When a Safe Work Method Statement is required, what it must contain, and how to use it on site. Supports CPCCWHS1001 (White Card), Silica 10830NAT and Asbestos 11084NAT.
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A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is a site document that sets out the high risk construction work being done, the hazards and risks it creates, and the control measures that will be used to keep people safe.
The one message that matters most: a SWMS is not optional paperwork. If a job involves any of the 18 High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) activities, a SWMS must be prepared before the work starts — and the work must then be done the way the SWMS says.
1 · The law (ACT & NSW)
The ACT and NSW both follow the national model WHS laws. The SWMS rules sit in Part 6.3 of the WHS Regulations.
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 — the general duties of PCBUs, officers and workers.
Regulation 291 — defines the 18 types of high risk construction work.
Regulation 299 — a SWMS must be prepared before high risk construction work starts.
Regulation 300 — the work must be done in accordance with the SWMS.
Code of Practice — Construction Work (Safe Work Australia), plus Safe Work Australia's SWMS information sheet and template.
Regulators: WorkSafe ACT and SafeWork NSW.
2 · What a SWMS must include
A compliant SWMS must:
1 · Identify the work Which high risk construction work is being done, broken into logical work steps.
2 · Identify the hazards The specific hazards and risks to health and safety that arise from those steps.
3 · Set the controls The control measures to be used, chosen using the hierarchy of controls.
4 · Say how How the controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed.
It must also be written so the people using it can read and understand it. Keep it short and specific to this job, this site and these tools — a 40-page generic template that nobody reads doesn't protect anyone.
3 · The 18 HRCW triggers
These are the 18 activities defined in Regulation 291 that require a SWMS. Use this as a job checker on site walk-throughs and toolbox talks: tick every activity your job involves, and tap Controls to see typical control measures.
Control examples are typical, not complete — the SWMS for each job must set controls for that job's actual hazards.
4 · The hierarchy of controls
Control measures in a SWMS must be chosen from the top down. The higher the control, the more reliable the protection. PPE is the last line of defence, never the first.
1 · Eliminate — remove the hazard (e.g. prefabricate on the ground instead of working at height)
2 · Substitute / Isolate / Engineer — safer method, separate people from the hazard, guardrails, trench shields
4 · PPE — harness, respirator, hard hat, hi-vis (last resort)
Example — roof work over 2 m: physical edge protection or scaffold guardrails (engineering) come before a harness (PPE). A harness only limits harm once someone has already fallen.
5 · The 3-stage SWMS protocol
STAGE 1
📐 Plan
Check the job against the 18 HRCW triggers
Check site plans, registers and services
If any trigger applies, work can't start until a SWMS is done
STAGE 2
🤝 Prepare
Consult the workers who will do the task
Break the job into steps and list hazards
Apply the hierarchy of controls
STAGE 3
✅ Use & monitor
Walk every worker on the task through it
Sign-on before tool-up
Check work follows the SWMS; stop if it doesn't
Sign-on registers aren't spelled out in the Regulations, but they're standard practice — they show every worker was briefed on the SWMS before starting.
6 · When things change
Sites change — the weather turns, a live pipe is uncovered, an unmapped power line is found, a different machine turns up. If the work is no longer being done the way the SWMS says, it must stop.
STOP work immediately (or as soon as it's safe to)
MAKE SAFE and keep people clear
REVIEW the hazards and controls
REVISE the SWMS
RE-BRIEF the crew and re-sign before restarting
🗂️ Keeping the SWMS
The SWMS must be kept, and available to anyone doing the work, until the high risk construction work is finished. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, it must be kept for at least 2 years after the incident.
7 · Who does what
🏢 The PCBU
The Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (e.g. the employer or subcontractor) must prepare the SWMS, or make sure one is prepared, in consultation with workers, and make sure the work follows it.
🏗️ Principal contractor
On a construction project, the PCBU must give the principal contractor a copy of the SWMS before the high risk work starts.
👷 Workers
Take part in consultation, follow the SWMS, and speak up if the job changes. You can stop or refuse work that exposes you to a serious risk.
White Card ≠ SWMS. A White Card (CPCCWHS1001) shows you've done general construction induction. It doesn't replace the SWMS for a specific high risk task — like drilling or removing fibro that contains asbestos.
8 · Knowledge check
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to check it.
🎯 Summary
A SWMS is a legal requirement for any of the 18 HRCW activities — prepared before work starts.
It covers the work steps, the hazards, the controls, and how they're implemented, monitored and reviewed.
Choose controls from the top of the hierarchy down — PPE is last.
Prepared by the PCBU in consultation with workers; short, specific and understandable.