Working in Service Risers SWMS

Service risers are vertical shafts running between building floors that carry hydraulic, electrical, mechanical, fire and communications services. Work inside risers typically involves ladder or rope access through floor penetrations, working above unprotected drops exceeding 2 metres, and entry into spaces that meet the AS 2865-2009 definition of a confined space due to restricted access, poor ventilation and accumulated atmospheric contaminants. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this work simultaneously triggers multiple High Risk Construction Work under section 291 categories, making a documented and signed Safe Work Method Statement mandatory before any worker enters the shaft. The hazard profile is compounded by multi-trade coordination during fit-out, where electricians, plumbers, fire-services installers and mechanical contractors may be working at different levels of the same riser simultaneously. This SWMS sets out the hierarchy of controls, atmospheric testing regime, fall-arrest anchorage requirements and stand-down triggers needed to satisfy the PCBU's primary duty of care under WHS Act s19.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Where practicable, complete service rough-in at floor level before lifting modules into the riser, eliminating in-shaft work entirely through prefabrication and modular assembly.
2. 2Elimination — Permanently close redundant floor penetrations with structural infill once services are commissioned, removing the fall-through hazard from subsequent trades and future maintenance crews.
3. 3Substitution — Replace solvent-based adhesives and cleaning agents with low-VOC water-based alternatives to reduce atmospheric contamination within the poorly ventilated riser shaft.
4. 4Engineering — Install Class A or B rated penetration covers compliant with AS 1657-2018 at every floor level, secured against displacement and signposted before any entry is authorised.
5. 5Engineering — Provide mechanical forced ventilation delivering minimum 20 air changes per hour with continuous atmospheric monitoring for O2, LEL, CO and H2S per AS 2865-2009.
6. 6Engineering — Rig certified fall-arrest anchor points to AS/NZS 5532:2013 at the riser head, with twin-tail lanyards and a dedicated rescue retrieval system pre-rigged before entry.
7. 7Administrative — Issue a confined space entry permit per AS 2865-2009 Section 3, with stand-by attendant, communications check, and gas-test results recorded at intervals not exceeding 30 minutes.
8. 8Administrative — Coordinate multi-trade sequencing through daily pre-start so no worker is positioned vertically below another in the same riser; enforce exclusion zones with hard barricades.
9. 9Administrative — Verify electrical isolation and lockout-tagout per AS/NZS 4836:2023 before entry, with test-for-dead confirmed by a licensed electrician on every adjacent circuit.
10. 10PPE — Issue full body harness to AS/NZS 1891.1, hi-vis long sleeves, Type 1 helmet with chinstrap to AS/NZS 1801, impact gloves, and air-supplied respirator where atmospheric controls cannot achieve safe limits.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a 14-storey commercial fit-out, a hydraulic foreman is preparing his crew to install copper stack pipework through the south-east service riser between Levels 5 and 9. At the pre-start brief held at the Level 5 entry door, he pulls out the Working in Service Risers SWMS and walks each worker through the hazard register, pausing on the confined space and falling objects entries because two electricians are already working at Level 8 in the same shaft. Using the controls section, the team confirms the riser has been gas-tested that morning (O2 at 20.8%, LEL zero, CO under 5 ppm), the forced ventilation fan is running, and twin-tail harnesses are anchored to the certified head anchor. The foreman issues a confined space permit, posts a stand-by attendant at the Level 5 door with radio contact, and barricades Levels 6 and 7 to prevent vertical overlap with the electricians above. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on sheet before entry. Two hours in, a third trade arrives wanting to drop fire-rated cable down the same shaft. The foreman refers back to the SWMS multi-trade coordination clause, refuses concurrent vertical work, and reschedules the cable pull for after his crew exits. The atmospheric monitor is checked every 30 minutes and readings logged on the permit until the task is complete and the riser is signed off.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 2865 — Confined spaces

Frequently asked questions