Heritage Cast Iron Stack & Drain Replacement SWMS
A Safe Work Method Statement for heritage cast iron stack & drain replacement covering all key hazards, controls and regulatory requirements. This is classified as high-risk construction work under WHS Regulation 2025.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Heritage stack replacement covers the replacement of soil, waste and vent stacks in heritage and older buildings — removing and replacing the vertical drainage stacks in buildings of heritage significance or age, where the work must respect the heritage fabric and manage the hazards of older buildings. It combines the drainage stack work with the heritage and older-building considerations: asbestos and hazardous materials, lead and old materials, the heritage fabric to be protected, work at height on the stack, and the biological hazards of the drainage. This document is written on the basis that heritage stack replacement is carried out by a licensed plumber with the asbestos, heritage-fabric, work-at-height and biological controls in place.
Heritage stack replacement is carried out to AS/NZS 3500.2, with asbestos and hazardous materials in the older building identified and not disturbed, lead and old materials managed, the heritage fabric protected, and the work at height on the stack controlled. The asbestos and old materials, the heritage fabric, the work at height, and the biological hazards are the considerations. This document coordinates the asbestos, old-materials, heritage-fabric, work-at-height and biological controls so the heritage stack is replaced safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Asbestos exposure where the work disturbs asbestos materials
Lead and old-material exposure handling the heritage stack
Falls working at height on the stack
Damage to the heritage fabric of the building
Infection from the drainage during the stack replacement
Atmospheric and restricted-access hazards in the older building
Crush and musculoskeletal injury from the heavy stack
Dust and disturbance affecting the heritage building
Injury from deteriorated or unknown services and structures
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Administrative: identify and do not disturb asbestos materials in the older building — assume older materials are asbestos until determined otherwise — and have asbestos removed by a licensed asbestos process before the work where required.
- 2Administrative: manage lead and old materials in the heritage stack with the appropriate controls, hygiene and protection, and do not create lead or old-material exposure.
- 3Engineering: provide fall prevention for the work at height on the vertical stack, to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice.
- 4Administrative: protect the heritage fabric of the building, working so the heritage fabric is not damaged and coordinating with any heritage requirements.
- 5Administrative: manage the biological hazard with hygiene controls, washing facilities, gloves and protective clothing, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated.
- 6Administrative: apply the confined space and atmospheric controls where the older building has confined or restricted spaces, and assess deteriorated or unknown services and structures cautiously.
- 7Engineering: use mechanical aids for the heavy stack and materials, control dust and disturbance in the heritage building, and replace the stack to AS/NZS 3500.2.
- 8Administrative: ensure the work is carried out and certified by an appropriately licensed plumber, drainer or gasfitter under the relevant state or territory plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with the relevant competencies and a compliance certificate issued where required.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001) where the work is construction work, with the plumbing, gasfitting, confined space and any other competencies required for the work.
- 10Administrative: conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, isolations, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 11Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 12PPE: eye protection to AS/NZS 1337.1, hearing protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, high-visibility clothing, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 13Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The sanitary plumbing and drainage standard for the sanitary and drainage work.
Identification and non-disturbance of asbestos where the work may encounter asbestos materials in older buildings.
Fall-prevention controls for any work at height involved in the task.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
Selection, fit testing and use of respiratory protection where dust, fumes, atmospheric, chemical or biological hazards require it.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Replacing a vertical stack at height can involve work where a person could fall more than 2 metres, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is licensed plumbing, drainage, gasfitting or specialist work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres — so a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences, kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary, and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. The work is carried out to the relevant AS/NZS 3500 plumbing and drainage standards and the relevant gas, pressure, excavation, confined space or demolition requirements, which are called up by the relevant legislation, with the controls for the specific hazards applied. A failure in this work can cause serious injury, burial, an atmospheric incident, a loss of containment or harm to the water supply, and breaches of the relevant legislation and the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act are actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct, and the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Licensed plumbers replacing heritage soil, waste and vent stacks.
- →Plumbing businesses working on heritage and older buildings.
- →Heritage and restoration plumbing contractors.
- →Heritage building owners and PCBUs.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the asbestos, heritage-fabric and work-at-height controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site address, project name, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the heritage stack replacement hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Heritage stack prompts referencing AS/NZS 3500.2, an asbestos and old-materials section, a work-at-height and heritage-fabric section, and a biological-hazard and stack-replacement record.
- ✓Licensing, competency and permit prompts for the relevant plumbing, gasfitting, confined space and specialist work, and a respiratory protection selection and fit-test record per AS/NZS 1715 where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A licensed plumber is engaged to replace the soil, waste and vent stack in a heritage building. Asbestos materials in the older building are identified and not disturbed — assumed asbestos until determined otherwise — and removed by a licensed asbestos process before the work where required. Lead and old materials in the heritage stack are managed with the appropriate controls, hygiene and protection. Fall prevention is provided for the work at height on the vertical stack, with a SWMS prepared. The heritage fabric of the building is protected, working so it is not damaged and coordinating with the heritage requirements. The biological hazard of the drainage stack is managed with hygiene controls. The confined space and atmospheric controls are applied where the older building has restricted spaces, and deteriorated and unknown services and structures assessed cautiously. Mechanical aids are used for the heavy stack, dust and disturbance controlled, and the stack replaced to AS/NZS 3500.2. The work is completed safely, and the records retained.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — Section 291 high risk construction work and the SWMS preparation and review duties, and the confined space, excavation, demolition and electrical provisions where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The relevant plumbing and drainage standards AS/NZS 3500 (Parts 0–5), AS/NZS 5601.1:2022 for gas, the pressure piping and pressure equipment standards, the AS 4032 valve standards, and the hazardous chemicals, demolition and asbestos requirements, are called up by the relevant legislation, together with the relevant network utility, insurer and site requirements.
- Plumbing, drainage and gasfitting work is licensed under each state and territory's plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with the relevant competencies for the specialist work, and compliance certification required for notifiable work; electrical work is carried out by a licensed electrician.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the high risk construction work, confined space, excavation and demolition provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What does heritage stack replacement involve?
Heritage stack replacement removes and replaces the soil, waste and vent stacks in heritage and older buildings, where the work must respect the heritage fabric and manage the hazards of older buildings. It combines the drainage stack work with the asbestos, lead and old materials, the heritage fabric, the work at height, and the biological hazards.
What is the asbestos hazard?
Older buildings can contain asbestos materials, which the stack work can disturb, so asbestos materials are identified and not disturbed — assumed asbestos until determined otherwise — and removed by a licensed asbestos process before the work where required. Disturbing asbestos is hazardous and reserved to a licensed asbestos process.
How is the heritage fabric protected?
The heritage fabric of the building is protected by working so it is not damaged and coordinating with any heritage requirements. Protecting the heritage fabric is a particular consideration in heritage stack replacement, alongside the asbestos, work-at-height and biological controls.
What work-at-height controls apply?
Replacing the vertical stack involves work at height, so fall prevention is provided to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice, and the work is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS where there is a risk of a person falling more than two metres. The work-at-height controls manage the fall hazard on the stack.
Who carries out heritage stack replacement?
Heritage stack replacement is licensed plumbing work carried out by a licensed plumber to AS/NZS 3500.2, with the asbestos, old-materials, heritage-fabric, work-at-height and biological controls. The conventional stack work is carried out with the heightened controls of the heritage and older-building setting.