Internal Strip-Out & Soft Strip Demolition SWMS
Internal strip-out / soft strip demolition of commercial or residential interiors — removal of partition walls, ceilings, joinery, fittings, fixtures, doors, windows, services. Pre-demolition asbestos clearance, isolation of services, sequenced manual demolition, salvage of reusable items, waste skip loading.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Internal strip-out and soft strip demolition covers the sequenced removal of non-structural elements from commercial or residential interiors — partition walls, suspended ceilings, joinery, doors, sanitary fixtures, mechanical and electrical fittings — ahead of refurbishment or full demolition. Although the building shell remains, the work generates significant respirable dust, releases legacy hazardous materials, exposes live or assumed-live services, and involves repetitive manual handling of awkward loads at height and through congested egress paths. Under WHS Regulation 2025 section 291, any demolition of an element of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the structure, and any work involving the disturbance of asbestos, is classified High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) requiring a documented Safe Work Method Statement before work commences. A SWMS is mandatory, must be developed in consultation with workers, kept available for inspection, and reviewed whenever controls fail or the scope changes.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Inhalation of respirable fibres causing mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer; prosecution under WHS Reg Part 8.7
Electrocution, arc flash burns, cardiac arrest from assumed-dead conductors that were never isolated or proven
Acute respiratory irritation and chronic silicosis or accelerated lung function decline from repeated unprotected exposure
Fractures, traumatic brain injury or fatality from falls exceeding two metres onto hard substrates
Acute lumbar disc injury, shoulder impingement and crush injuries to hands and lower limbs
Scalding, chemical burns, oxygen displacement or projectile injury from charged lines cut without isolation
Deep lacerations, tendon damage and tetanus or bloodborne pathogen exposure from contaminated waste streams
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Commission a licensed asbestos assessor to remove all identified ACM under a Class A or B licence before strip-out crews enter the work zone.
- 2Elimination — Permanently de-energise, drain and physically disconnect all services at the main switchboard, water meter and gas isolation valve before any demolition task begins.
- 3Substitution — Replace dry sweeping and impact breakers with shadow-vacuumed hand tools and shears for partition removal to suppress silica and SMF dust generation at source.
- 4Engineering — Install negative-pressure HEPA air scrubbers, polythene containment hoardings and localised on-tool extraction (M or H-class) across active demolition zones per AS/NZS 60335.2.69.
- 5Engineering — Erect compliant mobile scaffolds with full edge protection and toeboards for all ceiling work above 2m; prohibit stepladder use for two-handed demolition tasks.
- 6Administrative — Issue daily permits-to-work covering electrical isolation verification, hot works and confined ceiling void entry, signed by the site supervisor before crews commence.
- 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start toolbox briefings on this SWMS, rotate workers through high-exertion tasks every 90 minutes and enforce two-person lifts above 20kg.
- 8Administrative — Maintain a 6m exclusion zone around overhead removal works using bunting, signage and a dedicated spotter trained in emergency stop protocols.
- 9PPE — Mandate P2 half-face respirators (fit-tested annually), cut-level 5 gloves, impact-rated safety eyewear, hi-vis long sleeves and steel-midsole safety boots per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 10PPE — Supply disposable Type 5/6 coveralls and powered air-purifying respirators for any unexpected ACM discovery, with decontamination performed in a three-stage airlock before site exit.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Triggers mandatory pre-demolition asbestos register review, licensed removalist engagement and air monitoring for any disturbance of suspect material.
Sets the sequencing, isolation, exclusion zone and structural review obligations for non-structural strip-out preceding wider demolition works.
Mandates hierarchy of fall controls for ceiling and high-level joinery removal above two metres; restricts ladder use for demolition tasks.
Governs respirable crystalline silica, SMF and lead-paint dust exposure assessment, air monitoring and fit-tested respirator selection for demolition crews.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Strip-out routinely encounters partitions, bulkheads and ceiling grids whose load path status is uncertain until verified, bringing the task within Category 5.
Pre-1990 commercial and residential fabric commonly contains ACM in vinyl, mastic, sheeting and lagging that strip-out activities will physically disturb.
Skip loading, telehandler movements and elevated work platforms operate concurrently with manual strip-out crews in shared corridors and loading bays.
The PCBU must prepare, consult workers on and retain this SWMS for the duration of works plus two years post-incident; penalties for Category 1 reckless breach are substantial and indexed annually under the prevailing WHS penalty schedule.
Who this is for
- →Licensed demolition contractors on commercial fit-out projects
- →Principal contractors managing refurbishment programs
- →Strip-out subcontractors servicing retail and hospitality
- →WHS managers overseeing aged-care and education refurbishments
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 four-storey suburban office refurbishment, the strip-out foreman opens the morning pre-start brief in the ground-floor site shed with seven workers, the asbestos clearance certificate, the electrical isolation tag register and this SWMS laid out on the table. Working through the hazard register line by line, the crew confirms that yesterday's ceiling tile removal on Level 2 generated higher dust readings than expected, so the foreman elevates the engineering control: a second HEPA scrubber is committed to that level and on-tool extraction is mandated for all plasterboard cutting today. A first-year apprentice raises that the Level 3 store room still has a live general power outlet — the foreman halts that zone, raises an isolation permit, and the licensed electrician proves dead and locks out before the zone reopens. Each worker signs on against the SWMS, confirming P2 fit-test currency and acknowledging the 6m exclusion zone around overhead joinery removal. Mid-morning, a worker uncovers unlabelled black mastic behind skirting; following the SWMS unexpected-ACM response, work stops, the area is bagged, the asbestos assessor is recalled, and the SWMS is amended in the field — the amendment is initialled by all affected workers before any further demolition proceeds in that room.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2601 — Demolition of structures
Frequently asked questions
Is an internal strip-out high risk construction work if we are not touching the structure?
Often yes, which surprises people who assume soft strip sits outside it. Strip-out routinely meets partitions, bulkheads and ceiling grids whose load-path status is uncertain until someone verifies it, and removing an element that turns out to be load-bearing is s291(c). Pre-1990 commercial and residential fabric commonly holds asbestos in vinyl tiles, mastic, wall sheeting and pipe lagging, so disturbance is likely, which is s291(d). Skip loading, telehandler movements and elevated work platforms sharing corridors and loading bays add s291(o). Section 299 then requires a SWMS prepared in consultation with workers before work starts.
Can the crew use stepladders for ceiling tile and high-level joinery removal?
Not for two-handed demolition tasks. A stepladder gives no edge protection, no working platform and nowhere to put the load you have just pulled down, and stripping a ceiling grid needs both hands and room to move. The SWMS specifies compliant mobile scaffolds with full edge protection and toeboards for ceiling work above 2 m and prohibits stepladder use for the demolition task itself. Portable ladders keep a limited role for access and brief inspection under the relevant portable ladder standard, but not as a work platform while material is being removed overhead.
What do we do if suspect material turns up that was not on the asbestos register?
Stop in that area and treat it as asbestos until proven otherwise. Unlabelled black mastic behind skirting, backing to vinyl, or an unexpected sheet lining is the classic find. The response is to halt work in the room, bag the area, recall the asbestos assessor, and keep everyone out until it is identified. Type 5/6 disposable coveralls and powered air-purifying respirators are held on site for exactly this, with decontamination through a three-stage airlock before anyone leaves. The document is then amended in the field and initialled by every affected worker before demolition resumes in that room.
How is dust controlled when the rest of the building is still occupied?
By containing the zone and capturing at the tool, not by relying on masks. Active demolition areas run negative-pressure HEPA air scrubbers behind polythene containment hoardings, so air moves into the work zone rather than out of it into occupied tenancies. On-tool M or H-class extraction to AS/NZS 60335.2.69 handles plasterboard cutting and partition removal at source, and dry sweeping and impact breakers are replaced with shadow-vacuumed hand tools and shears. Fit-tested P2 respirators sit on top of that as the last layer, and ceiling tiles bring synthetic mineral fibre as well as silica.
How should we treat circuits and services that are supposed to already be dead?
As live, until a licensed electrician proves otherwise with a calibrated instrument and locks out. Abandoned sub-circuits in ceiling voids and wall cavities are the recurring killer on strip-outs, because an assumed-dead conductor that was never actually isolated behaves exactly like a dead one right up to the moment of contact. The SWMS requires permanent de-energisation, draining and physical disconnection at the main switchboard, water meter and gas isolation valve, verified under a daily permit-to-work. Pressurised water, gas, refrigerant and pneumatic lines hold stored energy too, and are drained before anything is cut.
Document details
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