Structural Engineering Inspection SWMS

Structural engineering inspections involve site attendances by qualified engineers to assess load-bearing elements, partial collapses, scaffold integrity, demolition staging, and post-event structural condition. The work routinely places the inspector in environments with active falls-from-height exposure, incomplete scaffolds, unstable demolition zones, exposed reinforcement, and uncontrolled overhead loads. Under WHS Regulation 2025 r291, any construction work involving a risk of a person falling more than two metres, work on or adjacent to demolition, or work on scaffolds where a person could fall more than four metres is classified as High Risk Construction Work (HRCW), and a Safe Work Method Statement must be prepared, consulted on with workers, and kept available at the workplace before the activity commences. Because structural inspectors frequently move between sites controlled by different principal contractors, a documented, transferable SWMS is the only mechanism that demonstrates the PCBU has identified hazards, applied the hierarchy of control, and consulted workers in accordance with WHS Act s47 and s48.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Conduct inspections remotely using drone photogrammetry, borescope, or fixed CCTV where structural condition can be verified without physical entry to the hazard zone.
2. 2Elimination — Defer entry into demolition exclusion zones until the demolition contractor has issued a written stand-down and the zone has been declared structurally stable.
3. 3Substitution — Replace ladder access to elevated inspection points with elevated work platforms (EWP) certified to AS 2550.10 and operated by HRWL-licensed operators.
4. 4Engineering — Verify scaffold compliance against AS/NZS 1576 and require a current scaffold handover certificate and scafftag green status before any access.
5. 5Engineering — Install temporary edge protection, catch platforms, or perimeter screens meeting AS/NZS 4994 prior to inspector mobilisation to leading edges.
6. 6Administrative — Issue site-specific pre-inspection risk assessment 24 hours prior, cross-referenced to this SWMS, and obtain principal contractor sign-off on access route and exclusion zones.
7. 7Administrative — Implement two-person inspection rule for any work above 2m or within demolition footprint, with documented check-in intervals via radio or lone-worker app.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct pre-start toolbox using this SWMS, confirming worker competencies (working at heights, asbestos awareness, construction induction white card) prior to access.
9. 9PPE — Full body harness with twin-tail energy-absorbing lanyards to AS/NZS 1891.1, anchored to engineer-certified anchor points rated minimum 15kN, inspected pre-use.
10. 10PPE — P2 respiratory protection (AS/NZS 1716), impact-rated eyewear (AS/NZS 1337.1), Type 1 hard hat (AS/NZS 1801), and cut-resistant gloves issued and fit-tested per role.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A consulting structural engineer is mobilised to a partially demolished four-storey commercial podium to assess remaining column capacity before façade retention works commence. The engineer arrives at the site office and the principal contractor's HSE advisor convenes a pre-start brief using this SWMS as the consultation document. Working through the hazards register, the engineer flags that the demolition exclusion zone identified on the site plan still has masonry debris on the level 2 slab and the scaffold to level 3 has a missing handrail noted on yesterday's scafftag. The control hierarchy is applied: the inspection of the level 2 column is deferred until debris is cleared (elimination), and the level 3 scaffold access is substituted with a 14-metre knuckle-boom EWP brought in from the contractor's plant yard. The engineer fits a twin-tail harness, anchors to the EWP designated point, and signs the SWMS acknowledgement page alongside the spotter, who will maintain radio contact every fifteen minutes. Mid-inspection, the engineer identifies an unexpected exposed starter-bar cluster on the column base. The team stops, returns to the SWMS, and adds a site-specific control — temporary mushroom caps installed by the demolition crew — before resuming. The amended SWMS is countersigned and filed with the principal contractor's daily HSE pack, satisfying the consultation and record-keeping duties under WHS Regulation 2025.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP

Frequently asked questions