How many categories of high risk construction work are there?

Eighteen under the model WHS Regulations, which apply in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Victoria maintains its own list under the OHS Regulations 2017.

Does a SWMS need to cover every category, or only the ones that apply?

Only the ones that apply to the work you are actually doing. Listing categories that do not apply makes the document longer and less useful, and it suggests the list was ticked without thought.

Is working at 2 metres high risk construction work?

The trigger is a risk of falling more than 2 metres. Exactly 2 metres is not over 2 metres, but the measurement is the potential fall distance, not the working height — so a fall through an opening or over an edge can exceed 2 metres from a lower platform.

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The 18 categories of high risk construction work

The full list of high risk construction work under the model WHS Regulations, what each category means in practice, and how Victoria's list differs.

7 min read · updated 2026-08-24

Why the list matters

The categories are the trigger. If your work falls into one of them, a SWMS is required before the work starts. If it does not, a SWMS is not legally required — though a principal contractor can still ask for one as a condition of being on site, and many do.

Most jobs trigger more than one category, and the ones people miss are rarely the obvious ones. A rooftop solar install is obviously work at height; it is also work near energised electrical installations the moment a module sees daylight. A bathroom renovation in a 1970s house is not obviously anything until you find bonded asbestos behind the tiles.

The categories

Under the model WHS Regulations, high risk construction work is construction work that:

involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
is carried out on a telecommunications tower
involves demolition of an element of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the structure
involves, or is likely to involve, disturbing asbestos
involves structural alterations or repairs that require temporary support to prevent collapse
is carried out in or near a confined space
is carried out in or near a shaft or trench deeper than 1.5 metres, or a tunnel
involves the use of explosives
is carried out on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
is carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services
is carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
involves tilt-up or precast concrete
is carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians
is carried out in an area at a workplace where there is any movement of powered mobile plant
is carried out in an area where there are artificial extremes of temperature
is carried out in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning
involves diving work

The ones people get wrong

Falling more than 2 metres is measured as the distance a person could fall, not the height they are standing at. Working from a 1.8-metre platform next to an open stairwell is still a fall risk over 2 metres.

Powered mobile plant catches far more jobs than people expect. It is not limited to operating the plant — it applies to work carried out in an area where powered mobile plant is moving. A carpenter working in a yard where a telehandler is running is covered.

Energised electrical installations does not mean live work. It means work on or near them. Running cable through a ceiling space with live wiring in it qualifies.

Traffic corridors include any road in use by vehicles, not just highways. A residential street counts if you are working on or adjacent to it.

How Victoria differs

Victoria's OHS Regulations 2017 contain their own list of high risk construction work. It covers much of the same ground, but the wording and some thresholds differ, and Victoria includes items the model list handles differently — for example, work in an area where there is any movement of powered mobile plant, and work carried out in tunnels, are framed differently.

If your job is in Victoria, check it against the Victorian list rather than assuming the model categories apply. WorkSafe Victoria publishes the definition and guidance.

If none of them apply

Then a SWMS is not legally required for that work. It is still worth recording that you considered the question and concluded none applied — if a principal contractor or an inspector asks later, "we checked and none applied" is a much better answer with a date on it than without.

Common questions

How many categories of high risk construction work are there?: Eighteen under the model WHS Regulations, which apply in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Victoria maintains its own list under the OHS Regulations 2017.
Does a SWMS need to cover every category, or only the ones that apply?: Only the ones that apply to the work you are actually doing. Listing categories that do not apply makes the document longer and less useful, and it suggests the list was ticked without thought.
Is working at 2 metres high risk construction work?: The trigger is a risk of falling more than 2 metres. Exactly 2 metres is not over 2 metres, but the measurement is the potential fall distance, not the working height — so a fall through an opening or over an edge can exceed 2 metres from a lower platform.

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