Window Cleaning Internal Atrium / Void SWMS

Internal atrium and void window cleaning involves accessing glazed surfaces above open volumes — often 6 to 40 metres above polished floors, balustrades or fountain features — using rope access, building maintenance units (BMUs), travelling ladders or elevated work platforms. The work meets the definition of High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2011 r291(a) because workers are exposed to a risk of falling more than two metres, and is captured again under r291(b) where rope access systems are deployed. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before any task commences, must be prepared in consultation with workers under WHS Act s47, and must be available for inspection by the regulator. This SWMS template addresses the unique hazards of void work — drop zones onto occupied retail or lobby floors, anchor verification on glazing-system mullions, suspended-load swing, and rescue from heights where ground access is obstructed by atrium furniture or planters.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Where reasonably practicable, specify self-cleaning hydrophobic glazing or robotic cleaning systems at design stage to remove human entry into the void entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Schedule cleaning during full atrium closure so no persons occupy the drop zone below, eliminating struck-by exposure to third parties.
3. 3Substitution — Replace rope access with a permanently installed BMU or telescopic mast platform rated to AS 1418.13 where atrium geometry allows machine reach across the full glazing field.
4. 4Substitution — Use pre-diluted ready-to-use cleaning concentrates instead of decanting acidic glass restorers, reducing chemical handling at height per WHS Reg r36.
5. 5Engineering — Verify all anchor points to AS/NZS 5532 with current annual certification, install redundant secondary anchors, and use rope protectors at every edge contact point per AS/NZS 4488.
6. 6Engineering — Establish hard-barricaded exclusion zone at floor level extending 1.5× the working height radius, with rigid bollards and signage compliant with AS 1319.
7. 7Administrative — Permit-to-work system requiring daily anchor inspection sign-off, weather check (wind below 36 km/h per AS/NZS 1891.4), and two-person rope team minimum with line-of-sight communication.
8. 8Administrative — Pre-start SWMS briefing and sign-on, IRATA or equivalent rope-access certification verification, and rescue drill rehearsed within the preceding 90 days documented per WHS Reg r80.
9. 9PPE — Full-body harness to AS/NZS 1891.1 with integrated suspension trauma straps, helmet to AS/NZS 1801 with chin strap, cut-resistant gloves and chemical splash eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.1.
10. 10PPE — Tool tethering system rated to AS/NZS ISO 22846 with lanyards on every implement, bucket capture nets, and high-visibility garments to AS/NZS 4602.1 for ground-level spotters.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

At a six-level retail atrium with a 22-metre glazed northern wall over a polished stone food court, the rope access supervisor opens the pre-start brief at 5:30am before centre opening. The two-person team gathers at the rooftop anchor station with the printed SWMS. The supervisor walks each technician through the hazard register, pausing on the dropped-object and pendulum-swing entries because the planned descent line passes within 1.2 metres of a glass balustrade on level 3. The team confirms anchor certification dates against the engineering control checklist, tethers every squeegee, bucket and detergent bottle per the PPE control, and the ground spotter erects the hard-barricaded exclusion zone using the radius formula from the SWMS. Each worker signs the consultation register acknowledging they understood the rescue procedure and the suspension-trauma strap deployment sequence. Mid-task, wind through the open atrium loading dock rises to an estimated 32 km/h — the spotter calls the anemometer reading, the supervisor checks the SWMS administrative control threshold of 36 km/h, and work continues with an added directional restraint line referenced in the engineering controls. At 9am the team debriefs, signs off the permit, and notes in the SWMS margin that the directional restraint should be pre-rigged on future shifts — feeding the next review cycle.

Related legislation

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