Sewage Pump Station Operation & Maintenance SWMS
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
A sewage pump station kills people with electricity, gravity and pressure — not just gas. The hydrogen sulphide in the wet well dominates every conversation about these assets, and in doing so it hides the hazards that actually injure maintenance crews: a 415 V switchboard with variable speed drives, a heavy submersible pump suspended by davit or crane directly over an open well, and a pressurised rising main that stores energy and hammers when a valve is operated. Stations are typically unmanned and remote, so the worker is often alone with all three.
This SWMS covers the equipment inside the station: removal and installation of submersible pumps on guide rails, work on the switchboard, VSDs and control panel, level control maintenance, valve and penstock operation, work on the rising main and its connections, and servicing of odour control units and standby generators. It is deliberately separated from confined space entry — any entry into the wet well, valve pit or dry well is covered by the Wastewater Confined Space Entry SWMS. The method is: isolate and lock out electrically and mechanically, prove de-energised, guard the open well before lifting, rig equipment rated for the load, depressurise the rising main before breaking any connection, and maintain lone-worker contact throughout. Authored for New South Wales against the WHS Act 2011 (NSW) and the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW). Regulator: SafeWork NSW.
Hazards identified
15 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Electrocution from 415 V switchgear, VSDs and control circuits
Severe burns, blast injury and blindness from an arc fault
Fall into an open, gas-filled well with a drowning risk at the bottom
Crush fatality from a heavy pump dropping, and loss of the load into the well
Amputation or severe laceration from an impeller starting unexpectedly
High-pressure release or water hammer injuring a worker breaking a connection
Acute poisoning of a worker leaning over an open well during the lift
A worker injured or overcome with nobody present to raise the alarm or retrieve them
Fatal or serious injury from a vehicle entering the work area
Fire or explosion if an ignition source meets methane vented from the open well
Infection from handling contaminated pumps, guide rails and wet surfaces
Crush or impact injury from an actuator or valve releasing unexpectedly
Musculoskeletal injury handling heavy pumps and covers
Fall injury on permanently wet, contaminated surfaces
Noise-induced hearing loss from generators and plant
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1De-energise and prove dead before any electrical work — energised electrical work is prohibited under Part 4.7 Division 4, sections 154 and 157 unless de-energisation is not reasonably practicable, and convenience is never a valid reason.
- 2Isolate and lock out the pump circuit including automatic and remote/SCADA start, discharge the VSD DC bus, and fit personal locks — verified physically, not from a control room indication.
- 3Depressurise and isolate the rising main before breaking any connection, operate valves slowly to avoid water hammer, and confirm zero pressure rather than trusting a gauge.
- 4Guard, cover or edge-protect the open wet well before lifting begins, and never work over an unguarded opening.
- 5Use lifting equipment rated for the load, inspected and within its inspection period, with slings to AS 4991 and no person beneath a suspended load.
- 6Ventilate the wet well before and during the lift, carry personal gas monitoring at the surface, work upwind and never lean over the open well.
- 7Eliminate ignition sources at the open well, monitor LEL, and permit no hot work without a separate permit after the atmosphere is proven safe.
- 8Require two persons for pump lifts and electrical work, with a documented check-in interval, duress capability and escalation if contact is lost.
- 9Install a traffic guidance scheme to AS 1742.3 where the work area extends into the carriageway.
- 10Wash down pumps before handling, maintain hygiene and washing facilities, and use waterproof gloves, coveralls and eye protection against sewage contact.
- 11Use the davit or crane for all heavy items rather than manual lifting, with cover-lifting keys and mechanical aids.
- 12Never enter the wet well, valve pit or dry well under this SWMS — any entry is confined space work requiring a permit, monitoring, a standby person and rescue arrangements under Part 4.3.
- 13Ensure all workers hold a current White Card (CPCCWHS1001) where on a construction site, with electrical licensing, high risk work licences and lifting competencies as applicable.
- 14Consult workers on WHS matters affecting them per Section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), record the consultation, and review this SWMS whenever the station, plant, method or lifting equipment changes, after any incident, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The benchmark for de-energisation, isolation, proving dead and the limits on any energised work.
The benchmark for guarding, isolation and lock-out of rotating plant and drives.
The benchmark for edge protection, guarding of openings and fall-arrest systems.
The technical standard for any electrical work that cannot be carried out de-energised.
The traffic guidance scheme required where the access point is in or beside a live carriageway.
The H2S values of 10 ppm TWA and 15 ppm STEL against which atmospheres and exposures are assessed.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Pumps are removed and installed over an open wet well typically well in excess of 2 m deep, and workers stand and rig at the open edge.
Pump station maintenance is carried out on and near a 415 V switchboard, variable speed drives and control circuits, and proving de-energised is itself energised work.
Opening the wet well for pump removal releases hydrogen sulphide and methane accumulated in the well.
Many pump stations sit in or beside a road reserve, and the work area extends into the carriageway.
A crane truck, EWP or davit operates at the station and lifts loads over the open well, so there is movement of powered mobile plant in the work area.
Pumps are lifted over an open wet well holding liquid at depth, and a worker or load falling in faces a drowning risk.
Pump station maintenance is high risk construction work under Section 291 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW), so a SWMS must be prepared before work commences (Section 299), kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary (Section 302), and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. Energised electrical work is separately prohibited under Part 4.7 Division 4, sections 154 and 157 unless de-energisation is not reasonably practicable — convenience is never a valid reason, and proving de-energised is itself energised work. Lifting equipment must be rated and inspected under Chapter 5, and an open wet well is an unguarded opening with a fall and drowning risk requiring guarding under Part 4.4. An electric shock, an arc flash, a dropped load, a fall into a wet well or a drowning is a notifiable incident and is prosecuted as a Category 1 or Category 2 offence under the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), with the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals.
Who this is for
- →Local councils and water utilities operating sewage pump stations across a reticulated network.
- →Mechanical fitters and maintenance technicians removing and installing submersible pumps, guide rails, valves and level controls.
- →Licensed electrical workers maintaining pump station switchboards, variable speed drives and control circuits.
- →Crane and davit operators and riggers lifting pumps over open wet wells.
- →WHS managers and HSE advisors responsible for pump station maintenance, isolation and lifting across a water utility.
What you receive
- ✓A complete, editable Safe Work Method Statement authored for New South Wales — the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) and SafeWork NSW as regulator.
- ✓15 identified hazards with initial and residual risk ratings on a 5x5 matrix, each with controls ordered through the full hierarchy — eliminate, engineer, administrative, PPE.
- ✓The full high risk construction work breakdown — energised electrical, falls over 2 m, powered mobile plant, contaminated atmosphere, traffic corridor and drowning — with the reason each category applies.
- ✓The Part 4.7 electrical prohibition stated correctly for NSW (Division 4, sections 154 and 157) — prohibition framing, not 'conditions'.
- ✓A lone-worker control set for unmanned remote stations — two persons for lifts and electrical work, check-in intervals and escalation.
- ✓A PPE matrix mapping each task to the required equipment and the applicable Australian Standard.
- ✓Emergency procedures covering electric shock, fall into the wet well, dropped load, gas alarm and rising main release.
- ✓Editable fields for PCBU, ABN, site, prepared by, reviewed by, approved by and review date, plus a worker sign-on table.
- ✓Microsoft Word (.docx) format, unbranded, compatible with Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs and LibreOffice Writer.
Worked example
A council fitter is sent to change a blocked pump at a remote station. He arrives alone. The SCADA screen shows the pump stopped, so he assumes it is safe and lifts the cover. He rigs the davit and starts winching the pump out over the open well. What he has not done is lock out the starter, because the control room said the pump was off — and 'off' in SCADA is a status, not an isolation. The duty pump alternates on a timer. What he also has not done is guard the opening, because the pump is coming out of it. He is standing at the edge of an unguarded 4 m well full of liquid and H2S, alone, with a suspended load overhead and a live starter. Nothing here is a gas problem. Every hazard that could kill him in the next ten minutes is electrical, gravitational or gravitational-into-liquid, and every one of them is controlled by this SWMS: verified physical isolation with a personal lock, edge protection before the lift, a rated and inspected davit, no person beneath the load, and two people on site because a lone worker at an open well has nobody to retrieve him.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — Section 19 primary duty of care, owed to workers and the public; Section 47 consultation; Sections 35-38 notifiable incidents.
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Section 291 (high risk construction work) and Section 299 (preparation and content of a SWMS), with review under Section 302.
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Part 4.7 (electrical), including the prohibition on energised electrical work at Division 4, sections 154 and 157, with any permitted live work to AS/NZS 4836 and wiring to AS/NZS 3000.
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 5 (plant), covering rated and inspected lifting equipment, guarding and isolation; AS 1418 series and AS 4991 for lifting gear.
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Part 4.4 (falls) and Part 4.3 (confined spaces); any entry into the wet well, valve pit or dry well requires a permit, monitoring, a standby person and rescue arrangements and is covered by the Wastewater Confined Space Entry SWMS.
Frequently asked questions
Why is this separate from the confined space entry SWMS?
Because they are different methods with different hazards. This SWMS covers the equipment — the switchboard, the pumps, the lifting, the rising main — and its dominant hazards are electrical, gravitational and stored pressure. Confined space entry is a different task with a different control set: permit, atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby person and non-entry rescue. Combining them would produce a document too generic to be useful at the point of work, and would bury the electrical and lifting controls under the gas ones. Any entry into the wet well, valve pit or dry well is covered by the Wastewater Confined Space Entry SWMS.
Our SCADA shows the pump is off. Isn't that enough?
No. 'Off' in a control room is a status, not an isolation. Duty pumps alternate automatically, on a timer or on a level signal, and a remote operator can start one. Isolation means the circuit is physically opened, locked with a personal lock by each worker, the VSD DC bus is discharged, and the isolation is verified at the switchboard by the person doing the work. A control room indication has been the proximate cause of a great many machinery incidents.
Does this cover the electrical work, or do we still need an electrician?
This SWMS documents the method and the controls, including the correct NSW prohibition framing for energised electrical work. It does not substitute for licensing: all electrical work on the switchboard, VSDs and control circuits must be carried out by a licensed electrical worker, and proving de-energised is itself energised work. Where live work is genuinely unavoidable under Part 4.7 Division 4 sections 154 and 157, it must be carried out to AS/NZS 4836 with arc-rated PPE selected against the calculated incident energy.
Is a SWMS actually required for pump station maintenance?
Yes. Maintenance and repair of a structure is construction work, and this work engages several high risk construction work categories at Section 291 — it is carried out on or near energised electrical installations, involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 m into an open wet well, and takes place where powered mobile plant is moving. Section 299 therefore requires a SWMS before work commences, kept readily accessible and reviewed as necessary.