All you need to know about SWMS for the electrotechnology industry

The Australian government takes the health and safety of workers in potentially dangerous environments very seriously. Organisations that work in the electromagnetic industry need to understand their regulatory burden, not just for the safety of their employees, but also in meeting their regulatory requirements. A key document for all employers in meeting this regulatory requirements is known as the SWMS.

The Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is for any task that meets one of 18 activities that the Australian government considers to be “high risk”. These range from the use of explosives, through to work on or near energised electoral installations or services, work in a confined space, and work around chemicals, gas, or flammable material (for the full list of high-risk activities, visit the Safe Work Australia website). If your business works in areas with activities that involve high-risk work, you’ll need to complete a SWMS for that project.

What is involved in writing an SWMS?

SWMS documents need to be constructed in collaboration with every stakeholder in the project, as project leaders through to workers need to be aware of the identified high risks, and the best practices in mitigating against those risks. These documents should lay out clearly the audited risk assessment of a project and environment, and the steps that the organisation commits to in order to mitigate against them.

The benefit to making use of NECA SWMS documents is that you get the peace of mind that the templates have been drafted by a true expert. Owen Leslie is an electrical safety expert with a Diploma in WHS, and has been honoured with the WHS Champion award from Hunter Safety Awards. These documents that Leslie drafts have been written in close consultation with Safety Regulators, Electrical Network distributors, Construction companies and Electrical contractors, so by investing in them you gain access to robust and precise documents that recognise the common needs that specific verticals need of the SWMS.

What are the benefits of sourcing SWMS for electricians from NECA?

Drafting up an SWMS from scratch can be a time consuming, expensive proposition. With NECA, you get the launching pad that you need that will save you and your organisation time and money, while remaining fully compliant to your safety regulations. The process is simple; you drop into our folder creator tool and select the documents that you want from the NECASafe library, attach your logo and a few other details. We will then quote, print and deliver the folders. That quote is completely free, so you have full transparency in the costs involved ahead of time.

Important Disclaimer Information

The documents in this pack are not aimed to meet all of your legislative requirements, but assist you in establishing an initial Safe Work Method Statement framework that can be built upon over time.

In NECA Generic SWMSs, we wish to draw your attention to your responsibilities as a person conducting a business undertaking (PCBU), you are responsible for reviewing and implementing the NECA Generic SWMS into your own safety management system. As the PCBU, you must ensure that a safe work method statement (SWMS) are suitable or amended prepared prior to commencing any high-risk construction work, and that the work is done in accordance with the SWMS, which must be kept for the duration of the work.

Other responsibilities include:

• A PCBU must also ensure that workers have received induction and consultation of the Generic SWMS before undertaking any construction work, and a site induction before commencing work on a specific site.
• A PCBU must ensure that Generic SWMS are to be reviewed, and revised if necessary, if the high-risk construction work changes or if there is any reason to believe that risk control measures are not adequate.
• NECA Does not guarantee that supplied Generic SWMS will pass all principal contractor or builders SWMS review process. Amendments may need to be made to suit principal contractor or builder requirements. * Amendments can be made by NECA for additional cost.
• The National Electrical and Communications Association, its employees, officers and agents do not accept any liability for the results of any action taken in reliance upon, based on or in connection with NECA Generic SWMS.  To the extent legally possible, the National Electrical and Communications Association, its employees, officers and agents disclaim all liability arising by any breach of any duty in tort (including negligent mis-statement) or as a result of any errors or omissions contained in these document