Temporary Electrical Services Decommission SWMS
Removal and decommissioning of temporary builders supply, distribution boards, festoon lighting and tradesman outlets at project completion. Includes isolation, tagging, dismantling, and reinstatement of permanent supply.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Decommissioning temporary electrical services at construction project completion involves the systematic removal of builders supply mains, temporary distribution boards (TDBs), festoon lighting circuits, tradesman power outlets and associated submains, followed by changeover to the permanent installation. The work routinely exposes licensed electrical workers to live conductors, stored capacitive energy, working-at-height risks during overhead festoon removal, and the hazards of dismantling weathered or damaged temporary infrastructure. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4, this scope is classified as High Risk Construction Work because it involves work on or near energised electrical installations and frequently occurs adjacent to operating switchboards still energised from the network. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences, must be prepared in consultation with the workers performing the task, and must remain accessible on site for the duration of the activity. This SWMS addresses isolation verification, lock-out/tag-out (LOTO), conductor discharge, structural dismantling and reinstatement sequencing in compliance with AS/NZS 3012 and AS/NZS 4836.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Electric shock, cardiac arrest, severe arc burns, fatality, and Category 1 prosecution of the PCBU and electrical worker
Third-degree burns to face and hands, blast lung injury, hearing loss, permanent disability and lost-time injury claim
Fractures, spinal injury, traumatic brain injury or fatality from falls exceeding two metres onto hard surfaces
Delayed electric shock causing ventricular fibrillation up to several minutes after apparent isolation of the circuit
Shock through tool contact, RCD trip cascades de-energising critical permanent loads, and downstream equipment damage
Lumbar disc injury, crush injuries to hands and feet, and chronic musculoskeletal disorder workers compensation claims
Parallel feed back-energisation, asset damage, regulatory breach of network service rules and possible prosecution
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where practicable, schedule complete network disconnection at the point of supply by the distribution network service provider before any onsite dismantling commences, removing all live work exposure.
- 2Elimination — Remove festoon lighting catenaries by lowering the entire run to ground level using rigging before disconnection, eliminating any working-at-height electrical task.
- 3Substitution — Replace direct hand disconnection of TDB tails with remote racking or hot-stick operated isolation devices rated to AS/NZS 4836 for the prevailing fault level.
- 4Engineering — Install a dedicated isolation point upstream of the temporary main switch with visible break, padlock provision and integrated voltage indicator compliant with AS/NZS 3012 Clause 2.
- 5Engineering — Use insulated mats, barriers and arc-rated screens around adjacent live permanent switchboards to prevent inadvertent encroachment into exclusion zones defined in AS/NZS 4836 Table 4.1.
- 6Administrative — Implement a formal LOTO permit with multi-lock hasps, personal danger tags, and a documented isolation register signed by the licensed electrical worker and site supervisor.
- 7Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start briefing using this SWMS, confirm DNSP coordination, verify capacitor discharge times, and rehearse emergency rescue and CPR response procedures.
- 8Administrative — Restrict the work to licensed electrical workers holding current refresher training in low-voltage rescue and CPR within the previous twelve months per AS/NZS 4836.
- 9PPE — Mandate Category 2 arc-rated coveralls (minimum 8 cal/cm²), Class 0 insulated gloves with leather over-gloves, AS/NZS 1337 arc-rated face shield and AS/NZS 2210 safety footwear.
- 10PPE — Provide insulated hand tools rated 1000V AC to IEC 60900, voltage detector tested before and after use, and AS/NZS 1801 hard hat with chinstrap for all elevated work.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates isolation procedures, RCD protection, inspection regimes and signage for temporary supplies — directly governs the decommissioning sequence and verification testing.
Prescribes exclusion zones, test-before-touch protocol, LOTO requirements and competency for the licensed worker performing isolation and disconnection.
Triggers the SWMS preparation, consultation and review duties for High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4 Division 2.
Provides the risk management framework for unsafe electrical equipment, energised work justification and the duty to de-energise where reasonably practicable.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Decommissioning requires disconnection at the supply side of temporary mains while adjacent permanent switchboards, network pillars and submains remain energised throughout the changeover sequence.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain this SWMS for the project duration plus any incident period; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Licensed electrical contractors decommissioning construction temporary supplies
- →Principal contractors on commercial and high-rise project closeout
- →Electrical supervisors coordinating DNSP changeover and permanent energisation
- →Site managers running multi-trade demobilisation on civil infrastructure projects
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
On a mid-rise apartment project nearing practical completion, the electrical leading hand pulls this SWMS at the 6:30am pre-start brief in the site shed. The crew of three licensed electrical workers walks through the hazard register on page two, with the leading hand specifically calling out the arc flash risk on the basement TDB feeding the tower crane subcircuit, which still carries residual capacitive energy from the variable speed drive starter. Workers sign on, acknowledging the LOTO sequence and the requirement for Category 2 arc-rated PPE. The supervisor confirms the network operator has issued the access permit and that the permanent main switchboard changeover is scheduled for 10:00am with the commissioning electrician on standby. Mid-task, an unexpected issue arises: the festoon lighting on level 3 is still drawing load because a tradesman left a temporary heater connected. The leading hand stops work, returns to the SWMS, and applies the administrative control requiring a full walk-down before isolation. The heater is unplugged, the circuit is retested with the voltage indicator, and a tag is added to the isolation register. The SWMS is annotated with the deviation, re-signed by the crew, and work resumes safely. The completed document is filed with the project safety records on completion.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical installations