Pipe Relining / No-Dig Drain Repair SWMS
SWMS template for pipe relining / no-dig drain repair. Covers UV-cured resin liners, isolated pipe entry, ladder/manhole work.. 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.
Pipe relining and no-dig rehabilitation covers the trenchless repair of damaged drains and sewers by installing a cured-in-place liner inside the existing pipe, restoring its integrity without excavation. It avoids the trench hazards of dig-and-replace, but introduces its own: the resins and chemicals used to form the liner, which can be irritant, sensitising or hazardous; the curing process, which may use heat, steam, hot water or ultraviolet light; the biological hazards of the existing drain; and the potential for entry into drainage structures. This document is written on the basis that pipe relining is carried out by competent operators with the chemical, curing, biological and confined-space hazards controlled, and the resin system used to the manufacturer's safety requirements.
Pipe relining is drainage rehabilitation work carried out in connection with the sanitary plumbing and drainage standard, using cured-in-place liner systems. The resins and chemicals are hazardous substances managed under the hazardous-chemicals provisions of the WHS Regulations, with safety data sheets, exposure controls and the manufacturer's safety requirements followed. The curing process — heat, steam, hot water or ultraviolet — brings thermal or radiation hazards depending on the method. Where access to a maintenance hole or pit is required, the confined spaces Code of Practice applies. This document coordinates the chemical, curing, biological and confined-space controls so the pipe is relined without exposure or injury.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Skin, eye and respiratory irritation and sensitisation from resin and chemical contact
Inhalation exposure to chemical vapours and styrene or other emissions
Burns and scalding from the heat or steam used to cure the liner
Eye and skin injury from ultraviolet light where UV curing is used
Infection and illness from contact with sewage in the drain being relined
Oxygen deficiency, toxic atmosphere and restricted egress where entry is required
Musculoskeletal injury from heavy and awkward materials and equipment
Pressure release and equipment failure during liner installation
Environmental and exposure hazard from a resin spill
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Administrative: manage the liner resins and chemicals as hazardous chemicals — obtain and follow the safety data sheets, assess exposure, and apply the manufacturer's safety requirements for handling, mixing and curing.
- 2Engineering: control vapours and emissions with ventilation at the work area and access points, particularly during mixing, installation and curing, to keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable.
- 3Engineering: control the curing-process hazard for the method used — guard against the heat, steam and hot water of thermal curing, or against ultraviolet exposure for UV curing — and keep workers clear of the hazard during curing.
- 4PPE: chemical-resistant gloves and protective clothing, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection appropriate to the resin and vapours, with UV-protective equipment where UV curing is used, per the safety data sheet and AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716.
- 5Administrative: manage the biological hazard of the existing drain with hygiene controls, washing facilities and decontamination, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated.
- 6Administrative: where access to a maintenance hole or pit is required, apply the confined space entry permit, atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby and rescue controls to the confined spaces Code of Practice.
- 7Administrative: control resin spills with containment and spill response, manage the pressure used to install and inflate the liner, and dispose of resin and chemical waste in line with the requirements.
- 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 a compliance certificate issued where required.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001) before entering any construction workplace, with the plumbing, gasfitting and any confined space competencies and licences required for the work.
- 10Administrative: conduct a daily 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, 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 drainage system being rehabilitated by relining.
The management of the liner resins and chemicals as hazardous chemicals, including safety data sheets and exposure controls.
Atmospheric testing, ventilation, entry permit and rescue controls where the work involves entry into a confined drainage structure.
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 or atmospheric hazards require it for the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Where pipe relining requires entry into a maintenance hole or pit that may have a contaminated atmosphere, the work is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is licensed plumbing or gasfitting work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — in or near a confined space — 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, where gas is involved, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, which are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, with the excavation, confined space or work-at-height controls applied as relevant. A failure in this work can cause serious injury or harm to the water supply or the public, and breaches of the plumbing and gas 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
- →Drainage contractors carrying out trenchless pipe relining.
- →No-dig rehabilitation crews installing cured-in-place liners.
- →Plumbing businesses providing pipe relining services.
- →Asset owners and PCBUs commissioning trenchless drain rehabilitation.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the chemical, curing and confined-space 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 pipe relining and no-dig rehabilitation hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Pipe relining prompts referencing the cured-in-place liner system, a hazardous-chemicals and safety-data-sheet section, a curing-process control section for the method used, and a biological-hazard and confined-space section.
- ✓Licensing and compliance-certificate prompts for the relevant plumbing and gasfitting scheme, 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 drainage contractor is engaged to reline a damaged section of sewer using a cured-in-place liner, avoiding excavation. The liner resins and chemicals are managed as hazardous chemicals, with the safety data sheets obtained and the manufacturer's safety requirements followed for handling, mixing and curing. Ventilation is set up at the work area and access points to control vapours and emissions during mixing, installation and curing. The curing method is hot-water curing, so the thermal hazard is controlled and workers are kept clear of the heat and steam during the cure. Operators wear chemical-resistant gloves and protective clothing, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection appropriate to the resin and vapours. The biological hazard of the existing drain is managed with hygiene controls, washing facilities and decontamination, and no eating or drinking until decontaminated. The work is carried out from the surface where possible; where access to a maintenance hole is required, the confined space controls apply. Resin containers are managed against spill, and the work is completed, decontaminated 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 and excavation provisions where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The relevant plumbing and drainage standards AS/NZS 3500 (Parts 0–5), AS/NZS 1547 for on-site wastewater, and, for gas, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, together with the requirements of the relevant network utility or authority.
- Plumbing and gasfitting work is licensed under each state and territory's plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with compliance certification required for notifiable work.
- 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 excavation provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What is pipe relining?
Pipe relining is a trenchless, no-dig method of repairing damaged drains and sewers by installing a cured-in-place liner inside the existing pipe, which hardens to form a new pipe within the old one. It restores the integrity of the drain without excavation, avoiding the trench hazards of dig-and-replace, but it introduces chemical, curing and biological hazards that are controlled.
What chemical hazards apply to pipe relining?
The liner resins and chemicals can be irritant, sensitising or hazardous, and the resin and curing process can release vapours and emissions such as styrene. They are managed as hazardous chemicals with safety data sheets, exposure controls, ventilation, and chemical-resistant gloves, protective clothing and respiratory protection, following the manufacturer's safety requirements for handling, mixing and curing.
What are the hazards of the curing process?
Curing forms the liner and may use heat, steam, hot water or ultraviolet light depending on the system. Thermal curing brings burn and scalding hazards from the heat and steam, and UV curing brings eye and skin injury from ultraviolet light. The curing-process hazard is controlled for the method used, with workers kept clear of the hazard and UV-protective equipment where UV curing is used.
Does pipe relining involve confined spaces?
It can, where access to a maintenance hole or pit is required during the work. In those cases the confined space entry permit, atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby and rescue controls apply, and the work is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS. The trenchless method itself avoids excavation, and the work is carried out from the surface where possible.
What biological hazards apply to relining?
The existing drain being relined contains sewage and contaminated water, so contact carries infection risk. Hygiene controls, washing facilities, decontamination, and prohibition of eating, drinking and smoking until decontaminated manage that hazard, alongside the chemical and curing controls, so the work is carried out without biological or chemical exposure.