complys AU SWMS explanation owns the broad “when do I need a SWMS?” question. This page owns the demolition-specific fillable task. The observed AU SWMS software page is the money-page relationship, and the AU free-tools directory lists a general SWMS template builder. The current implementation must be checked before claiming any demolition template, engineered method approval, worker acknowledgement, versioning or PDF function. A safe post-verification CTA: Ask Complys to show how the current AU product could hold the approved demolition SWMS and its review records for the job. Software does not certify stability, clear asbestos or authorise demolition.

Source, claim, owner, link, product and writer-side QA register — 5 October 2026

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY. No live page or Complys repository was modified.