Microwave Link Installation & Alignment SWMS

Microwave link installation and alignment is high-risk telecommunications work involving the mounting of parabolic dish antennas onto towers, rooftops or monopoles, followed by precision path alignment to establish line-of-sight communication between two fixed points. Technicians work at significant heights, often above 10 metres, while handling heavy antennas, waveguide and feeder cabling, and exposing themselves to active RF transmission from co-located services. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this work triggers multiple High Risk Construction Work categories simultaneously — falls from height, structural work on telecommunications towers, and proximity to energised electrical installations — meaning a documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences and must be available on site for the duration of the task. The combination of altitude, RF energy regulated under ARPANSA RPS S-1, weather-dependent scheduling, and shared-tower coordination with other licensees makes this one of the most hazard-dense activities in the telecommunications sector, requiring formal hazard identification, hierarchy-based controls, and worker consultation before any climb.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Pre-fabricate and pre-test dish, radio and feeder assemblies at ground level so high-risk activities at height are minimised to mounting and final torque only.
2. 2Elimination — Request transmitter shutdown or power reduction on co-located services via tower owner permit-to-climb before any worker enters the RF near-field zone.
3. 3Substitution — Replace climber-based path surveys with drone-mounted line-of-sight verification and laser rangefinder shots from ground to confirm clearance before tower work begins.
4. 4Engineering — Install permanent fall-arrest rail systems or rated anchor points compliant with AS/NZS 1891.4 on the tower face and verify load capacity through current inspection certificate.
5. 5Engineering — Deploy RF personal monitors (Narda or equivalent) set to ARPANSA RPS S-1 occupational thresholds, with audible alarm worn on chest harness throughout the climb.
6. 6Engineering — Establish exclusion zone at tower base using hard barriers and signage with radius equal to 1.5× tower height to manage dropped-object risk.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start brief covering this SWMS, weather window check (wind below 36 km/h), and confirmation of tower owner shutdown permit before any ascent.
8. 8Administrative — Implement two-person climb rule with continuous radio communication to ground supervisor and 30-minute welfare check intervals logged in site diary.
9. 9Administrative — Verify climber competency through current Working at Heights, Tower Rescue, and RF Awareness tickets sighted and recorded prior to mobilisation.
10. 10PPE — Issue full body harness with twin lanyards and shock absorber to AS/NZS 1891.1, RF-shielded coverall garment, climbing helmet with chinstrap, cut-resistant gloves and certified eye protection.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a regional backhaul upgrade project, a two-person crew is scheduled to install a 1.2 metre microwave dish on a 42-metre lattice tower carrying co-located mobile carrier antennas. At 06:30 the lead rigger conducts a pre-start brief at the tower base, opening this SWMS on the site tablet and walking the climber through each hazard in turn. The crew confirm the tower owner has issued a shutdown permit reducing the adjacent carrier's transmit power for the duration of the climb, and the RF personal monitor is tested and clipped to the climber's chest harness. Wind speed is logged at 22 km/h — within the 36 km/h threshold specified in the controls section — and the weather forecast confirms a four-hour clear window. The exclusion zone is established at 60 metre radius using bunting and signage. The climber signs the SWMS sign-on register and ascends with twin lanyards on the rated rail system. Mid-climb at 28 metres the RF monitor alarms briefly; following the SWMS escalation procedure the climber halts, descends two metres, and the ground supervisor contacts the tower owner to verify shutdown status before resuming. The SWMS is annotated with this in-task adjustment, signed off by both workers at job completion, and filed in the project compliance register for the statutory retention period.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical installations

Frequently asked questions