Intercom / Door Entry Systems SWMS

Installation and commissioning of intercom and door entry systems — including audio-only handsets, IP video intercoms, and multi-tenant directory systems in residential apartments, commercial foyers, and gated estates — involves a defined cluster of construction-phase electrical risks. Work typically combines low-voltage cabling, 230V power supply connections, ladder-based work at entry panels and ceiling-mounted distribution points, masonry and stud-wall penetrations, and integration with access control and door release hardware. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and equivalent state regulations, electrical installation work performed as part of a construction project is High Risk Construction Work where it involves energised electrical installations, work at height exceeding 2m, or use of powered plant near live services. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with workers, kept accessible on site, and reviewed if controls fail or the work scope changes.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Where practicable, pre-fabricate and bench-terminate PSU, backbox wiring loom and door-station tails off-site so live work at the wall is eliminated entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Schedule drilling and core penetrations before energisation of the final sub-circuit so all cabling work occurs on a fully de-energised installation.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute hammer-drilling of masonry with diamond core drilling using on-tool water suppression to remove impact-driven dust generation at the source.
4. 4Substitution — Replace standard A-frame ladders with a podium step or low-level mobile scaffold for entry-panel heights above 1.8m to provide a stable working platform.
5. 5Engineering — Isolate, lock-out and tag the final sub-circuit feeding the intercom PSU at the distribution board and verify dead with a tested two-pole voltage indicator before work.
6. 6Engineering — Use a cable and pipe detector (AS/NZS 4836 compliant device) to scan all drilling locations and mark concealed services before penetrating any wall or slab.
7. 7Engineering — Fit RCD protection (≤30mA) on all portable tool supply leads and inspect leads under the AS/NZS 3012 site-testing regime before each shift.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start briefing using this SWMS, sign-on register, and verify electrical licence and EWP/ladder competency for each worker on task.
9. 9Administrative — Establish exclusion zone with bollards and signage at foyer/driveway entry panels and notify building manager so residents are diverted during work.
10. 10PPE — Wear Cat 2 arc-rated long sleeves, AS/NZS 1337 safety eyewear, P2 respirator during drilling, AS/NZS 2210 safety footwear, and Class 0 insulated gloves for any live verification.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a 42-unit apartment refurbishment, the lead electrician opens this SWMS at the 7am pre-start with two technicians and the building manager in the ground-floor foyer. They walk the scope: replace the existing audio handset system with an IP video intercom, mount a new directory panel at the street entry, run Cat6 back to the comms riser, and integrate with the existing electric strike. Working through the hazard register, the team flags that the PSU sub-circuit at the riser board must be isolated, locked and tagged before any termination — the lead applies his personal danger tag and tests-for-dead with a two-pole tester noted in the SWMS. For the street panel at 1.9m, the SWMS triggers selection of a podium step rather than the A-frame originally loaded on the van, because the threshold paving is uneven. A cable detector scan of the masonry penetration point identifies an unmapped conduit; the SWMS control to re-mark and re-scan is followed, and the drill point is shifted 200mm. All three workers sign the consultation register. Mid-morning, a resident wheels a pram through the work zone — the supervisor halts work, repositions the bollards per the exclusion-zone control, and adds a note to the SWMS review log so the same gap is closed on the remaining 41 doors.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical installations; AS/NZS 3012 — Electrical installations construction sites

Frequently asked questions