Millwright Installation Work SWMS

Millwright installation work covers the mechanical assembly, alignment, levelling and commissioning of heavy industrial plant — conveyors, gearboxes, pumps, presses, mills, crushers and process equipment. The work combines rigging and lifting of large components, precision alignment using dial indicators and laser tools, hot work for structural modifications, elevated work on plant structures, and interface with electrical and hydraulic services. Loads are frequently awkward, high-mass and suspended near workers performing close-quarters fitting, and the working environment is often congested with fixed plant, penetrations and moving equipment during progressive energisation.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), millwright installation involves high risk construction work under section 291 — including risk of a fall greater than 2 metres, work on or near energised electrical installations, and work involving movement of powered mobile plant. Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before the work commences, applied through the hierarchy of control in section 36, and kept available for inspection. Controls follow elimination through engineering (isolation, lifting design, guarding) to administrative measures and PPE.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Eliminate work at height where possible by pre-assembling sub-modules at ground level and lifting complete assemblies into position; design lift studies before mobilisation.
2. 2Substitute manual lifting of components with mechanical means — chain blocks rated to load, gantries, hydraulic skates and engineered lifting frames — verified against AS 1418.1 and AS 4991 for lifting devices.
3. 3Isolate all energy sources before mechanical connection using a documented lockout/tagout program consistent with AS/NZS 4836; verify dead using a tested-known-tested method by a licensed electrical worker before touching conductors.
4. 4Install compliant edge protection, fixed ladders and working platforms in accordance with AS/NZS 1657; where edge protection is not reasonably practicable, use travel-restraint or fall-arrest systems compliant with AS/NZS 1891 with an engineered anchorage and rescue plan.
5. 5Establish exclusion zones under suspended loads using hard barricades and spotters; rigging and dogging performed only by holders of the relevant HRW licence, with lift plans for critical lifts per AS 2550.1.
6. 6Separate pedestrians from powered mobile plant using physical barriers, designated walkways and a documented traffic management plan; require positive communication (radio, eye contact) before plant movement in the work zone.
7. 7Control silica dust using on-tool water suppression or H-class extraction on all concrete drilling and cutting, with air monitoring against the workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) for respirable crystalline silica.
8. 8Manage asbestos through pre-work identification and register review under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) Chapter 8; only licensed removalists disturb ACM, with clearance certification before millwright work resumes.
9. 9Control hot work under a permit system with fire watch, combustible removal within 11 metres, extinguishers on standby and local exhaust ventilation; welding fume controls per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716 for respiratory protection.
10. 10Use torque tools with reaction arms, apply progressive tightening sequences and de-energise shafts before final coupling checks; guarding reinstated and verified before any test run in accordance with AS 4024.1 machinery safety.
11. 11Conduct pre-start toolbox talks, JSA reviews at task change, and daily plant inspections; provide task-specific PPE — safety helmet, impact eyewear, hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270, cut-5 gloves, safety footwear and P2/P3 respiratory protection as required.
12. 12All workers hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card); the SWMS is developed in consultation with workers under section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), signed before work starts, and reviewed under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) whenever controls fail, plant changes or an incident occurs.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A mechanical contractor is engaged to install a new 12-tonne overhead conveyor drive assembly and gearbox at a manufacturing facility in Wetherill Park, western Sydney. The installation requires removing the existing drive from a 4.2-metre-high gantry, coring new holding-down bolts through a concrete plinth, lifting the new assembly with a 25-tonne mobile crane operating in a shared warehouse aisle, and coupling the drive to the existing 415 V motor control centre. The SWMS identifies HRCW under section 291 categories (fall > 2 m), 11 (energised electrical) and 15 (powered mobile plant). Controls include a pre-lift study, exclusion zones enforced by a dedicated spotter and radios, on-tool water suppression for concrete coring with air monitoring, licensed dogging and rigging, LOTO on the MCC verified by a licensed electrician, and edge protection reinstated on the gantry before alignment. The SWMS is signed by all workers and reviewed after a mid-shift change in crane position.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)
• Electricity Supply Act 1995 (NSW)
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW)
• Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
• Dangerous Goods (Road and Rail Transport) Act 2008 (NSW)

Frequently asked questions