Demolition WHS Documents in Australian Capital Territory
Written to Australian Capital Territory legislation · delivered in about 4 minutes · free revision within 24h
A demolition starting on a Australian Capital Territory site is asked for a set of documents, not just a SWMS. This page covers the whole set: what each document is, who asks for it and when, and what happens if you turn up without it. WorkSafe ACT is the regulator here and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT) is the law each document has to be written against.
The WHS documents a demolition needs in Australian Capital Territory
- ✓ A site-specific SWMS for each high risk activity, cited to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT) (WHS Regulation 2011 (ACT) reg 299)
- ✓ A SWMS register indexing every document, version and review date
- ✓ High risk work licences and demolition trade licences recognised in Australian Capital Territory
- ✓ Safety Data Sheets for hazardous chemicals, and a chemical register
- ✓ Site induction record and daily sign-on / SWMS acknowledgement sheets
The SWMS a demolition usually needs
One SWMS per high risk construction work activity. The Trade SWMS Pack generates all of them, cited to Australian Capital Territory law:
- ✓ Demolition of load-bearing structures
- ✓ Internal strip-out of non-structural elements
- ✓ Service isolation and disconnection before demolition
- ✓ Mechanical demolition with excavator
- ✓ Manual demolition above 2 m
- ✓ Temporary propping and structural support
- ✓ Debris handling, chutes and exclusion zones
- ✓ Work in areas that may contain asbestos (identification and stop-work triggers)
The Australian Capital Territory law behind it
| Regulator | WorkSafe ACT |
| Principal Act | Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT) |
| Regulations | Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT) |
| Duty to prepare a SWMS | WHS Regulation 2011 (ACT) reg 299 |
| High risk construction work defined in | WHS Regulation 2011 (ACT) reg 291 |
The ACT carries a unique loose-fill asbestos ("Mr Fluffy") legacy affecting many older homes, so demolition and renovation SWMS in the territory should treat asbestos identification as a live risk before any work starts.
The ACT was the first Australian jurisdiction to create an industrial manslaughter offence, introduced in 2004, and it applies to a PCBU or officer whose conduct causes a worker's death. That is the enforcement backdrop your WHS document set has to stand up to on a Australian Capital Territory site.
The hazards these documents have to control
A demolition SWMS in Australian Capital Territory is judged on whether it names and controls the hazards the trade actually meets:
- ⚠ Unplanned structural collapse
- ⚠ Asbestos-containing materials
- ⚠ Live services (electrical, gas)
- ⚠ Falling debris and exclusion zones
- ⚠ Powered mobile plant
- ⚠ Silica and dust
The high risk work that triggers a demolition's SWMS
- ✓ Demolition of a load-bearing structure
- ✓ Work likely to disturb asbestos
- ✓ Structural alterations or repairs requiring temporary support
- ✓ Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
Every SWMS a demolition needs in Australian Capital Territory, in one go
The Trade SWMS Pack generates all 8 SWMS above from one questionnaire, cited to Australian Capital Territory law, plus the register, toolbox talks and sign-on sheets, for A$179.
See the Trade SWMS PackKeep exploring
Demolition WHS documents (all states)Demolition SWMS for ACTSWMS requirements by stateTrade SWMS Pack
Demolition WHS documents in other states: