Street & Road Lighting Installation SWMS

Street and road lighting installation covers the erection of steel and aluminium lighting columns, mounting of luminaires and outreach arms, underground and aerial cable pulling, connection to distribution pillars and Ausgrid/Endeavour/Essential Energy supply points, and commissioning of photocell and smart control systems. Work is routinely performed from elevating work platforms at heights of 6–15 metres, adjacent to live traffic lanes, and in proximity to overhead and underground electrical assets. The combined exposure to falls, energised conductors, moving traffic, mobile plant and manual handling of heavy columns creates a serious multi-hazard environment where a single control failure can be fatal.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), this task is high risk construction work under section 291 — specifically paragraphs (a) fall risk greater than 2 metres, (k) work on or near energised electrical installations, and (n) work on or adjacent to a road or traffic corridor in use. Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before work commences, kept available for inspection, and complied with. Controls must follow the hierarchy in section 36, with de-energisation, traffic separation and fall prevention prioritised over reliance on PPE and administrative measures.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1ELIMINATE energised work: obtain a written access permit and network operator switching program from Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy; isolate, lock out, tag out and test dead at the feeder pillar before any conductor is touched, in accordance with AS/NZS 4836 safe working on low-voltage installations.
2. 2ELIMINATE proximity to live overhead lines where possible by arranging network de-energisation; where not possible, maintain the no-go zones in the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice 'Work near overhead power lines' and engage a trained safety observer per the network operator's requirements.
3. 3SUBSTITUTE ladder or column-climbing access with an EWP selected, inspected and operated in accordance with AS 2550.10 and AS/NZS 1418.10; operators to hold the relevant HRW licence (WP) for booms over 11 m.
4. 4ENGINEER traffic separation using a compliant Traffic Guidance Scheme prepared by a TfNSW-accredited person and implemented in accordance with AS 1742.3 and the TfNSW Traffic Control at Work Sites Manual; use physical barriers, truck-mounted attenuators and reduced speed zones rather than cones alone.
5. 5ENGINEER excavation safety by obtaining Before You Dig Australia (Dial Before You Dig) plans within 30 days of works, potholing by hydro-excavation within 500 mm of located services, and complying with the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice 'Excavation work' and AS 5488 for subsurface utility information.
6. 6ENGINEER lifting controls: use a documented lift plan, certified rigging, tag lines on all column lifts, and a competent dogger/rigger holding the applicable HRW licence; exclusion zone established under the lift radius per AS 2550.1.
7. 7ENGINEER fall prevention on EWPs by wearing a compliant harness with lanyard anchored to the manufacturer's designated point in accordance with AS/NZS 1891.4; edge protection or travel-restraint used where column-top work outside the basket is unavoidable.
8. 8ADMINISTRATIVE silica controls: wet-cut or use on-tool H-class extraction complying with AS/NZS 60335.2.69 when coring or cutting concrete; air monitoring and health monitoring for workers with reasonably foreseeable exposure per WHS Regulation 2025 Chapter 7.
9. 9ADMINISTRATIVE asbestos controls: presume asbestos in pre-2004 pit lids and painted columns until sampled by a licensed assessor; if confirmed, engage a Class B (bonded) or Class A (friable) licensed removalist in accordance with the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice 'How to safely remove asbestos'.
10. 10ADMINISTRATIVE night work controls: rostered break schedule, hi-vis Class D/N garments compliant with AS/NZS 4602.1, portable lighting to AS/NZS 1680, and a fitness-for-work check at shift start.
11. 11PPE baseline: AS/NZS 2210.3 safety footwear (EH-rated where testing dead), AS/NZS 1337.1 eye protection, AS/NZS 1801 hard hat with chinstrap for EWP use, AS/NZS 2225 electrical gloves tested within 6 months, and AS/NZS 1716 P2 respirators for silica tasks.
12. 12All workers to hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card) and an unrestricted Electrical Licence issued by NSW Fair Trading; the SWMS must be developed in consultation with workers under section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), signed on before commencement, and reviewed under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) whenever controls are revised, an incident occurs or the work method changes.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A Level 2 ASP electrical contractor is engaged by Cumberland City Council to replace 42 mercury vapour luminaires with LED units on 10.5 m steel columns along Woodville Road, Merrylands. Work is programmed for four consecutive night shifts between 8 pm and 4 am under a lane closure. The SWMS identifies s291(a), (k) and (n) HRCW; an EWP operator holding a WP licence, a Level 2 ASP electrician and a TfNSW-accredited traffic controller are nominated. A TGS with truck-mounted attenuator and 40 km/h reduced speed zone is deployed. The feeder pillar is isolated and proved dead using an AS/NZS 4836 two-pole tester before each luminaire changeover. A pre-start identifies a bird's-nest 380 mm from an adjacent Ausgrid HV conductor; work on that column is deferred until an Ausgrid access permit is obtained. The SWMS is signed on by all workers, kept in the site vehicle, and reviewed on shift three when a wind gust reading exceeds the EWP manufacturer's limit and work is stood down.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 6 Construction Work and Chapter 4 Part 4.7 Electrical Safety
• Electricity Supply Act 1995 (NSW) and Electricity Supply (Safety and Network Management) Regulation 2014 (NSW)
• Roads Act 1993 (NSW) — road opening and work-on-road approvals
• Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017 (NSW)
• Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — noise and waste from night works

Frequently asked questions