Wall Chasing & Conduit Installation SWMS
Wall chasing for conduit and cable installation — angle grinder or dedicated chaser, dust extraction, live-service scanning, chase depths, filling and patching.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Wall chasing for conduit and cable installation involves cutting linear grooves into masonry, concrete, or render walls using angle grinders or dedicated wall chasers to recess electrical conduits before patching. The work generates respirable crystalline silica (RCS), noise levels frequently exceeding 100 dB(A), and carries a serious risk of striking concealed live electrical cables, water pipes, or gas lines hidden within the wall fabric. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this work triggers mandatory SWMS requirements because it constitutes high-risk construction work involving silica dust exposure, hazardous noise, and the potential for contact with energised electrical installations. A documented SWMS is required before work commences, must be developed in consultation with workers, and retained for the duration of the project plus two years (or until incident closure). This SWMS aligns with AS/NZS 3000, the Safe Work Australia Crystalline Silica Code of Practice 2020, and noise exposure provisions under WHS Reg 2025 Chapter 4 Part 4.1.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Silicosis, lung cancer, COPD, autoimmune disease; irreversible occupational lung disease and accelerated mortality risk
Electric shock, arc flash burns, cardiac arrest, fatality, and downstream equipment damage to circuits
Permanent noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and reduced hazard awareness on site
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome, Raynaud's phenomenon, peripheral nerve damage, and loss of grip strength
Lacerations, eye penetration injury, facial fractures, and amputation risk from rotating cutting disc
Flooding, gas leak, ignition, asphyxiation risk, and property damage with potential evacuation requirement
Musculoskeletal strain, shoulder impingement, lower back injury, and cumulative repetitive strain disorders
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where feasible, route conduit through ceiling cavities, surface-mounted trunking, or pre-formed wall ducts to eliminate chasing of masonry substrates entirely.
- 2Elimination — Use existing service penetrations or pre-installed conduit pathways where building documentation confirms availability before resorting to mechanical chasing.
- 3Substitution — Substitute angle grinder with dedicated dual-blade wall chaser fitted with integrated dust shroud, reducing dust release and improving cut depth control.
- 4Substitution — Substitute dry cutting with wet-cut methods on suitable substrates where electrical safety distances and substrate compatibility permit reduced dust generation.
- 5Engineering — Connect H-class HEPA vacuum extraction (≥99.95% efficiency per AS/NZS 60335.2.69) directly to chaser shroud achieving on-tool capture at source.
- 6Engineering — Use multi-frequency cable, metal, and stud detector scanner before each cut; mark live services on wall and verify with secondary scan on opposite axis.
- 7Administrative — Isolate and lock out wall circuits at the switchboard following AS/NZS 4836 LOTO procedure; verify dead with approved test instrument before chasing commences.
- 8Administrative — Limit continuous chasing exposure to rotation cycles, conduct daily pre-start toolbox brief, and record silica exposure under the air monitoring program.
- 9Administrative — Restrict access with exclusion zones, post silica dust warning signage, and prohibit other trades within 3 metres during active chasing operations.
- 10PPE — Wear P2/P3 respirator (fit-tested per AS/NZS 1715), Class 5 hearing protection, AS/NZS 1337 impact eyewear, anti-vibration gloves, and long-sleeve cotton drill.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Clauses 3.9 and 3.10 govern conduit installation, mechanical protection, and minimum cover depths for cables chased into masonry walls.
Mandates on-tool dust extraction, air monitoring, health surveillance, and exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³ for respirable crystalline silica.
Triggers noise risk assessment, hearing protection selection per AS/NZS 1270, and audiometric testing for workers exposed above the exposure standard.
Section 4 requires de-energisation, isolation, testing, and lockout before mechanical work in walls containing or potentially containing live conductors.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Chasing penetrates wall substrates that frequently conceal energised cabling at 230/400V, creating direct contact and arc flash risk with live conductors.
Mechanical chasing of concrete and masonry generates respirable crystalline silica readily exceeding the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard without controls.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain the SWMS for project duration plus two years; non-compliance attracts Category penalties that are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Licensed electricians on commercial fit-out projects
- →Electrical contractors performing residential renovations
- →Data and communications cabling installers in masonry buildings
- →Maintenance electricians retrofitting existing concrete structures
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 commercial fit-out, the lead electrician opens this SWMS at the 7:00 am pre-start brief in the site shed before chasing new sub-circuits into the rendered blockwork of Level 2. Reviewing the hazards section with two apprentices, the supervisor confirms the wall contains existing lighting circuits per the as-built drawings, so the SWMS control sequence is followed: the lighting sub-board is isolated, locked out with personal padlocks, and tested dead with a calibrated two-pole tester. A multi-frequency scanner is run across each proposed chase line twice on perpendicular axes, and live cable indications are chalk-marked and avoided. The team verifies the dedicated wall chaser is fitted to the H-class HEPA vacuum, fit-tested P2 respirators are donned, and Class 5 earmuffs issued. All three workers sign the SWMS register acknowledging they have read and understood the controls. Mid-morning, when the chaser encounters an unmarked conduit not shown on drawings, the supervisor halts work, returns to the SWMS, escalates under the change-management clause, and re-scans the wall before adjusting the chase route 200 mm lower. The amended route is noted on the SWMS daily log, workers re-sign the change record, and chasing resumes with controls intact and silica exposure captured under the monitoring program.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Crystalline Silica — National Strategy + CoP