Air Conditioning Installation SWMS
Split-system and ducted air conditioning installation including outdoor unit mounting, refrigerant line runs, electrical connections, and commissioning. Covers roof access, electrical isolation, and refrigerant handling.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Air conditioning installation work covers split-system and ducted units, encompassing outdoor condenser mounting at height, refrigerant line brazing and pressure testing, single-phase and three-phase electrical terminations, and final commissioning. The work routinely combines working at heights on roofs or wall brackets, live or recently-isolated electrical connections at 240V or 415V, handling of fluorinated refrigerants under pressure, and hot work during brazing operations. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4, electrical work on or near energised installations is classified as High Risk Construction Work (Schedule 1, Category 9), meaning a Safe Work Method Statement must be prepared, signed and available on site before work commences. Additional triggers arise from working at heights above two metres, use of plant, and confined roof-space entry. A SWMS is mandatory not optional — the PCBU must consult workers in its preparation, ensure compliance during the task, and retain the record for the project duration plus two years (or indefinitely if a notifiable incident occurs).
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Cardiac arrest, deep tissue burns, fatality; prosecutable Category 1 offence under WHS Act s31 for reckless conduct
Spinal injury, traumatic brain injury or fatality; leading cause of construction fatalities reported to Safe Work Australia
Asphyxiation in confined ceiling spaces, frostbite injuries, plus environmental penalties under Ozone Protection Act
Structural fire, smoke inhalation injuries, total loss of building; insurance void if hot work permit absent
Acute lumbar disc injury, shoulder rotator cuff tear, chronic musculoskeletal disorder requiring surgical intervention
Head injury, fractures, fatality to workers or public below; PCBU liable for exclusion zone failure
Asbestosis or mesothelioma latency exposure, fall through roof, electrocution from unmarked live cabling
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where feasible, specify ground-level or platform-mounted condensers at design stage to remove roof-edge work and eliminate fall-from-height exposure entirely.
- 2Elimination — De-energise and lock out the entire sub-board feeding the AC circuit before any terminal work; verify dead with a tested two-pole voltage indicator.
- 3Substitution — Use pre-flared and pre-charged refrigerant line sets (quick-connect) where compatible to eliminate site brazing and reduce hot-work and refrigerant-release exposure.
- 4Substitution — Replace oxy-acetylene brazing with induction brazing tools or low-temperature silver solder where joint specifications permit, reducing ignition risk.
- 5Engineering — Install temporary edge protection (guardrails to AS/NZS 4994.1) or use an EWP for outdoor unit placement above 2m rather than ladder-only access.
- 6Engineering — Use mechanical lifting aids (genie lifts, davit arms, telehandlers) for condenser units exceeding 25kg single-person lift threshold per Code of Practice.
- 7Administrative — Issue a hot work permit valid for the shift, post a fire watch for 60 minutes post-brazing, and confirm extinguisher within 5m of work area.
- 8Administrative — Verify ARCtick refrigerant handling licence currency for all personnel charging, recovering or breaking refrigerant circuits; record licence numbers on the SWMS.
- 9Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start briefing using this SWMS, establish 3m drop-zone exclusion below roof work with witches hats and spotter, and sign all workers on.
- 10PPE — Wear Class 0 electrical insulating gloves for terminal work, leather over-gloves for brazing, AS/NZS 1337 safety glasses, hard hat, and AS/NZS 1891 harness when within 2m of unprotected edge.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates SWMS preparation, worker consultation, on-site availability and stop-work obligation where controls are not implemented during electrical HRCW.
Governs isolation, testing, polarity verification and earth-continuity requirements for AC final sub-circuit connections at the outdoor unit.
Specifies safe charge limits, ventilation requirements for refrigerant class A2L (R32), and pressure-test procedures pre-commissioning.
Sets the hierarchy of fall controls applicable to roof-mounted condenser work above 2m and confined ceiling-space access.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Terminating 240V single-phase or 415V three-phase supply at the outdoor isolator and indoor head constitutes work on energised electrical services until verified isolated and tagged.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain the SWMS for project duration plus two years. Penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed; current maximum follows the prevailing WHS schedule and rises significantly for reckless Category 1 offences resulting in serious injury or death.
Who this is for
- →Licensed refrigeration mechanics installing residential split systems
- →HVAC subcontractors on commercial fit-out projects
- →Electrical contractors performing AC final connections
- →Facilities managers commissioning ducted system upgrades
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 two-storey townhouse retrofit, a refrigeration mechanic and electrical apprentice arrive to install a 7kW split system with the outdoor condenser mounted on a tiled roof at 4.2m. The supervisor opens this SWMS at the pre-start tailgate, walks through the seven hazards on the bonnet of the ute, and confirms today's specific controls: a scissor lift is hired in place of the originally-quoted extension ladder (engineering control over administrative), the meter-box main switch is locked out with a personal danger tag, and an ARCtick-licensed mechanic confirms his licence is current and recorded on the sign-on sheet. Both workers sign the SWMS, noting the 3m drop-zone below the eave will be coned off and a spotter posted while the 42kg condenser is lifted. Mid-task, the apprentice discovers unmarked active cabling in the ceiling void not shown on the as-built drawings. Per the SWMS stop-work clause, work pauses; the supervisor amends the document on-site to add 'unidentified live cabling — proven dead with two-pole tester before proceeding', both workers re-initial the amendment, and the cable is isolated at the sub-board before the line set is run. The SWMS is left visible in the meter box for the duration of the job.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical installations