Marine Vessel Electrical Work SWMS

Marine vessel electrical work covers installation, fault-finding, modification and commissioning of low-voltage AC and DC systems aboard commercial and recreational vessels, including shore-power tie-ins, battery banks, bonding and cathodic protection circuits, inverters, switchboards and 12/24/48V DC distribution. The work environment combines electrical risk with confined engine spaces, bilge water, fuel vapours and constant vessel movement, producing hazard interactions not present in shore-based electrical work. Under WHS Regulation 2025 (and equivalent state mirrors) this activity meets multiple High Risk Construction Work triggers under s291 — work on energised electrical installations, work in confined spaces, and work where there is a risk of drowning from a fall of more than the relevant threshold into water. A documented SWMS is therefore mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with workers under s48, and must remain accessible at the workplace for the duration of the task per s300. This template provides the risk assessment, control sequence and sign-on structure required to satisfy those duties across all eight Australian jurisdictions.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Remove vessel from water onto hardstand or slipway before any hull-penetrating or bonding work to eliminate drowning and electric-shock-drowning risk entirely.
2. 2Elimination — De-energise and lock out all AC shore-power and DC battery isolators using a test-before-touch sequence verified with a category-rated multimeter to AS/NZS 3000 clause 2.3.
3. 3Substitution — Replace lead-acid banks with sealed LiFePO4 modules where design permits, eliminating hydrogen off-gassing and acid splash hazards during routine servicing.
4. 4Substitution — Use intrinsically safe inspection lighting and Class I Division 2 rated tools in fuel-vapour zones instead of standard cordless equipment.
5. 5Engineering — Install permanent gas-tight bulkhead seals, forced ventilation rated at minimum 6 air changes per hour, and fixed gas detection in battery compartments per AS/NZS 3004.2.
6. 6Engineering — Fit appropriately rated DC fuses or circuit breakers within 200mm of every battery positive terminal and use insulated torque wrenches for all terminal connections.
7. 7Administrative — Issue confined space entry permit, atmospheric pre-entry test (O₂ 19.5–23.5%, LEL <5%, CO <30ppm) and continuous monitoring with standby person per AS 2865.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct pre-start SWMS sign-on, vessel-specific hazard walkthrough, and verify electrical licence and confined space competency for all workers before boarding.
9. 9PPE — Wear arc-flash rated category 2 PPE (8 cal/cm² minimum) including face shield, balaclava and insulated gloves tested to AS/NZS 2225 for all live DC work above 50V.
10. 10PPE — Don Type 1 inflatable PFD to AS 4758 with integrated harness and tether for any work on open decks, slipways or alongside where fall-into-water risk remains after engineering controls.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

At a regional commercial slipway, a two-person electrical crew is engaged to replace a corroded 48V DC bus-bar and re-terminate the bonding strap on a 14-metre charter vessel hauled out for survey. At the 06:30 pre-start brief, the leading hand opens the Marine Vessel Electrical Work SWMS on a ruggedised tablet and walks the apprentice through each hazard row. They identify that the battery locker meets confined space criteria, so the permit section is completed, a gas detector is calibrated and the standby person is nominated. The arc-flash control row prompts the leading hand to retrieve the 8 cal/cm² kit from the van — equipment that would otherwise have been skipped because the vessel was de-energised at shore power. Both workers sign the consultation register, recording that they understood the test-before-touch sequence. Mid-task, the apprentice discovers the bonding strap is also connected to an inverter chassis that was not on the original isolation list. Rather than proceeding, the crew pause work, return to the SWMS, add the inverter to the lockout schedule as a field amendment, re-sign the dynamic risk register and notify the yard supervisor. The amended document is photographed and uploaded to the project compliance folder before energised testing resumes under the live-work justification clause.

Related legislation

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

Frequently asked questions