Asbestos Drilling Holes (Controlled) SWMS
Controlled drilling of holes into bonded asbestos material covers wet-drilling technique, water trap to capture residue, P3 respiratory protection, isolated work area, asbestos-trained operator (ARO) requirement, and SafeWork notification for Class B work.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Controlled drilling into bonded (non-friable) asbestos-containing material (ACM) is a Class B licensed asbestos removal-adjacent activity routinely undertaken during services penetrations, fixing of new fixtures, or sampling on buildings constructed prior to 31 December 2003. Even bonded ACM such as fibre cement sheet, vinyl tiles, or compressed asbestos gaskets will release respirable airborne fibres when mechanically disturbed, and drilling without specified wet-method and capture controls routinely exceeds the 0.1 f/mL workplace exposure standard set under WHS Regulation 2025 r420. Because the work involves disturbance of ACM and falls within High Risk Construction Work under Schedule 1, a Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before any drill bit contacts the substrate. This SWMS documents the wet-drilling technique, residue capture using a shaving foam or paste trap, exclusion zoning, P3 respiratory protection, ARO competency requirements, and the SafeWork regulator notification pathway needed to lawfully complete the task and protect the operator, adjacent workers, and building occupants from latent mesothelioma and asbestosis risk.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Inhalation causing mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung carcinoma with 20-40 year latency and no curative treatment available
Airborne fibre concentrations exceed 0.1 f/mL exposure standard, contaminating worker breathing zone and surrounding surfaces
Secondary exposure to other trades, family members via take-home fibres, and requirement for Class A decontamination response
Fibre breakthrough into mask interior delivering inhalation dose despite worker believing they are protected
Cardiac arrest, severe burns, or fatality compounded by wet-method water presence increasing conductivity
Untrained persons exposed to airborne fibres, breach of WHS Reg r419 signage duty, and regulator enforcement action
Environmental contamination, EPA prosecution, and breach of asbestos waste tracking requirements under state regulations
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where feasible, relocate the fixing point to non-ACM substrate or specify pre-drilled proprietary penetrations to remove the need to drill ACM entirely
- 2Elimination — Confirm via the asbestos register and bulk sample analysis whether the material is genuinely ACM before any drilling; if non-ACM, this SWMS is not required
- 3Substitution — Replace rotary drilling with hand-operated cordless screw fixing using self-tapping screws rated for fibre cement to reduce fibre liberation energy
- 4Substitution — Substitute high-speed corded drills with low-rpm cordless drills (under 800 rpm) which generate substantially less airborne dust per penetration
- 5Engineering — Apply shaving cream, wallpaper paste, or proprietary asbestos drilling paste over the drill point to capture slurry and prevent fibre release during bit withdrawal
- 6Engineering — Use a fitted water trap or HEPA H-class vacuum shroud held against the substrate to capture residue at the source per Code of Practice 5.4
- 7Administrative — Restrict task to a competent Asbestos Removal Operator (ARO) holding current Class B licence training and documented annual asbestos awareness refresher
- 8Administrative — Establish a 3-metre exclusion zone with asbestos warning signage, barricade tape, and signed entry log; notify SafeWork regulator 5 days before licensed work
- 9PPE — Issue disposable Type 5/6 coveralls, gloves taped to cuffs, and disposable overboots; double-bag and dispose as asbestos waste at completion under EPA waste codes
- 10PPE — Fit-tested P3 half-face or powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) worn for the entire task duration including decontamination phase per AS/NZS 1715:2009
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates licensed removalist requirement, exposure standard of 0.1 f/mL, air monitoring, control plans, and 5-day SafeWork notification for Class B work
Section 5.4 prescribes wet-method drilling, paste capture technique, and decontamination sequence directly applicable to this controlled drilling task
Specifies fit-testing methodology, P3 filter selection criteria, and maintenance regime mandatory for the respirator worn during this drilling activity
Requires consultation of the asbestos register before drilling, updating the register post-task, and labelling residual ACM under sections 3 and 4
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Drilling mechanically disturbs the bonded asbestos matrix, liberating respirable fibres directly into the operator breathing zone and triggering Schedule 1 item 10
Asbestos fibre is classified as a Category 1A carcinogen under the GHS, and the disturbed material constitutes use of a hazardous chemical during the task
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain this SWMS for the project duration plus 2 years post-incident; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed annually under the prevailing WHS penalty schedule
Who this is for
- →Licensed Class B asbestos removalists and AROs
- →Maintenance electricians drilling pre-2004 fibre cement eaves
- →Plumbers penetrating asbestos cement walls for services
- →Facilities managers overseeing minor ACM disturbance works
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 regional Australian primary school refurbishment, a licensed ARO is tasked with installing four new wall-mounted whiteboards onto a 1978-era classroom partition confirmed by the asbestos register as bonded fibre cement sheet containing chrysotile. At the 7:00 am pre-start brief held at the site amenities, the supervisor opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the two-person crew through each row of the hazard register. The operator identifies that concealed cabling is a credible risk in this wall, so the team adds a cable scanner check to the engineering controls step and initials the amendment. They confirm the shaving cream paste, water spray bottle, P3 PAPR units (fit-test certificates dated within 12 months), and 200-micron asbestos waste bags are on site. The exclusion zone is set at 3 metres with signage, and classroom occupants are relocated. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on register acknowledging they understand the wet-drilling sequence and the decontamination order. Mid-task, the operator notices the paste is drying faster than expected due to ambient heat; following the SWMS during-task review trigger, work stops, the supervisor authorises reapplication of paste between every second hole, and the change is noted on the SWMS field amendment log before drilling resumes. Post-task, clearance inspection and air monitoring results are attached to the SWMS record.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace CoP