Explosive (Implosion) Demolition SWMS
Explosive (implosion) demolition SWMS for NSW. Danger-zone establishment, flyrock, misfire, security and notification, vibration and airblast monitoring and post-blast clearance. Blast design is out of scope. Editable DOCX.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Explosive (implosion) demolition is the felling of a structure by placing and initiating explosive charges so the building collapses into its own footprint. It is high risk construction work under the NSW WHS Regulation 2025 because it involves the demolition of load-bearing elements and the use of explosives (s291), so a SWMS is mandatory under s299, and a demolition licence applies. The blasting itself is carried out only by the holder of a blasting explosives user licence — a shotfirer — under the Explosives Act 2003 and Explosives Regulation 2013 (NSW), and the blast design, explosive selection, charge sizing, placement and initiation are determined and executed solely by that licensed shotfirer and are out of scope of this SWMS. What this SWMS governs is the workplace health and safety envelope around the implosion: the establishment and clearance of the danger zone, the control of flyrock and debris, the management of misfires, security of explosives and the site, the notification of authorities and neighbours, the monitoring of ground vibration and airblast against limits, and the controlled re-entry and post-blast clearance. The dominant hazards are flyrock striking people or property outside the intended zone, a misfire leaving live charges in an unstable structure, and the pressure and vibration of the blast itself. SafeWork NSW is the regulator for the WHS duties, and the document draws a clear line: the shotfirer owns the explosives engineering; the principal contractor owns the safety of everyone and everything around it.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal or serious struck-by injury to workers, the public or property outside the danger zone
Delayed explosion and collapse during inspection or re-entry
Fatal blast, debris and collapse injury
Diversion of explosives; breach of the Explosives Regulation 2013 (NSW)
Damage to adjacent structures and injury from overpressure
Crush injury during charge placement and preparation
Respiratory exposure and reduced visibility during re-entry
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where the structure can be brought down mechanically without explosives, eliminate the blast entirely and demolish by conventional means
- 2Substitution — Substitute a smaller, sequenced charge design (left to the licensed shotfirer) for a single large blast to reduce flyrock and vibration energy
- 3Engineering — Danger-zone establishment with hard barricades, blast mats and protective screening to contain flyrock
- 4Engineering — Ground-vibration and airblast monitoring at adjacent structures against defined peak-particle-velocity and overpressure limits
- 5Engineering — Secure magazine storage and access control for all explosives on site
- 6Administrative — Full danger-zone clearance and head-count sweep with an all-clear sign-off before initiation, controlled by the shotfirer and principal contractor
- 7Administrative — Misfire procedure with a mandatory standdown time and no re-entry until the shotfirer declares the structure safe
- 8Administrative — Notification of SafeWork NSW, police, emergency services and neighbours, with road and airspace closures as required
- 9PPE — Hard hat, eye and hearing protection and high-visibility clothing for the exclusion-zone crew at the safe perimeter
- 10PPE — Respiratory protection and eye protection for post-blast dust during inspection and clearance
Applicable Codes of Practice
Primary standard for blasting, danger zones, vibration and airblast control
WHS duties for the demolition and structural-collapse controls
Licensing, storage, security and use of explosives by the shotfirer
Demolition planning and method reference
Transport and handling of explosives to and on site
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
The work demolishes load-bearing elements of the structure.
The collapse is achieved by the use of explosives.
Who this is for
- →Licensed demolition contractor site managers
- →Licensed shotfirers coordinating with the demolition team
- →Principal contractor HSE managers running the exclusion zone
- →Vibration and airblast monitoring technicians
- →Emergency-services and police liaison coordinators
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
By 5:00 am on blast day, a site manager from Cardinal Demolition has the danger zone established around a condemned grain tower: hard barricades on every approach, blast mats over the charge faces, and vibration monitors set at the two nearest buildings against agreed limits. The licensed shotfirer has completed charge placement the night before and now controls the firing sequence; the SWMS-driven task is to be certain no one is inside. The site manager runs a methodical head-count sweep with marshals on each sector, radioing all-clears that are logged against the entry register. Police hold the road closure and the rail corridor is confirmed clear with the operator. At the shotfirer's countdown, sirens sound the agreed signal, a final perimeter check is called, and the tower drops into its footprint. The crew holds position behind the barricades through the dust cloud and the mandatory standdown; only after the shotfirer inspects for any misfire and declares the rubble safe does re-entry begin, in respirators, to start the post-blast clearance.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2187.2 Explosives — Storage and use
- Demolition Work Code of Practice