Electrical Temporary Connections (Site Temps) SWMS

Temporary electrical connections on Australian construction sites — commonly called site temps — supply power to tools, lighting, site sheds, and welfare facilities throughout the build cycle. The work involves installing and maintaining temporary switchboards compliant with AS/NZS 3012:2019, terminating sub-mains, deploying portable RCDs, registering and inspecting flexible supply leads, and ultimately decommissioning the installation at project close. Because operatives routinely work on or near energised low-voltage installations, terminate live tails from the point of attachment, and expose other trades to shock and arc-flash risk, this task is High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2025 section 291. A Safe Work Method Statement must be prepared before work commences, signed by every worker, kept on site for the duration of the activity, and retained for at least two years (or until any notifiable incident is finalised). This SWMS addresses installation, energisation, in-service inspection, fault response, and removal of the temporary electrical system.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Schedule sub-main terminations and board changeovers under a permit-to-work with the network supply isolated, locked out, and proven dead before any conductor is handled.
2. 2Elimination — Remove the need to work live by coordinating a planned outage window with the network operator or generator hire provider before energisation activities commence.
3. 3Substitution — Replace hard-wired temporary distribution with pre-fabricated Type-tested portable site distribution boards (PSDBs) compliant with AS/NZS 3012 Clause 3.3 to reduce on-site termination exposure.
4. 4Substitution — Substitute extension leads over 25 metres with additional intermediate PSDBs to reduce voltage drop, conductor stress, and trip hazards across the work area.
5. 5Engineering — Install upstream 30 mA Type A or Type B RCD protection on every final sub-circuit per AS/NZS 3012 Clause 2.7, and test trip times monthly with a calibrated loop tester.
6. 6Engineering — Mount site temp boards on stable timber or steel frames above flood level, IP44 minimum, with lockable enclosures and clear schedule of circuits affixed inside the door.
7. 7Administrative — Implement the AS/NZS 3012 daily visual / three-monthly test-and-tag regime, with a register held in the site office and colour-coded tags rotated quarterly by a competent person.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct pre-start toolbox talks referencing this SWMS, verify electrical licence currency, and require all energisation work to proceed under a signed switching schedule.
9. 9PPE — Issue arc-rated coveralls (minimum ATPV 8 cal/cm²), Class 0 insulating gloves with leather over-protectors, AS/NZS 1337 safety glasses, and insulated tools tested to IEC 60900.
10. 10PPE — Provide AS/NZS 2210.3 electrical-hazard rated safety footwear, hard hats to AS/NZS 1801 Type 2, and face shields rated to the calculated incident energy at the working distance.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a six-storey residential build, the electrical foreman arrives Monday morning to install a new Stage 2 portable site distribution board feeding the level-3 formwork deck. At the 6:45 am pre-start, he opens this SWMS on the site iPad and walks the two-person crew through it line by line. The hazard register flags arc flash during termination and absent RCD protection as the dominant HIGH-priority risks for today's task. Reviewing the controls, the crew confirms the upstream main switch will be isolated and padlocked under the site permit-to-work — eliminating live exposure — and that the new PSDB is a Type-tested unit with integral 30 mA Type A RCDs already certified. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on register acknowledging the arc-rated PPE requirement (8 cal/cm² coveralls, Class 0 gloves, face shield). Mid-morning, the apprentice notices a supply lead feeding a wet-saw has a damaged outer sheath. He stops work, returns to the SWMS, and applies the administrative control — the lead is removed from service, the test-tag register is updated, and a replacement deployed. The supervisor records the deviation on the SWMS review log, signs it, and re-briefs the crew before work resumes. At decommissioning the SWMS is filed for the statutory two-year retention period.

Related legislation

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

Frequently asked questions