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 230/400 V, creating direct contact and arc flash risk with live conductors.
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
Frequently asked questions
Why does chasing a wall need a SWMS?
Because of what is inside the wall. Cutting a chase into render or blockwork that conceals cabling at 230/400 V is work on or near energised electrical installations or services under section 291(k) of the WHS Regulation 2025, so section 299 requires the SWMS before work commences, developed in consultation with the workers. The silica exposure is a serious duty as well, but it runs through the airborne contaminant and health monitoring provisions rather than the high risk construction work list — respirable crystalline silica carries a workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³, with air monitoring and health surveillance attached.
How does the method control the silica dust?
At the tool, not at the mask. A dedicated dual-blade wall chaser with an integrated shroud replaces the angle grinder, and the shroud is connected to H-class HEPA extraction achieving at least 99.95 per cent capture to AS/NZS 60335.2.69, so the dust is taken at source. Wet cutting substitutes for dry where the substrate and electrical safety distances allow. Behind that sit a three-metre exclusion zone with silica warning signage keeping other trades out, fit-tested P2 or P3 respirators to AS/NZS 1715, and exposure recorded under the air monitoring program.
How do I avoid cutting into live cables, water or gas?
Two independent steps, both before the disc turns. First, isolate the wall circuits at the switchboard, lock out with personal padlocks and verify dead with an approved test instrument — the as-built drawings tell you which sub-board feeds the wall, they do not tell you it is dead. Second, run a multi-frequency cable, metal and stud detector across every proposed chase line twice, on perpendicular axes, and chalk-mark what it finds so the route avoids it. Concealed water and gas services get the same treatment, because a struck gas line in a cavity turns a dust problem into an evacuation.
Does the SWMS cover noise and vibration as well?
Yes, both are named hazards with their own controls. Chaser and grinder motors regularly exceed 100 dB(A), well past the 85 dB(A) eight-hour exposure standard, so Class 5 hearing protection is selected in line with AS/NZS 1270 and workers exposed above the standard go into audiometric testing. Hand-arm vibration is managed by capping continuous chasing time through rotation cycles and using anti-vibration gloves, because Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome builds from accumulated exposure and does not reverse once grip strength and circulation are affected.
What happens when the chaser hits something that is not on the drawings?
Work halts and the route changes. In the worked example an unmarked conduit appears mid-chase: the supervisor stops the job, escalates under the change-management clause, re-scans the wall, and moves the chase line 200 mm lower, with the amended route recorded on the daily log and the workers re-signing the change record before cutting resumes. You buy an editable Word document once, so those amendments live in your own copy. Reinstatement matters too — conduit cover depths and mechanical protection for chased cables follow the AS/NZS 3000 requirements.
Document details
Related SWMS templates
🪨Stonemasonry SWMS
Stonemasonry and stone cutting — natural stone dressing, masonry wall construction, stone cutting with angle g…
🔧Grinding & Sanding SWMS
Power grinding and sanding of auto-body panels. Covers angle-grinder, dual-action sander, orbital sander, vibr…
🧱Tuckpointing & Mortar Grinding SWMS
Heritage and repair mortar raking, grinding and re-pointing on masonry walls — wet methods or on-tool dust ext…
🪚Mitre Saw SWMS
Sliding compound mitre saw operations for finish-carpentry, trim and framing — slide lock, bevel and mitre ang…
⚡Cable Pulling & Installation SWMS
Cable pulling involves installing electrical cables through conduit, cable tray, ducts and directly in trenche…
⚡Cable Tray & Conduit Installation SWMS
NSW — Cable Tray & Conduit Installation. Full task scope, hazards and controls to be authored to Phase 1 stand…