CCTV Drain Inspection SWMS
CCTV drain inspection involves inserting a camera into sewer and stormwater pipelines to assess condition, locate blockages, identify root intrusion, and confirm joint integrity. The work typically in
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
CCTV drain inspection covers the inspection of drains and sewers using remote cameras to locate blockages, defects, root intrusion and structural problems without excavation. It is a no-dig technique that, by design, removes most of the need to enter drainage structures, but it still carries hazards: the biological hazards of working with sewers and contaminated water, the potential for entry into maintenance holes or pits to insert or recover equipment, traffic and surface hazards where access is in roads or trafficked areas, and the manual handling of camera crawlers and cabling. This document is written on the basis that CCTV inspection is carried out by competent operators using no-entry methods wherever possible, with biological-hazard and, where entry is required, confined-space controls.
CCTV inspection is plumbing and drainage work carried out in connection with the sanitary plumbing and drainage standard, and is widely used precisely because it allows the condition of a drain to be assessed from the surface without entry. Where access to a maintenance hole or pit is required to insert or recover the camera, the confined spaces Code of Practice applies, and where access is in a road or trafficked area the traffic-management controls apply. This document coordinates the no-entry, biological-hazard, confined-space and traffic controls so the inspection is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Infection and illness from contact with contaminated camera equipment and water
Oxygen deficiency, toxic atmosphere and restricted egress where entry is required
Being struck by traffic where the access point is on a road
Musculoskeletal injury from heavy and awkward inspection equipment
Splash and contamination from flow while inspecting the drain
Electric shock where powered equipment is used in wet drainage conditions
Fall and impact injury around open access points and trailing cables
Exposure to foul or contaminated air at the open access point
Musculoskeletal and crush injury lifting covers to access the drain
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: inspect by no-entry remote camera from the surface wherever possible, so workers do not enter the drainage structure at all.
- 2Administrative: where entry into a maintenance hole or pit is required to insert or recover equipment, apply the confined space entry permit, atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby and rescue controls to the confined spaces Code of Practice.
- 3Administrative: where the access point is in a road or trafficked area, apply traffic-management controls — signage, barriers and a traffic plan — to separate workers from traffic.
- 4Administrative: manage the biological hazard with hygiene controls, washing facilities, gloves and protective clothing, decontamination of equipment, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated.
- 5Engineering: use mechanical aids to lift heavy maintenance-hole covers and to handle camera crawlers, reels and cabling, controlling manual handling and crush risk.
- 6Engineering: protect powered inspection equipment against the wet environment with appropriate electrical protection, and control trailing cables to prevent trips.
- 7Administrative: control flow and surcharge during the inspection and ventilate at the access point where foul or contaminated air is released.
- 8Administrative: ensure the work is carried out and certified by an appropriately licensed plumber or gasfitter under the relevant state or territory plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with a compliance certificate issued where required.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001) before entering any construction workplace, with the plumbing, gasfitting and any confined space competencies and licences required for the work.
- 10Administrative: conduct a daily pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, isolations, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 11Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 12PPE: eye protection to AS/NZS 1337.1, hearing protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 13Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The sanitary plumbing and drainage standard for the drainage system being inspected.
Atmospheric testing, ventilation, entry permit and rescue controls where the work involves entry into a confined drainage structure.
Traffic management and the work environment where the inspection access is in a road or trafficked area.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
Selection, fit testing and use of respiratory protection where dust, fumes or atmospheric hazards require it for the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Where CCTV inspection requires entry into a maintenance hole or pit that may have a contaminated atmosphere, the work is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is licensed plumbing or gasfitting work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — in or near a confined space — so a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences, kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary, and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. The work is carried out to the relevant AS/NZS 3500 plumbing and drainage standards and, where gas is involved, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, which are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, with the excavation, confined space or work-at-height controls applied as relevant. A failure in this work can cause serious injury or harm to the water supply or the public, and breaches of the plumbing and gas legislation and the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act are actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct, and the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Plumbers and drainage contractors inspecting drains and sewers by camera.
- →CCTV inspection operators assessing drain condition and defects.
- →Plumbing businesses providing no-dig drain inspection services.
- →Asset owners and PCBUs commissioning drain condition assessments.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the no-entry, biological-hazard and traffic controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site address, project name, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the cctv drain inspection hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓No-entry inspection prompts, a confined-space entry section where access is required, a traffic-management section for road access, and a biological-hazard and equipment-decontamination section.
- ✓Licensing and compliance-certificate prompts for the relevant plumbing and gasfitting scheme, and a respiratory protection selection and fit-test record per AS/NZS 1715 where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A drainage contractor is engaged to inspect a length of sewer by CCTV to locate a suspected root intrusion, with the access maintenance hole located in a road. The inspection is carried out by remote camera from the surface so no entry is required. Because the access point is in a road, traffic-management controls — signage, barriers and a traffic plan — are set up to separate the crew from traffic. The heavy maintenance-hole cover is lifted using a mechanical aid, and the camera crawler, reel and cabling are handled with mechanical aids to control manual handling. The biological hazard is managed with gloves, protective clothing, washing facilities and decontamination of the equipment, with no eating or drinking until decontaminated, and the access point is ventilated where foul air is released. Powered equipment is protected against the wet conditions and trailing cables are controlled. The inspection identifies the root intrusion and its location, the crew decontaminates the equipment on completion, and the records and inspection footage are retained.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — Section 291 high risk construction work and the SWMS preparation and review duties, and the confined space and excavation provisions where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The relevant plumbing and drainage standards AS/NZS 3500 (Parts 0–5), AS/NZS 1547 for on-site wastewater, and, for gas, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, together with the requirements of the relevant network utility or authority.
- Plumbing and gasfitting work is licensed under each state and territory's plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with compliance certification required for notifiable work.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the high risk construction work, confined space and excavation provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What is CCTV drain inspection?
CCTV drain inspection uses remote cameras to inspect the inside of drains and sewers and locate blockages, defects, root intrusion and structural problems without excavation. It is a no-dig technique that allows the condition of a drain to be assessed from the surface, which by design removes most of the need to enter drainage structures.
Does CCTV inspection require entry into the drain?
Usually not — the inspection is carried out by remote camera from the surface wherever possible, so workers do not enter the drainage structure. Where entry into a maintenance hole or pit is required to insert or recover equipment, the confined space entry permit, atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby and rescue controls apply, and the work is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS.
What traffic controls apply where the access is in a road?
Where the access point is in a road or trafficked area, traffic-management controls — signage, barriers and a traffic plan — are set up to separate the crew from traffic, because being struck by a vehicle is a serious hazard at a road access point. The traffic controls are in place before the cover is lifted and the inspection begins.
What biological hazards apply to CCTV inspection?
The camera equipment and the access point are exposed to sewage and contaminated water, so contact carries infection risk. Gloves, protective clothing, washing facilities, decontamination of the equipment on completion, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated manage that hazard, with ventilation at the access point where foul air is released.
How are heavy maintenance-hole covers handled?
Maintenance-hole covers are heavy and lifting them manually carries musculoskeletal and crush risk, so mechanical lifting aids are used to lift and replace them. Mechanical aids are also used to handle the camera crawler, reels and cabling, controlling the manual handling involved in setting up and recovering the inspection equipment.