Construction Work in Occupied Buildings SWMS
Safe Work Method Statement for fit-out, refurbishment and maintenance work carried out while a building, floor or tenancy stays in use — separating the work from occupants and the public, dust, noise and odour control, fire system impairments and egress, lifts and loading docks, after-hours and lone work, asbestos and silica, and coordination with building management.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
This Safe Work Method Statement covers fit-out, refurbishment, alteration and maintenance work carried out in New South Wales while the building, floor or tenancy stays in use. It manages the interface between the work and the people who remain in the building: separating the work area from occupied space, controlling dust, odour, noise and vibration, keeping exits and fire safety systems working, protecting occupants from falling objects, trip hazards and moving plant, and coordinating with building management and the building emergency plan. It is used together with the task SWMS for each trade activity.
Hazards identified
12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Injury to non-workers from tools, falling objects, plant, trip hazards, dust and chemicals
Occupants trapped or delayed in an emergency
Fire spreading undetected; occupants not warned
Inhalation of asbestos fibres by workers and occupants causing mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer
Respiratory irritation and asthma in occupants; contamination of HVAC; smoke detector activation
Silicosis, lung cancer and chronic lung disease
Serious injury or death of workers; occupants struck by falling tools or materials
Electric shock, electrocution, arc flash and loss of supply to occupants
Serious harm to people less able to recognise or avoid hazards, or to evacuate
Hearing loss in workers; disruption and distraction of occupants
Headaches, nausea and respiratory irritation in occupants
Occupants struck by trolleys or vehicles; delayed help for lone workers
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Vacate the area or carry out the work when occupants are absent (after hours, weekends, school or facility shutdowns); prefabricate off site; identified or suspected asbestos is not disturbed by the crew in any quantity.
- 2Substitution — Low-VOC and water-based paints, adhesives and sealants; battery tools so no leads cross occupied areas; scissor lifts or mobile scaffolds instead of ladders; quieter cutting and fixing methods.
- 3Isolation — Full-height hoarding sealed to slab or structure, lockable work zones and staged works so occupants never share space with the work; exclusion zones under overhead work and around plant and the loading dock.
- 4Engineering — Negative pressure with HEPA-filtered units exhausting away from occupants and air intakes; on-tool extraction to H-class vacuums; return-air grilles sealed by arrangement with building management; RCD protection; lift car and floor protection.
- 5Administrative — Asbestos register hold point; building manager permits for fire impairment with fire watch, hot work, isolations and after-hours access; fire systems reinstated every shift; exits kept clear; occupant notices and approved noise windows; written silica assessment; lone worker check-ins.
- 6Administrative — Work integrated with the building emergency plan and wardens; supervisor reports worker numbers to the chief warden; notifiable incidents reported to SafeWork NSW immediately.
- 7PPE — Fit-tested P2 respirator or higher for dusty tasks, safety glasses, gloves, safety boots, hearing protection, hard hats in exclusion zones and hi-vis near mobile plant. PPE protects workers only, so occupant protection relies on the higher-order controls.
Applicable Codes of Practice
General construction duties, SWMS content, and protection of the public and other persons near construction work in an occupied building.
Ladders, mobile scaffolds and EWPs in occupied areas, voids and penetrations, and falling objects onto people below.
Use of the asbestos register before refurbishment and the unexpected-find procedure in an occupied building.
Interface with the licensed removalist and clearance before the crew or occupants re-enter.
Isolation, lock-out and tag-out, test before touch and protection of building services that stay live.
Moving materials through occupied buildings, lifts and stairs.
Paints, adhesives, sealants and solvents used near occupants; SDS and registers.
Drilling, coring, chasing, grinding and demolition hammers.
Amenities, lighting and ventilation for after-hours work, and emergency plans.
Non-structural strip-out in occupied buildings, falling objects and waste handling.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Applies where work is done from a mobile scaffold, EWP or ladder at a height from which a fall of more than 2 m is possible, such as high ceilings, foyers, atriums and stairwells, or near unprotected voids and risers.
Applies where asbestos is recorded or suspected in walls, ceilings, floors or penetrations to be worked on in a building constructed before 31 December 2003; that disturbance is done only by a licensed removalist.
Applies where work is done on or near building electrical installations that stay energised so the building can remain in use, such as ceiling and riser cabling, switchboards and floor boxes.
Applies where scissor lifts, boom lifts, forklifts, pallet movers or delivery and waste vehicles operate in the work area, common areas or loading dock.
Where any of these paragraphs of section 291 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) applies, section 299 requires the PCBU to ensure a SWMS is prepared before the work starts; the work must be carried out in accordance with the SWMS (s300), a copy given to the principal contractor (s301), and the SWMS kept (s303).
Who this is for
- →Commercial fit-out and refurbishment contractors working in occupied offices and retail premises
- →Maintenance contractors working after hours in banks, government buildings and shopping centres
- →Contractors working in schools, health and aged care premises while they remain in use
- →Principal contractors and building managers who need a SWMS covering the occupant interface
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓Hazard register of 19 occupied-building hazards with inherent and residual risk ratings and controls in hierarchy-of-control order
- ✓High risk construction work table against section 291 paragraphs (a) to (r), with the Applies column left for site completion
- ✓Step-by-step procedure with hold points for asbestos, separation and egress, services isolation and fire system reinstatement
- ✓Plant, PPE, training, building manager permits, facilities and emergency response sections integrated with the building emergency plan
- ✓Worker consultation, sign-on and review log
- ✓Prepared for the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)
Worked example
A contractor is engaged to refit half of level 4 of a 1990s Sydney office building while the tenant's staff keep working on the other half. Before work starts, the supervisor obtains the asbestos register, which records asbestos in vinyl floor tiles in an old store room, and the store room is left undisturbed. Full-height hoarding sealed to the slab separates the work from the staff, a HEPA-filtered negative air unit runs in the work zone, and return-air grilles inside the zone are sealed by arrangement with building management. Coring and chasing are booked for after 6 pm, detector isolations are made by the fire services contractor under the building manager permit with a fire watch, and the detectors are reinstated before the crew leaves each night. Staff are given notices before each stage, and the chief warden is told how many workers are on the floor each shift.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — ss19, 20, 26A, 27, 28, 29, 35–39, 46, 47, 84
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — ss40, 41, 42, 43 facilities, first aid and emergency plans; s48 remote or isolated work
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — s291 high risk construction work; ss299–303 SWMS; s317 general construction induction
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 8 asbestos (ss447, 449, 450, 473, 474, 485, 487)
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 8A crystalline silica (ss529C, 529CA, 529CB, 529CC, 529CD, 529CE)
- Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — waste transport and disposal
Frequently asked questions
Does this replace the SWMS for each trade?
No. It covers the interface with the people who remain in the building — separation, dust, noise, egress, fire safety, goods movement and emergency coordination. Each high risk trade task still needs its own SWMS, and must also meet the controls in this one.
Is work in an occupied building high risk construction work?
Not automatically. It becomes high risk construction work under section 291 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) where a paragraph applies on the site — most often a risk of falling more than 2 m, likely disturbance of asbestos, work near energised electrical installations, or movement of powered mobile plant.
Who isolates the fire alarms?
Only the building fire services contractor, under the building manager's permit. The SWMS requires a fire watch for the whole impairment and reinstatement of every isolated system before the crew leaves each shift.
Does it cover schools and health facilities?
Yes. It includes controls for vulnerable occupants: working in vacated areas, rigid lockable hoarding, the facility's own rules such as working with children checks and infection control permits, and evacuation arrangements for people who need assistance.
Is the document ready to use as supplied?
It is an editable Word template. You must add your business, building, occupancy and crew details, complete the high risk construction work table for the site, and consult your workers before the work starts.
Document details
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