Hydronic Heating System Install SWMS
SWMS template for hydronic heating system install. Covers Boiler/heat pump + radiators / in-slab.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Installing a hydronic heating system involves connecting a heat source (gas boiler, electric boiler or heat pump) to a distribution network of radiators, panel heaters or in-slab PEX coils, then pressure-testing, purging and commissioning the closed-loop circuit. The work combines licensed gas fitting, electrical connection, silver brazing of copper, hydrostatic pressure testing and confined access under suspended slabs or in plant rooms, which collectively meet the threshold for High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and the equivalent 2025 state instruments. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences because the task involves pressurised systems, hot work, energised electrical components and potential exposure to combustion products. This SWMS documents the hazards, controls and sign-on requirements needed to satisfy PCBU duties under s19 of the WHS Act and the consultation duties under s47–49, and provides the auditable record that principal contractors, plumbers and HVAC installers must retain for the life of the project plus the statutory retention period.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Acute metal fume fever, cadmium exposure where filler contains cadmium, and chronic respiratory sensitisation requiring health monitoring
Asphyxiation, flash fire or vapour cloud explosion causing burns, structural damage and potential multiple fatalities in plant room
Stored-energy release projecting fittings, scalding glycol spray and impact injuries to head, eyes and torso of nearby workers
Cardiac arrest, deep tissue burns and falls from height when working on wall-mounted units near energised terminals
Second-degree thermal burns to hands, forearms and face during commissioning and balancing of heated circuits
Lumbar disc injury, crush injuries to feet and hands, and chronic musculoskeletal disorders from repeated awkward lifts
Heat stress, oxygen-deficient atmosphere near gas lines, and entrapment requiring confined space permit and rescue arrangements
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Specify pre-insulated, factory-pressed press-fit hydronic pipework to eliminate site brazing on accessible runs and remove hot work from the scope wherever design permits.
- 2Elimination — Design heat pump (electric) solution in lieu of combustion boiler where building services allow, removing gas leak, flue and combustion hazard entirely from the installation.
- 3Substitution — Use cadmium-free silver brazing alloys (AS 1167.1) and low-fuming flux to replace cadmium-bearing rods where brazing cannot be eliminated.
- 4Substitution — Substitute propylene glycol heat transfer fluid for ethylene glycol where freeze protection is required, reducing toxicity in event of leak or skin contact.
- 5Engineering — Install local exhaust ventilation (LEV) capture hood within 300 mm of the brazing point delivering minimum 0.5 m/s capture velocity per AS/NZS 1715.
- 6Engineering — Fit calibrated pressure relief valve and isolation cocks before hydrostatic test; pressurise in 100 kPa increments with witnessed hold periods documented on the test certificate.
- 7Administrative — Apply lockout-tagout to boiler isolator, pump circuit and gas cock per AS/NZS 4836 before any electrical or pipework intervention, verified by second person.
- 8Administrative — Hold daily pre-start briefing against this SWMS, gas test certificate (AS/NZS 5601.1) and electrical test sheet (AS/NZS 3000) with sign-on by every worker on task.
- 9PPE — Issue flame-retardant long sleeves, AS/NZS 1337.1 shade 5 brazing goggles, leather gauntlets, AS/NZS 1716 P2 respirator and AS/NZS 2210.3 safety footwear.
- 10PPE — Provide AS/NZS 1801 hard hat with chinstrap and AS/NZS 1800 hearing protection when working in plant rooms with operating circulating pumps above 85 dB(A).
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates gas-tightness testing, ventilation provisions and commissioning sequence for boiler connection; non-compliance voids gas certificate of compliance and PCBU duty.
Specifies pressure rating, expansion control and tempering requirements for hydronic primary and secondary circuits where DHW is integrated.
Governs final sub-circuit, RCD protection and equipotential bonding of boiler, pump and zone controllers; licensed electrician sign-off required before energisation.
Sets exposure standards, LEV requirements and health monitoring triggers for silver brazing fume during copper jointing of hydronic pipework.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Boiler connection requires cutting into and pressure-testing the gas service piping and downstream hydronic gas train, meeting the on-or-near criterion.
Charging the hydronic circuit with glycol heat transfer fluid and connecting condensing boiler condensate lines constitutes work on chemical and fuel lines.
Connecting circulating pumps, zone actuators and boiler control panels to live 230 V switchboards constitutes work on energised electrical services.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain this SWMS for the duration of the work plus the period prescribed by the regulator; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Licensed hydronic heating installers and gas fitters
- →HVAC subcontractors on residential and commercial fit-outs
- →Principal contractors managing new-build mechanical services
- →Plumbing companies expanding into hydronic retrofit work
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 mid-rise residential apartment refurbishment, a hydronic installer is fitting a 36 kW condensing gas boiler in a ground-floor plant room with in-slab PEX loops across six apartments. At the 6:45 am pre-start, the leading hand opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the three-person crew through the hazard register, stopping on silver brazing fume because today's task includes 14 copper-to-copper joints on the primary flow header. The crew confirms the LEV trunk is positioned, cadmium-free rods are in the kit, and P2 respirators are fit-tested. The electrician notes that the boiler isolator is already locked out under his personal padlock and shows the test tag from yesterday. During brazing at joint seven, the apprentice reports the LEV capture velocity feels reduced; the leading hand stops the task, references the engineering control on the SWMS, repositions the hood to 250 mm from the joint and re-measures with the anemometer before resuming. After brazing, the team transitions to hydrostatic test — the SWMS prompts staged pressurisation in 100 kPa increments to 600 kPa with a 30-minute hold, witnessed and signed by the supervisor on the test certificate stapled to the SWMS sign-on sheet, which is then uploaded to the principal contractor's compliance portal before site exit.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS/NZS 5149 — Refrigerating systems; AS 1668 — Mechanical ventilation