Pool Liner Install (Vinyl / Fibreglass) SWMS

Pool liner installation covers the installation and replacement of pool liners — fitting the vinyl or membrane liner into the pool shell of a lined swimming pool, working inside the pool. It combines the liner work with the pool environment: the working inside the pool shell with the access and fall hazards, the manual handling of the liner material, the slips inside the pool, and any adhesives and chemicals. This document is written on the basis that pool liner installation is carried out with the shell-access, manual-handling, slip and chemical controls in place.

Pool liner installation is carried out in connection with the construction work Code of Practice, with the working inside the pool shell managed with safe access and fall prevention, the liner material handled safely, slips inside the pool managed, and any adhesives and chemicals managed. The shell access and falls, the manual handling, the slips, and the chemicals are the considerations. This document coordinates the shell-access, manual-handling, slip and chemical controls so the pool liner is installed safely.

Hazards identified

9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Engineering: prevent falls into the open pool shell and excavation with barriers, edge protection and covers, and provide safe access into and out of the shell.
2. 2Engineering: provide safe access into and out of the pool shell — ladders, ramps or steps appropriate to the depth — and prevent falls into the shell.
3. 3Engineering: use mechanical lifting and team lifting for the heavy materials and equipment, controlling the crush and manual-handling hazard.
4. 4Administrative: manage slips inside the pool during the installation, and manage the awkward postures of fitting the liner with task rotation and breaks.
5. 5Administrative: manage the adhesives and chemicals to their safety data sheets, with skin, eye and respiratory protection and ventilation where required.
6. 6Administrative: manage restricted working and dust in the shell, and the water and partial filling during the installation.
7. 7Engineering: manage sharp edges and fixings in the shell against cuts, and confirm the liner is installed correctly.
8. 8Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001), with the pool-construction, plumbing, electrical, gasfitting, confined space and any other competencies and licences required for the work.
9. 9Administrative: 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.
10. 10Administrative: 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.
11. 11PPE: 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.
12. 12Administrative: 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.
13. 13Administrative: ensure each part of the work is carried out by the appropriately licensed or competent person — pool builder, licensed plumber, licensed electrician and licensed gasfitter as relevant — under the applicable state or territory licensing scheme, with compliance certification where required.

Applicable Codes of Practice

Worked example

A worker is engaged to install a pool liner in a lined swimming pool. Falls into the pool shell are prevented with barriers and edge protection, and safe access into and out of the shell provided — ladders, ramps or steps appropriate to the depth. The liner material is handled with mechanical and team lifting, controlling the manual-handling hazard. Slips inside the pool during the installation are managed, and the awkward postures of fitting the liner managed with task rotation and breaks. The adhesives and chemicals are managed to their safety data sheets with skin, eye and respiratory protection and ventilation where required. Restricted working and dust in the shell, and the water and partial filling during the installation, are managed. Sharp edges and fixings in the shell are managed against cuts. The liner is confirmed installed correctly, 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 excavation, confined space and electrical provisions where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
• The swimming pool safety standards AS 1926.1, AS 1926.2 and AS 1926.3, the electrical Wiring Rules AS/NZS 3000, the plumbing and drainage standards AS/NZS 3500, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022 for gas, and the hazardous chemicals and silica requirements, are called up by the relevant building, plumbing, electrical, gas and safety legislation, together with the National Construction Code and local council requirements.
• Pool construction, plumbing, electrical and gasfitting work is licensed under each state and territory's licensing schemes, with electrical work carried out by a licensed electrician and gas work by a licensed gasfitter, and compliance certification required for notifiable work; pool safety barrier requirements apply under state and territory pool-safety laws.
• Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the high risk construction work, excavation, confined space and electrical provisions applying in place of the model instruments.

Frequently asked questions