Asbestos-Containing Material Demolition SWMS
NSW — Asbestos-Containing Material Demolition. Full task scope, hazards and controls to be authored to Phase 1 standard.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Demolition of a structure that contains asbestos is among the most heavily regulated work in Australian construction, because it combines two independently high-risk activities — structural demolition and the disturbance of asbestos — on the same site at the same time. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before the work begins: the work is high risk construction work under the Work Health and Safety Regulation, and licensed asbestos removal carries its own statutory duties for notification, air monitoring and clearance. The hazard that drives the document is respirable asbestos fibre, which is released whenever asbestos-containing material is cut, broken, dropped or demolished, and which causes mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer with no safe exposure threshold. Layered over that are the structural risks of bringing a building down in a controlled sequence, service strikes, confined-space conditions in basements and voids, and the public-protection duty to prevent off-site fibre transport. This SWMS sequences the project so that all licensed asbestos removal and a Clearance Certificate are completed before the asbestos-free structure is demolished, and it allocates the distinct roles of the licensed asbestos removalist, the Licensed Asbestos Assessor and the demolition contractor. It is supplied in eight jurisdiction editions; each cites its own Act, Regulation and regulator, while the nationally harmonised asbestos provisions (register 425, management plan 429, notification 466, clearance 473/474, air monitoring 475, Class A/B licensing 485/487) are common across the harmonised states. It supports licensed work — it does not replace the licence.
Hazards identified
8 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer; no safe exposure threshold (air monitoring trigger 0.01 f/mL, reg 475)
Crush fatality and burial of workers in the collapse zone
Uncontrolled fibre release and unprotected worker exposure
Fall fatality or serious injury
Community asbestos exposure and a notifiable environmental incident
Asphyxiation or collapse requiring rescue
Electrocution, fire or explosion
Spread of contamination beyond the asbestos removal area
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Sequence the works so all licensed asbestos removal and clearance are completed before any demolition of the asbestos-free structure begins, removing the fibre source before structural demolition energy is introduced
- 2Substitution — Keep asbestos-containing material intact and thoroughly wetted for removal in whole pieces rather than breaking or mechanically demolishing it in place
- 3Engineering — Continuous fine-droplet wetting of all asbestos-containing material before and during disturbance to suppress fibre at source
- 4Engineering — HEPA-filtered negative-pressure enclosure for friable work, maintaining a minimum of 4 air changes per hour and smoke-tested before use
- 5Engineering — Three-stage personal decontamination unit and a separate plant/waste decontamination route
- 6Administrative — Pre-demolition asbestos audit by a Licensed Asbestos Assessor with intrusive sampling of all suspect materials before work starts
- 7Administrative — Regulator notification at least 5 working days before licensed removal; demolition notification under reg 142 as applicable
- 8Administrative — Independent air monitoring by the Licensed Asbestos Assessor throughout friable removal, with a Clearance Certificate before structural demolition
- 9PPE — Class A friable: air-line respirator or full-face PAPR (P3); Class B non-friable: full-face PAPR (P3 minimum)
- 10PPE — Category 3 Type 5/6 disposable coveralls, taped at cuffs and ankles, single-use and disposed of as asbestos waste
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets the duties for the asbestos register, management plan and identification that precede demolition
Governs licensed removal method, decontamination, air monitoring and clearance
Governs the structural demolition sequence and exclusion zones
Mandatory reference for demolition planning and method
Identification of asbestos in sampled materials
Selection, fit-testing and use of respiratory protection
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Demolition of load-bearing elements of the structure is the core activity.
The structure contains asbestos that is disturbed during removal and demolition.
Temporary support is required to prevent premature collapse during staged demolition.
Basements, ducts and voids may hold contaminated or flammable atmospheres.
Excavators and demolition plant move within the work area throughout.
Who this is for
- →Licensed demolition contractors undertaking demolition of asbestos-containing structures
- →Class A and Class B licensed asbestos removalists
- →Principal contractors (PCBUs) coordinating multi-licensed demolition sites
- →Licensed Asbestos Assessors verifying clearance
- →Site and project managers responsible for the demolition program
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
At 6:30 am on a Tuesday, a crew from Kestrel Demolition mobilises to a two-storey commercial building scheduled for deconstruction. The pre-demolition asbestos audit has flagged friable pipe lagging in the basement plant room and bonded cement sheet to the eaves. The supervisor confirms the regulator notification was lodged six working days earlier and walks the exclusion zone before anyone enters. The basement is treated as a confined space: the atmosphere is tested, mechanical ventilation is set up, and a negative-pressure enclosure is built around the lagging. A Class A removalist wets and removes the friable material in intact sections while the Licensed Asbestos Assessor runs continuous air monitoring; results stay below 0.01 f/mL. By mid-afternoon the bonded sheeting is removed under Class B controls, all waste is double-bagged and labelled, and workers pass through the three-stage decontamination unit. Only once the Assessor issues the Clearance Certificate the following morning does the excavator begin structural demolition of the now asbestos-free frame, working top-down to the engineered sequence with a spotter managing the powered-plant exclusion zone.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Asbestos — National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management
- How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice
Frequently asked questions
Is demolition of a structure containing asbestos high risk construction work?
Yes, and it stacks more section 291 categories than almost any other job. Demolition of load-bearing elements engages section 291(c). The disturbance of asbestos engages section 291(d). Temporary support required to prevent premature collapse during staged demolition engages section 291(e). Basements, ducts and voids that may hold a contaminated or flammable atmosphere engage section 291(l). Excavators and demolition plant moving through the work area engage section 291(o). Section 299 makes the SWMS mandatory. Licensed asbestos removal then carries its own separate statutory duties for notification, air monitoring and clearance, which sit on top of the SWMS rather than being satisfied by it.
Does buying this document let my crew remove the asbestos?
No. Asbestos removal is licensed work, and this document supports that work rather than replacing the licence. Friable material requires a Class A licence; non-friable bonded material requires Class B. The removal itself is performed under its own asbestos removal control plan by the licensed removalist, with a Licensed Asbestos Assessor engaged independently for air monitoring and clearance. What the SWMS does is sequence the project, allocate the distinct roles of removalist, assessor and demolition contractor, and control the demolition work around the removal. If your crew is not licensed for the class of material present, you engage someone who is.
Can demolition start while asbestos removal is still underway?
No, and this sequencing is the central control in the document. All licensed asbestos removal is completed and a Clearance Certificate issued before demolition of the now asbestos-free structure begins. The reason is straightforward: demolition introduces enormous energy into a building through impact, vibration and crushing, and doing that while asbestos-containing material remains in place turns bonded sheeting into airborne fibre across the site and past the boundary. Removing the fibre source first, then demolishing, stops the two hazards multiplying each other. Hidden or unregistered asbestos discovered mid-demolition is an immediate stop-work, not something to push through.
How far ahead do I have to notify the regulator?
Licensed asbestos removal requires regulator notification at least five working days before removal begins, and the demolition itself carries its own separate notification duty. Before either, a pre-demolition asbestos audit must be completed by a Licensed Asbestos Assessor using intrusive sampling of all suspect materials rather than a visual walk-through, because the entire sequence depends on knowing what is genuinely in the building. Throughout friable removal the Assessor runs independent air monitoring and issues the Clearance Certificate at the end. Building that lead time into the program is what separates a controlled job from a halted one.
What do I receive, and what respiratory protection does each class need?
You receive an editable Microsoft Word document, bought once, in eight jurisdiction editions, with the hazard register and risk ratings, the control set, the role allocations and the worker sign-on record. Respiratory protection is set by class: Class A friable work requires an air-line respirator or a full-face powered air-purifying respirator to P3, and Class B non-friable work requires a full-face powered unit to P3 as the minimum. Coveralls are Category 3 Type 5/6, taped at cuffs and ankles, single-use, and disposed of as asbestos waste. Workers pass through a three-stage decontamination unit, with a separate route for plant and waste.
Document details
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