Rooftop Telecoms Installation SWMS

Rooftop telecommunications installation covers the deployment of small-cell nodes, panel antennas, microwave dishes, and associated mounting frames on commercial and mixed-use buildings. The work routinely combines working at heights above two metres, exposure to live RF emitters, interface with energised building electrical systems, and traversal of roof areas that may include fragile sheeting, skylights, or aged membranes. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this scope triggers High Risk Construction Work obligations because of the fall potential, the telecommunications structure classification, and the energised electrical interface — each of which independently mandates a documented Safe Work Method Statement before work commences. The SWMS must be prepared in consultation with the workers carrying out the task, signed on by every person entering the work area, kept available for inspection for the duration of the works, and retained for at least two years after any notifiable incident. This document discharges the PCBU's primary duty under section 19 and the specific HRCW SWMS duty under regulation 299.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — relocate antenna mounting design to a pole or façade bracket reachable from an EWP rather than rooftop traversal where structural and RF coverage modelling permits.
2. 2Elimination — pre-assemble mount frames, jumpers, and RRU cabling at ground level inside the laydown area so rooftop time is reduced to lift, bolt-up, and commissioning only.
3. 3Substitution — substitute lithium remote radio units and lightweight aluminium mounts for legacy cast-iron headframes, lowering manual handling load below 25kg per lift per AS/NZS 4501.
4. 4Substitution — replace ballasted non-penetrating mounts with engineer-certified structural penetrations where roof loading assessment shows ballast exceeds purlin design capacity.
5. 5Engineering — install temporary guardrail to AS/NZS 4994.1 along the leading edge plus rated skylight covers before any worker steps onto the roof plane.
6. 6Engineering — issue and verify carrier RF lockout-permits placing co-located sectors into reduced-power or shutdown state with on-mast warning lights confirming compliance with ARPANSA RPS S-1.
7. 7Administrative — implement a documented electrical isolation and tag-out of the rooftop DB by a licensed electrician under AS/NZS 4836 before any cable gland or penetration work proceeds.
8. 8Administrative — conduct daily pre-start briefing against this SWMS, record sign-on of every worker, and stop work and reissue when scope, weather, or RF state changes.
9. 9PPE — issue twin-lanyard full-body harnesses to AS/NZS 1891.1 anchored to engineered roof anchors, hard hats with chinstraps, RF personal monitors, and Class 5 cut-resistant gloves for headframe assembly.
10. 10PPE — provide UPF50+ long-sleeve workwear, wide-brim hard hat brims, electrolyte hydration, and Class 2 hi-vis for street-level spotter managing the exclusion zone below the lift path.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a metropolitan eight-storey commercial tower scheduled for a small-cell upgrade, the rigging crew arrives at 06:30 for a tenant-sensitive shift before office hours. The supervisor pulls out this SWMS at the lift lobby for the pre-start brief. The crew works down the hazard register and confirms each control: the carrier RF shutdown permit for the co-located sector is sighted and the on-mast warning light is verified by the rigger from the roof hatch using binoculars; the licensed electrician confirms the rooftop DB is isolated, locked, and tested dead under AS/NZS 4836; the temporary edge guardrail installed the prior afternoon is re-inspected and the skylight covers are walked. The harness inspector tags each twin-lanyard set and every worker signs the SWMS sign-on sheet — including a labour-hire rigger added that morning, who is walked through clauses individually. Mid-shift, wind gusts climb above the 36 km/h trigger recorded in the administrative controls section. The supervisor halts the lift of the second antenna, reconvenes the crew at the lift motor room, and annotates the SWMS with a scope-change note before resuming only the bolt-up of the already-landed sector. The document is filed with the daily diary and retained for the statutory period.

Related legislation

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

Frequently asked questions