Working near power lines SWMS template
Work in the vicinity of overhead or underground electrical assets.
Contact with overhead power lines is one of the few construction hazards that kills people who never touch the wire — arcs jump, and a tipper body or crane boom only has to get close. Every state defines no-go zones around powerlines with mandatory clearances, spotter requirements and network-operator approvals, and the SWMS is where you show which zone your work sits in.
This template covers any work in the vicinity of overhead or underground electrical assets: cranage and plant near lines, scaffolding beside service drops, and excavation near underground cables. It is the companion document to whichever trade template covers the work itself.
What this SWMS covers
The typical scope of work the document describes, step by step. The builder lets you add, remove and reword steps so the sequence matches your actual job.
- 1Identify all overhead and underground assets on site
- 2Measure clearances and determine the no-go zone
- 3Obtain network operator approval where required
- 4Establish exclusion zones and appoint spotter
- 5Carry out the work within approved clearances
- 6Reassess whenever plant or task changes
Hazards and example controls
The controls below are starting points ordered by the hierarchy of control — the builder helps you adapt them to the site and add your own.
Plant or load encroaching on overhead lines
- Map every line and mark no-go zones before plant arrives
- Physical height barriers or goal posts on approach paths
- Dedicated spotter with stop authority when work nears the zone
Arc flash without direct contact
- Treat clearances as absolute limits, not targets
- Request line insulation (tiger tails) or de-energisation from the network
- No work in reduced clearances without written network approval
Striking underground cables
- Before You Dig plans plus cable location before excavation
- Hand or vacuum excavation within the tolerance zone of cables
- Treat every located cable as live
Scaffold or ladder contact with service drops
- Check the house service drop before erecting anything beside it
- Request temporary disconnection for work within clearance of the drop
High risk construction work
- Work near energised electrical installations
- Work involving powered mobile plant
This work is the energised-electrical category in its purest form — the lines are live and stay live. Cranes and excavators add the mobile plant category, and roadside work near poles adds traffic corridors. Clearance distances and approval thresholds differ by state and by voltage, so the SWMS must name the actual network operator's requirements for the site.
All 18 high-risk categories explainedCommon questions
- What are the clearance distances from power lines?
- They vary by state and voltage — commonly around 3 metres for plant near low-voltage lines, rising steeply for transmission lines, with untrained-person zones of 6.4 metres near some networks. Never generalise: get the figure for your state and the actual line voltage, and write it in the SWMS.
- When do I need a spotter?
- Whenever plant could enter the no-go zone — most states mandate a dedicated safety observer for crane or plant work near lines. The spotter does nothing else: not rigging, not traffic. Name the person in the SWMS for each lift or dig.
- Can the power company turn the lines off for us?
- Network operators can de-energise, insulate or re-route lines for construction work — for a fee and with weeks of lead time. If your job cannot maintain clearances, that request belongs in the program before work is priced, and the confirmation belongs attached to the SWMS.
Build your electrical SWMS now
Start from this template and answer a few questions about the job — state, site, crew, method. Preview the whole document free; pay only when you download the PDF.
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Before you start
Users are responsible for reviewing and adapting the SWMS to the actual worksite, work methods and applicable regulatory requirements before work begins.