Steeplejack & High Structure Work SWMS

Steeplejack and high structure work covers the inspection, maintenance, repair, painting, rigging and demolition of tall structures — chimneys, spires, church steeples, silos, industrial stacks, water towers, communication and broadcast towers, flagpoles and monuments. Workers ascend and descend using fixed ladders, permanent anchorages, rope access techniques or purpose-built scaffolds, often at heights exceeding 30 metres and frequently on ageing or corroded structures with unknown residual strength. The hazards are severe and cumulative: falls from extreme height, structural collapse, exposure to weathered lead-based paint and crystalline silica dust from masonry preparation, RF radiation on live telecommunications towers, falling tools and debris, lightning, and rapid onset of wind, heat and fatigue.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), section 291 defines high risk construction work to include any work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (paragraph (a)) and work on or near a telecommunications tower (paragraph (b)). Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement be prepared before this work commences. Controls follow the hierarchy in section 36 — eliminate the fall where practicable, then substitute, engineer, administer and finally rely on PPE such as fall-arrest harnesses and rope access systems.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Eliminate the fall risk where reasonably practicable by carrying out inspections and works from the ground using drones, telescopic cameras or elevating work platforms before committing personnel to the structure.
2. 2Substitute climbing with a mobile or tower crane suspended work platform (crane-lifted personnel box) engineered to AS 1418.17 where structural access from within is unsafe, with a Safe Work Method Statement and lift study prepared by a competent rigger.
3. 3Engineer collective fall protection by installing engineered platforms, edge protection and catch fans wherever the structure geometry permits, before defaulting to personal fall-arrest systems.
4. 4Design and certify all anchorages, tie-back points and rigging by a competent structural engineer prior to loading; anchorages used with personal fall protection to comply with AS/NZS 5532 and be identified, tagged and load-tested.
5. 5Deploy dual rope access systems in accordance with AS/NZS 4488 (industrial rope access) using IRATA/ARAA-qualified operators with a working line and independent safety line, edge protectors, and a documented rescue plan capable of retrieving a suspended worker within minutes to control suspension intolerance.
6. 6Personal fall-arrest equipment (harnesses, lanyards, energy absorbers, connectors, self-retracting devices) to comply with AS/NZS 1891 series; inspected before each use and recertified at intervals specified by the manufacturer.
7. 7For telecommunications tower work, obtain written RF hazard information and switch-off/power-down permits from carriers; measure RF fields using calibrated meters, apply the ARPANSA RPS S-1 exposure limits, and use RF personal monitors and shielded PPE where residual exposure remains.
8. 8Manage lead-based paint in accordance with AS 4361.1: assume pre-1970 coatings are leaded until sampled; use wet methods or HEPA-shrouded tools, containment sheeting, P3 respiratory protection, decontamination facilities and biological monitoring under Regulation 2025 sections 394–401.
9. 9Control respirable crystalline silica in accordance with the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice — Managing the risks of respirable crystalline silica from engineered and natural stone: use water suppression or on-tool HEPA extraction, air monitoring, and P2/P3 respiratory protection; comply with the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard.
10. 10Establish exclusion zones at ground level with hard barricades, spotters, signage and traffic control per AS 1742.3; suspend work when wind speed exceeds engineered limits (typically 36 km/h at working height) or when electrical storms are within 10 km; monitor via BoM alerts.
11. 11Conduct daily pre-start structural inspections and toolbox talks; implement a documented emergency and rescue plan rehearsed on site, with a dedicated rescue operator and equipment on standby throughout the work.
12. 12All workers to hold White Card (CPCCWHS1001), rope access or working-at-height competencies, and where applicable rigging/dogging licences; consult workers under section 47 and review the SWMS under section 302 whenever a control fails, an incident occurs, wind or structural conditions change, or a new hazard is identified.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A steeplejack contractor is engaged to inspect, repoint and repaint the 42-metre sandstone spire of a heritage church in Goulburn, NSW. Before mobilising, a licensed drone operator conducts a photogrammetric survey to identify loose masonry and corroded ferrous cramps. A structural engineer designs three top-anchor points bolted through the spire cross-section and issues a certificate of load capacity. Two IRATA Level 3 operators establish dual-rope systems complying with AS/NZS 4488, with a third rescue-capable operator on standby at the belfry. Pre-1970 paint samples return positive for lead, so surface preparation is limited to wet scraping under HEPA-shrouded containment, with workers in P3 half-face respirators and disposable coveralls, and biological monitoring arranged through an occupational physician. Repointing dust is controlled by wet methods to comply with the 0.05 mg/m³ silica exposure standard. A 15-metre ground exclusion zone is barricaded, with a traffic controller on Auburn Street. Work is suspended when wind at the top anchor exceeds 36 km/h. The SWMS is signed by all workers under section 47, and reviewed under section 302 after a lightning forecast forces mid-shift descent on day three.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — sections 19, 31, 32, 47
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 78–80 (falls), 291, 299, 302, 394–401 (lead)
• Radiocommunications Act 1992 (Cth) and ARPANSA Radiation Protection Standard RPS S-1 (RF exposure limits)
• Heritage Act 1977 (NSW) — where the structure is a listed heritage item
• Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — lead and dust discharge
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) — approval for scaffolding and hoardings in public precincts

Frequently asked questions