Manual Hand Demolition SWMS
Manual demolition using crowbars, sledgehammers, hand-held power tools — used for heritage works, surgical demolition, areas inaccessible to plant. Slower sequenced approach with manual debris removal.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Manual hand demolition covers the controlled, sequenced dismantling of structures, walls, fixtures and finishes using crowbars, sledgehammers, picks, wrecking bars and hand-held power tools such as rotary hammers, reciprocating saws and angle grinders. It is the preferred method for heritage fabric, surgical removal adjacent to live services, confined voids, suspended floors with restricted plant access, and any area where mechanical plant cannot be safely positioned. Because operatives work in direct physical contact with the structure being demolished, the work attracts multiple High Risk Construction Work triggers under WHS Regulation 2025 Schedule 1 — including structural alteration that may affect physical integrity, work on or near energised services, and work at height. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before any HRCW commences, must be prepared in consultation with workers under s47–s49, kept available at the workplace, and reviewed if controls fail or the work sequence changes.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush injuries, fatal asphyxiation, structural failure to adjoining tenancies, prosecution under WHS Act s31 reckless conduct
Accelerated silicosis, lung cancer, COPD, lifetime workers compensation liability and dust disease registry notification
Mesothelioma, asbestosis, mandatory licensed removalist re-engagement and SafeWork notifiable incident under s38
Electrocution, arc flash burns, gas ignition, scalding, fatal injury and utility regulator investigation
Fatal impact trauma, spinal injury, breach of WHS Reg 2025 Part 4.4 fall prevention duty
Permanent vascular and neurological damage, vibration white finger, accepted workers compensation claim under occupational disease
Lumbar disc injury, chronic shoulder pathology, lost-time injury and code of practice breach
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Remove all stored energy before manual works: isolate and tag electrical, gas, water and pneumatic services at source, lock-out and verify dead with calibrated test instrument.
- 2Elimination — Pre-strip all hazardous materials (asbestos, lead paint, PCBs, refrigerants) under separate licensed scopes before manual demolition crews mobilise to the work face.
- 3Substitution — Replace dry mechanical breaking with wet-method scoring and controlled wedging where structural sequence allows, eliminating impact-driven dust generation at source.
- 4Engineering — Install temporary propping, needle beams and lateral restraint designed by a chartered structural engineer before removing any load-bearing element, with hold points signed off.
- 5Engineering — Apply on-tool water suppression or H-class HEPA local exhaust ventilation to every hand-held breaker, grinder and saw cutting silica-bearing substrates per AS/NZS 60335.2.69.
- 6Engineering — Erect compliant edge protection, void covers rated to AS 1657 and internal catch decks below suspended-floor demolition zones to arrest both workers and debris.
- 7Administrative — Sequence demolition top-down in pre-engineered stages with daily pre-start briefings, exclusion zones controlled by spotter, and SWMS sign-on by every worker before tool use.
- 8Administrative — Rotate operators on vibrating tools to keep daily A(8) exposure below the AS 2763 action value, log trigger time, and mandate warm-rest breaks in cold conditions.
- 9PPE — Issue P2 or P3 reusable respirators (fit-tested per AS/NZS 1715), impact-rated safety eyewear, hearing protection class 5, cut-5 gloves and steel-midsole boots to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 10PPE — Provide anti-vibration gloves, dust-resistant coveralls and Type 1 hard hats with chin strap for overhead manual demolition tasks, with damaged PPE removed from service immediately.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets the engineered sequence, survey, propping and exclusion zone duties — Clauses 1.6 and 3 directly govern manual demolition planning and supervision.
Prescribes risk assessment, structural review, HRCW SWMS content and competency for hand demolition operatives under WHS Reg 2025 Part 6.3.
Mandates control of silica from hand-breaking masonry, air monitoring triggers, health surveillance and the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard.
Governs fall protection where edge protection is not reasonably practicable during sequenced manual demolition of slabs, stairs and parapets.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Hand demolition routinely exposes concealed live cabling, gas and water services within walls and floor build-ups before final isolation can be verified.
Progressive manual removal of walls, beams and slabs requires engineered propping and staged dismantling to prevent uncontrolled structural collapse.
Surgical demolition frequently occurs within plant rooms, lift pits, ducts and basements that meet the AS 2865 confined space definition.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain the SWMS for the project duration plus two years post-incident; penalties are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Demolition contractors undertaking heritage and surgical strip-outs
- →Principal contractors managing fit-out and refurbishment projects
- →Builders performing internal structural alterations in occupied buildings
- →Asbestos and hazmat remediation crews following licensed removal
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 heritage terrace conversion, the demolition supervisor convenes the 6:45 am pre-start brief at the site shed with three operatives tasked with hand-removing a non-original masonry partition on Level 2 adjacent to a retained sandstone façade. The SWMS is opened on a site tablet and projected for sign-on. Working through the hazard register, the crew identifies that the partition abuts a chase containing legacy lighting circuits — the controls matrix directs them to confirm the electrician's lock-out tag is in place and to re-test with the voltage stick before any tool touches the wall. The engineered control for silica triggers selection of the rotary hammer fitted with the shrouded dust extractor and Class H vacuum, and P3 fit-tested respirators are issued. The structural propping diagram, referenced inside the SWMS, is cross-checked against the temporary acrow installation. Each worker signs the consultation register. Mid-morning, the labourer reports an unexpected cast-iron pipe behind the render; under the SWMS dynamic review clause the supervisor halts work, photographs the find, and amends the document to add a plumbing isolation step before re-briefing the crew. The amended SWMS is re-signed before tools restart, satisfying WHS Reg 2025 s49 review obligations and creating an auditable record for the principal contractor.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2601 — Demolition of structures