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SWMS examples for every trade

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is the safety document you fill in before the job starts. A SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. It must list the high risk work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be easy for the workers to read and understand.

Make a SWMSFree SWMS templatePick your trade

Pick your trade

Roofing8 SWMS: replace roof tiles, install metal roof sheets, replace gutters and downpipesElectrical8 SWMS: switchboard upgrade, rewire a house, install power pointsPlumbing8 SWMS: replace a hot water system, drain unblocking and jetting, bathroom rough-in plumbingCarpentry8 SWMS: wall framing, roof truss installation, build a deckConcreting7 SWMS: pour a concrete slab, concrete driveway, footings: dig, reo and pourPainting7 SWMS: interior painting, exterior house painting, lead paint removalDemolition7 SWMS: internal strip-out, bathroom strip-out, load-bearing wall removalExcavation and earthworks7 SWMS: trenching for services, footing excavation, site cut and levellingScaffolding6 SWMS: scaffold erection, scaffold dismantling, mobile scaffold tower set up and useBricklaying6 SWMS: bricklaying: build a brick wall, blockwork wall, brick repointingPlastering and gyprock7 SWMS: hang gyprock, set, tape and finish gyprock, ceiling sheetingTiling6 SWMS: bathroom tiling, floor tiling, wet area waterproofingLandscaping7 SWMS: retaining wall construction, paving installation, tree removal and pruning with a chainsawAir conditioning and refrigeration7 SWMS: split system air conditioner installation, ducted air conditioner installation, replace a gas ducted heaterGlazing6 SWMS: window installation, broken glass replacement, shower screen installationWelding and fabrication6 SWMS: structural steel erection, on-site welding, workshop steel fabricationSolar6 SWMS: solar panel installation on a pitched roof, commercial flat roof solar installation, solar inverter installationGeneral building8 SWMS: site set up and establishment, house extension, bathroom renovation

What goes in a SWMS

  • The business (PCBU) and principal contractor details
  • Which high risk construction work it covers
  • Each job step with its hazards and risk rating
  • Control measures, and how they are put in place, checked and reviewed
  • Plant, PPE, licences and emergency plan
  • Worker sign-on

Legal basis: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011, Part 6.3 (Victoria: OHS Regulations 2017).

High risk construction work that needs a SWMS

A SWMS is required before any of this work starts:

  1. Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
  2. Work on a telecommunication tower
  3. Demolition of an element of a structure that is load-bearing or related to its physical integrity
  4. Likely to involve disturbing asbestos
  5. Structural alterations or repairs that require temporary support to prevent collapse
  6. Work in or near a confined space
  7. Work in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres
  8. Work in or near a tunnel
  9. Use of explosives
  10. Work on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
  11. Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
  12. Work on or near energised electrical installations or services
  13. Work in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
  14. Work involving tilt-up or precast concrete elements
  15. Work on, in or next to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians
  16. Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
  17. Work in an area with artificial extremes of temperature
  18. Work in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning
  19. Diving work

Recently added SWMS examples

Air conditioning and refrigerationSplit System InstallationWelding and fabricationStructural Steel ErectionTilingWet Area WaterproofingLandscapingTree RemovalScaffoldingScaffold ErectionExcavation and earthworksTrenchingDemolitionInternal Strip OutDemolitionNon Friable Asbestos RemovalConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingConcretingFormworkConcretingConcrete Slab PourPlumbingHot Water System Replacement

Rules by state or territory

New South Wales8 local rulesVictoria9 local rulesQueensland7 local rulesWestern Australia7 local rulesSouth Australia8 local rulesAustralian Capital Territory9 local rules

Sources

More help

What is a SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement)?GuideHow to write a SWMS, step by stepGuideSWMS risk matrix: the 5x5 likelihood and consequence tableGuideSWMS vs JSA: what is the difference?GuideFree SWMS templateWord and PDFSWMS questions answeredSafety terms explainedLadder setup calculatorFree toolWhat changed in 2026Rule changes with sourcesAll Australia guidesContact us