Health and safety paperwork for plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers

The hazards that actually matter

Every trade has a long list and a short one. The short one is what the task documents have to deal with properly, because it is where the serious harm comes from.

Confined spaces

Tanks, sumps, chambers and deep trenches. Atmosphere testing before entry, continuous monitoring, a permit, and a rescuer outside who can get the person out without entering.

Excavation for drainage

Trenches for drainage are narrow and deep, which is the geometry that collapses. Depth, ground, water and plant alongside all apply.

Hot work

Soldering, brazing and torch work in roof spaces, wall cavities and near insulation. The fire risk peaks after you leave, which is what the fire watch is for.

Gas

Leaks, incorrect purging, and appliances commissioned without the required certification. Gasfitting is separately licensed from plumbing for a reason.

Biological hazards

Wastewater and drainage work carries infection risk, and legionella is a live issue in warm water systems and cooling circuits.

Asbestos cement pipe

Pre-2000 drainage and water mains. Cutting or breaking AC pipe releases fibre.

Work at height

Roof plumbing, spouting and downpipes, on the same fragile and sloped surfaces roofers work on.

What applies beyond the general duties

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016 apply to every business. These sit on top of them for this trade:

• Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006, authorisation and restricted work
• Gas Act 1992 and the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010
• AS/NZS 3500 and the Building Code clauses for sanitary plumbing and drainage
• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016

Competence and licensing

Sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are each separately restricted and must be done or supervised by a person authorised by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board holding a current practising licence. A certifying tradesperson may work unsupervised and supervise others. Gasfitting work generally requires a gas safety certificate.

Notifying WorkSafe

Excavation deeper than 1.5 m and deeper than it is wide requires 24 hours' notice, which drainage work reaches routinely. The full list and its exclusions are in notifiable work: the 10 categories.

What a main contractor will ask you for

• Your PGDB authorisation and licence class for each trade you are doing
• A Task Analysis for excavation, confined space entry and hot work
• The confined space entry permit and the rescue arrangement
• Gas safety certificates and producer statements where they apply
• Asbestos identification for pre-2000 pipework

A document per task, not one for the job. The crew doing one task should not have to read past three others to find their controls, and a site manager checking one task should not have to either.

Where to start

If you are writing from scratch, how to write a Task Analysis sets out the order. If you have been asked for something and are not sure which document it is, which document do you need covers the difference between a site plan and a task document. Our prepared documents for this trade are the Plumbing Task Analysis Pack, or single documents from the catalogue.

Sources

• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s22 (reasonably practicable), s34 and s36
• Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, regs 5 to 8
• Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995, reg 26 (particular hazardous work requiring notice)
• Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006, authorisation and restricted work
• Gas Act 1992 and the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010
• AS/NZS 3500 and the Building Code clauses for sanitary plumbing and drainage
• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016
• WorkSafe New Zealand, Identifying, assessing and managing work risks

This guide is general information about New Zealand health and safety law as at the review date. It is not legal advice and it does not describe your site. Confirm what applies to you with WorkSafe New Zealand or your adviser.