Termite Treatment SWMS
Chemical termite treatment — soil drenching, reticulation system install, baiting program, foam injection. Covers chemical handling per AS 3660.1, drill-and-inject through slab perimeter, bait station install.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Chemical termite treatment combines soil drenching, reticulation system installation, in-ground and above-ground baiting programs, foam injection into wall cavities, and drill-and-inject work through concrete slab perimeters. Operators handle Schedule 6 and Schedule 7 termiticides including fipronil, imidacloprid and bifenthrin formulations, often in confined sub-floor voids or against active slab penetrations. The work triggers WHS Regulation 2025 Chapter 6 construction work duties because drilling through structural slabs and trenching against footings constitutes construction work, and Chapter 7 hazardous chemical duties apply to every termiticide concentrate decanted on site. A documented SWMS is mandatory before work commences because chemical exposure pathways, dangerous goods quantities, and structural drilling each independently engage Schedule 1 high-risk construction work categories. The SWMS must be developed in consultation with technicians, kept available for inspection, and reviewed whenever the chemical, substrate or application method changes.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Acute neurotoxicity, dermatitis, chronic endocrine effects, and PCBU breach of WHS Reg s371 hazardous chemical duties
Electrocution, scalding, structural water damage, and notifiable incident under WHS Act s37 reporting obligations
Silicosis, accelerated lung function decline, lung cancer, and breach of workplace exposure standard 0.05 mg/m³
Asphyxiation, vapour intoxication, loss of consciousness, and inability to self-rescue from restricted crawl space
Environmental prosecution under state EPA Act, APVMA label breach, and third-party property damage liability
Lumbar disc injury, shoulder rotator cuff damage, and lost-time claims under workers compensation legislation
Chemical conjunctivitis, corneal burns, systemic absorption, and First Aid Code of Practice trigger for eyewash access
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Specify physical termite barriers (stainless mesh, graded stone) at design stage on new builds to remove chemical application entirely where AS 3660.1 permits.
- 2Elimination — Prohibit drilling within 300 mm of marked electrical, gas or hydronic services until services are isolated, located by GPR scan, and de-energised.
- 3Substitution — Select lower-toxicity termiticide actives (chlorantraniliprole over fipronil) and ready-to-use formulations to eliminate on-site concentrate decanting wherever label and AS 3660.1 allow.
- 4Substitution — Use baiting program with in-ground stations in lieu of full perimeter soil drench where colony elimination objectives can be met under AS 3660.2.
- 5Engineering — Fit on-tool HEPA dust extraction (M-class minimum) to all rotary hammer drills to control respirable silica below the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard.
- 6Engineering — Install closed-transfer decanting couplings and bunded mixing trays sized to 110% of largest container to contain spills per AS 3780 dangerous goods storage.
- 7Administrative — Conduct pre-start SWMS sign-on, verify SDS for each chemical on the truck, log batch numbers, and consult AS 3660.1 application rates before mixing.
- 8Administrative — Implement permit-to-work for sub-floor entry including atmospheric testing (O₂, LEL, VOC) and standby person communications per AS 2865 confined space.
- 9PPE — Wear chemical-resistant nitrile gauntlets, Type 4/5 coverall, half-face respirator with A1P2 cartridge, and indirect-vent chemical goggles during mixing and application.
- 10PPE — Carry portable eyewash (minimum 1 L sterile saline) and emergency decontamination kit on every vehicle, accessible within 10 seconds of the work face.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Prescribes chemical application rates, barrier continuity, and durable notice requirements that the SWMS must reference for every soil and reticulation treatment.
Governs inspection, baiting station spacing and remedial chemical treatment methodology — directly drives the task sequence in this SWMS.
Triggers WHS Reg Chapter 7 duties for register, manifest, placarding, induction and health monitoring whenever Schedule 14 chemicals exceed threshold quantities.
Sub-floor voids meeting the confined space definition require entry permit, atmospheric monitoring and stand-by arrangements before termiticide application proceeds.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Bulk termiticide concentrates carried on the treatment vehicle and decanted on site fall under Schedule 11 manifest quantities, triggering chemical exposure controls.
On-truck storage and transfer of termiticide dangerous goods alongside powered drilling plant during slab perimeter injection meets the Category 17 criterion.
PCBU must prepare the SWMS in consultation with workers, provide it to the principal contractor before work starts, and retain it for two years; penalties for Category 1 reckless conduct are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Licensed pest management technicians performing termite treatments
- →Pre-construction termite barrier installers on residential builds
- →Commercial pest control supervisors managing chemical handling crews
- →Building surveyors verifying AS 3660 treatment compliance
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 suburban townhouse retrofit, a technician arrives to perform a perimeter drench plus drill-and-inject treatment around a 38-metre slab edge using a fipronil-based termiticide. At the pre-start brief on the driveway, the technician opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the homeowner's builder through each high-priority hazard. The drilling sequence is checked against the SWMS service-strike control — a GPR scan locates a hydronic heating loop 220 mm inside the planned drill line, so the drill pattern is offset and the change recorded in the daily log. The technician confirms the M-class extracted rotary hammer is on the truck, fits A1P2 cartridges, and lays bunded mixing trays on the lawn away from a rainwater downpipe identified during the environmental walk. Both workers sign the SWMS sign-on sheet. Mid-task, a sudden wind shift creates spray drift toward an open kitchen window; under the administrative control prompt the technician pauses work, closes the window with the occupant, and notes the stop-work decision on the SWMS amendment field before resuming. At completion, the durable AS 3660.1 treatment notice is fixed inside the meter box, batch numbers are recorded, and the signed SWMS is uploaded to the company register for the two-year retention period.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals CoP; APVMA registered product label requirements