Bariatric Ceiling Hoist Install SWMS

Bariatric ceiling-hoist installation is the work that fixes a ceiling-mounted bariatric patient hoist and its track or gantry to the engineered structural support, connects the electrical supply, and proof-load-tests and commissions the hoist. The dominant hazards are falls fixing the ceiling track or gantry at height, structural overload from inadequate fixing to the building structure that creates a later patient-fall risk, electric shock connecting the hoist drive and charger, stored energy or a falling load during the proof load-test, and a single-fault failure that allows the hoist to drop a load. This SWMS covers the hoist and track fixing, electrical connection and proof load-testing; it does not cover the structural design of the support, the building services beyond the connection, or the clinical use of the hoist, which are documented separately.

Under the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations adopted in each state and territory, this is high risk construction work because it is carried out where a person can fall more than two metres and on or near energised electrical services; Victoria operates the equivalent provisions under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017. The hoist follows AS/NZS ISO 10535 for the single-fault safety device, connection-point retention and rated capacity, of a minimum 120 kg plus the mass of any body-support equipment, the lifting and proof testing follow AS 1418.2 and AS 2550.1, and the supply and charger follow AS/NZS 3000; the hoist must be fixed to the engineered structural support with structural sign-off.

Failure to meet the primary duty of care is prosecuted under the Category 1 to 3 offences in the Work Health and Safety Act (and the equivalent provisions in Victoria's Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004), with maximum penalties indexed in most jurisdictions, imprisonment available for individuals, and a separate industrial manslaughter offence; current figures follow the prevailing penalty schedule of the responsible state regulator. This document is structured to satisfy the safe work method statement content requirements of the harmonised regulations and documents a controlled fixing and proof test.

Hazards identified

10 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Engineering: Use a scaffold or elevating work platform with edge protection to fix the ceiling track or gantry, with a fall-arrest harness where a residual fall risk remains.
2. 2Elimination: Fix only to the support engineered for the rated load, with structural-engineer sign-off and a proof load-test confirming the fixing before use.
3. 3Elimination: Isolate and lock out before connecting the hoist drive and charger, test before touch, and use a licensed electrician under permit; use insulated tools.
4. 4Engineering: Use mechanical aids for the track, gantry and motor at height, with multi-person handling and an exclusion; wear gloves and footwear.
5. 5Engineering: Use rated test weights, with an exclusion zone below and a controlled test to AS 1418.2 and AS 2550.1; persons clear of the load wear a hard hat.
6. 6Engineering: Verify the single-fault safety device and connection-point retention to AS/NZS ISO 10535 before use, confirming the hoist cannot drop a load on a single fault.
7. 7Engineering: Use debris containment, with exclusion below and tool lanyards; persons below wear a hard hat.
8. 8Engineering: Deburr the track and brackets and handle safely; wear cut-resistant gloves.
9. 9Elimination: Locate and isolate services and use a cable scanner before drilling into the slab or structure, working under permit; use insulated tools.
10. 10Engineering: Keep access clear with housekeeping; wear safety footwear.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A hoist installer is fixing a ceiling-mounted bariatric patient hoist and its track to the building structure, connecting the drive and charger, and proof-load-testing the system before it is handed over. The work is high risk construction work because it is carried out at a height where a person can fall more than two metres and on or near energised electrical services, so the installer builds the safe work method statement around the structural anchorage, the proof load-test, the single-fault safety device and work at height. The track and gantry are fixed from a scaffold or elevating work platform with edge protection, debris containment and tool lanyards, and the heavy track, gantry and motor are handled with mechanical aids and multi-person handling at height. The single most important control protects the future patient: the hoist is fixed only to the support engineered for the rated load, with a structural-engineer sign-off, because an inadequate fixing would create a later patient-fall risk under a bariatric load. Before any drilling, concealed services in the slab or structure are located and isolated with a cable scanner, and the drive and charger are connected only after isolation and lock-out by a licensed electrician who tests before touch. The hoist is then proof-load-tested with rated test weights to AS 1418.2 and AS 2550.1, with an exclusion zone below and a controlled test, and the single-fault safety device and connection-point retention are verified to AS/NZS ISO 10535 so the hoist cannot drop a load on a single fault. The rated capacity is confirmed at a minimum of 120 kilograms plus the mass of any body-support equipment. Workers sign on to the statement before starting, the structural sign-off and proof-load-test records are kept, and the signed statement is held on site for the responsible state regulator.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (harmonised; enacted in all states and territories except Victoria, which applies the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004), s.19 — Primary duty of care to workers and to other persons at or near the workplace
• Harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations, section 291 — Defines high risk construction work (Victoria: Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, Part 5.1)
• Harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations, section 299 — Content and review requirements for a safe work method statement for high risk construction work (Victoria: regulation 327; Tasmania: regulation 312)
• Harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations, Part 4.4 — Managing the risk of falls (work above two metres; Victoria applies the equivalent provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017)
• Harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations, Part 4.7 — Electrical safety: the prohibition on energised electrical work except where de-energising is not reasonably practicable and the prescribed conditions are met (Victoria applies the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 and state electrical-safety legislation)
• Harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations — Plant and structures: the hoist must be fixed to the engineered structural support with structural sign-off, and proof-tested and verified before use

Frequently asked questions