Plumbing in Operating Healthcare Facilities SWMS
A Safe Work Method Statement for plumbing in operating healthcare facilities covering all key hazards, controls and regulatory requirements.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Live hospital plumbing covers plumbing work in operating hospitals and healthcare facilities — installing, maintaining and repairing water, sanitary, drainage, hot water and specialised water systems in a live clinical environment that cannot stop operating. It is among the most demanding settings for plumbing: patients are highly vulnerable, including to infection, scalding and Legionella; clinical services depend on continuous water supply; infection control is critical; and the work must be coordinated rigorously around clinical operations and permit systems. This document is written on the basis that live hospital plumbing is carried out by a licensed plumber under the hospital's infection-control, permit and service-continuity systems, with the patient-safety, Legionella, scalding and water-quality controls in place.
Live hospital plumbing is carried out to the relevant parts of AS/NZS 3500, including AS/NZS 3500.4 for heated water with delivered-temperature control and Legionella management, in a setting where water quality, including for vulnerable and immunocompromised patients, is critical. The work is carried out in a live clinical environment, so infection control, service continuity, permit systems and coordination with clinical operations are critical heightened controls. This document coordinates the patient-safety, infection-control, Legionella, scalding, water-quality and service-continuity controls so the plumbing work is carried out safely in the live hospital.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Healthcare-associated infection in vulnerable patients from the work
Legionnaires' disease and waterborne infection in vulnerable patients
Harm to patients from loss of water and services to clinical areas
Serious burns to vulnerable patients from over-temperature delivered water
Harm to immunocompromised patients from water contamination
Infection from sanitary and clinical drainage work
Infection-control breach from dust and disruption in clinical areas
Scalding from hot water release during the work
Disruption to and risk for clinical operations and equipment
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Administrative: carry out the work under the hospital's infection-control, permit and water-management systems, with infection-control measures — dust and water containment, isolation and clinical risk assessment — for the clinical areas.
- 2Administrative: control Legionella and waterborne pathogens across the water systems, managing temperatures, flushing and water quality, recognising the vulnerability of patients including the immunocompromised.
- 3Administrative: maintain water and services to clinical areas, planning and staging the work, providing temporary services, and coordinating outages so clinical operations are not compromised.
- 4Engineering: provide delivery-temperature control with a tempering or thermostatic mixing valve so delivered water to sanitary fixtures used for personal hygiene is limited to the required maximum to prevent scalding, while the system controls Legionella.
- 5Administrative: coordinate the work with the operating hospital so occupants and operations are protected, maintaining services and access, and applying the facility's induction, permit and infection or safety controls.
- 6Administrative: manage the biological hazard with hygiene controls, washing facilities, gloves and protective clothing, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated.
- 7Engineering: isolate and manage hot water and stored energy so it does not scald, control dust and disruption in clinical areas, and protect clinical operations and equipment.
- 8Administrative: ensure the work is carried out and certified by an appropriately licensed plumber 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 heated water services standard for temperature control, relief and Legionella prevention.
The water services standard for the water supply, backflow protection and connection.
Heated water and water-management requirements for the hospital, including temperature control and Legionella.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
Selection, fit testing and use of respiratory protection where atmospheric, chemical or biological hazards require it for the work.
Who this is for
- →Licensed plumbers working in live hospitals.
- →Plumbing and mechanical businesses servicing healthcare facilities.
- →Hospital facility, engineering and infection-control managers.
- →Healthcare providers and PCBUs responsible for patient safety.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the infection-control, Legionella and service-continuity 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 live hospital plumbing hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Live hospital plumbing prompts referencing AS/NZS 3500 and healthcare water-management, an infection-control and permit section, a Legionella and water-quality section, and a service-continuity and clinical-coordination 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 carry out plumbing work in a live hospital. The work is carried out under the hospital's infection-control, permit and water-management systems, with infection-control measures — dust and water containment, isolation and a clinical risk assessment — for the clinical areas. Legionella and waterborne pathogens are controlled across the water systems by managing temperatures, flushing and water quality, recognising the vulnerability of patients including the immunocompromised. Water and services to clinical areas are maintained by planning and staging the work, providing temporary services, and coordinating outages so clinical operations are not compromised. Delivery-temperature control protects vulnerable patients from scalding. The work is coordinated with clinical operations so patients are protected. The biological hazard is managed with hygiene controls, hot water isolated so it does not scald, and dust and disruption controlled in clinical areas. 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 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 AS 4032 valve standards, and the hazardous chemicals and electrical requirements, are called up by the state and territory plumbing, gas and safety legislation, together with the relevant network utility, healthcare and site requirements.
- Plumbing 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 and electrical provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
Why is live hospital plumbing so demanding?
Hospital plumbing is carried out in a live clinical environment that cannot stop operating, with highly vulnerable patients at risk from infection, Legionella, scalding and water contamination, and clinical services that depend on continuous water. Infection control, service continuity, water quality and rigorous coordination are critical heightened controls.
How is infection control managed during the work?
The work is carried out under the hospital's infection-control, permit and water-management systems, with measures such as dust and water containment, isolation and a clinical risk assessment for the clinical areas. Infection control is critical because the work can otherwise expose vulnerable patients to healthcare-associated infection.
How is Legionella controlled in a hospital?
Legionella and waterborne pathogens are controlled across the water systems by managing temperatures, flushing and water quality, recognising the vulnerability of patients including the immunocompromised. Legionella management is critical because waterborne infection can seriously harm vulnerable and immunocompromised patients.
How are clinical services maintained?
Water and services to clinical areas are maintained by planning and staging the work, providing temporary services, and coordinating outages so clinical operations are not compromised. Maintaining service continuity to clinical areas is critical because loss of water can harm patients and compromise clinical care.
Who carries out live hospital plumbing?
Live hospital plumbing is licensed plumbing work carried out by a licensed plumber under the hospital's infection-control, permit and water-management systems, with the patient-safety, Legionella, scalding, water-quality and service-continuity controls. The work is carried out with the critical heightened controls of the live clinical environment.