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Carpentry · Australia

SWMS for wall framing

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

A SWMS is required by law if wall framing includes any high risk construction work, such as working where someone could fall more than 2 metres. Many principal contractors ask for one either way.

It must list the hazards, the controls and how they will be put in place, monitored and reviewed, and the workers must be consulted and sign before starting. The main hazards are falling from height, falling through a floor opening or void, saw cuts and kickback and wood and MDF dust.

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SWMS example: wall framing

This is a complete SWMS for wall framing, with 6 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
Wall framing · Carpentry · Example
Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

None for this task on its own. Tick any that apply on your site.

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  • Slips and trips
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Medium
  • Plan walkways and keep them clear of materials, hoses and leads. Eliminate
  • Run leads and hoses overhead on hooks or stands, or along walls, not across walkways. Engineering
  • Fill or cover holes, and lay boards or mats on muddy access paths. Engineering
  • Clean up offcuts, packaging and spills as you go, not at the end of the day. Administrative
  • Keep work areas, stairs and access paths well lit. Administrative
  • Wear safety boots with good grip, laced up. PPE
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skip bins and waste chutes close to the work. Engineering
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low
2Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  • Saw cuts and kickback
  • Wood and MDF dust
  • Loud noise
High
  • Keep blade guards fitted and working, and use the riving knife on table saws. Engineering
  • Use push sticks and clamps, and support long pieces so they do not pinch the blade. Engineering
  • Use a sharp, undamaged blade made for the material. Administrative
  • Stand to one side of the blade line, out of the kickback path. Administrative
  • Let the blade stop fully before reaching in or putting the saw down. Administrative
  • Buy pre-cut or pre-finished timber where you can. Substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a well-ventilated area away from others. Isolate
  • Use saws and sanders with dust extraction connected to an M-class (or better) vacuum. Engineering
  • Clean up with a vacuum, not a broom or compressed air. Administrative
  • Wear a P2 dust mask for cutting and sanding. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Substitute
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Isolate
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Engineering
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Administrative
  • If you have to shout to be heard 1 metre away, wear hearing protection. Administrative
  • Keep exposure below 85 dB(A) over 8 hours. Give hearing tests to workers who often need hearing protection. Administrative
Medium
3Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  • Nail gun injuries
  • Compressed air
  • Eye injuries
High
  • Use a nail gun with a sequential (single shot) trigger, not a contact or bump trigger. Substitute
  • Disconnect the air or battery before clearing jams, adjusting or moving between work areas. Engineering
  • Keep your free hand at least 30 cm from the nailing point. Administrative
  • Never point the gun at anyone or carry it with your finger on the trigger. Administrative
  • Train new users before they use a nail gun, and check for pipes, cables and metal behind the surface. Administrative
  • Fit whip checks (safety cables) on hose joints and check hoses before use. Engineering
  • Fit a pressure regulator and keep pressure to the tool's rating. Engineering
  • Turn off and bleed the line before disconnecting. Administrative
  • Never use compressed air to clean clothes or skin, or point it at anyone. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. PPE
  • Use tool guards and screens to stop flying particles. Engineering
  • Use dust extraction and water to keep dust out of the air. Engineering
  • Keep others out of the area when cutting, grinding or chipping. Administrative
  • Keep an eye wash station or eye wash bottles on site. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses at all times, goggles for dust and chemicals, and a face shield for grinding. PPE
Medium
4Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Strong wind and storms
High
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Engineering
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Administrative
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Administrative
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Engineering
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Administrative
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Administrative
  • Install temporary support to the engineer's or temporary works design before any load bearing element is altered. Administrative
  • Check the forecast each morning and plan work at height and lifting around the weather. Eliminate
  • Tie down or weigh down loose sheets, panels, boards and rubbish at the end of each shift. Engineering
  • Set wind limits for roof work, platforms and cranes, using the manufacturer's limits, and stop when they are reached. Administrative
  • Stop work and get down in lightning. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up. Administrative
  • Check scaffold, fencing and edge protection after strong wind before anyone uses them. Administrative
Medium
5Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
  • Falling from height
Extreme
  • Cover every hole and penetration with a fixed, secured cover marked "HOLE" or "DANGER". Isolate
  • Put guardrails with toe boards around stairwells, lift shafts, voids and open edges. Isolate
  • Install stairs early and fit temporary handrails as soon as they go in. Engineering
  • Never remove a cover or guardrail without approval. Put it back straight away. Administrative
  • Inspect covers and barriers daily and after other trades have been through. Administrative
  • Keep lighting good enough to see openings, especially on lower floors and in the evening. Administrative
  • Use a harness clipped to a rated anchor when working right next to an open void. PPE
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile work platform or EWP instead of working off a ladder. Engineering
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Engineering
  • Everyone working at height holds a White Card and has been briefed on this SWMS before going up. Administrative
  • Have a written emergency and rescue plan, tested before work starts, so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes (WHS Regulations r.80). Administrative
  • Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE
Medium
6Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
  • Slips and trips
Medium
  • Poor housekeeping and waste: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • Slips and trips: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
Low

PPE

Steel cap bootsSafety glassesHearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)Work glovesHard hatP2 dust maskSafety gogglesFace shield

Plant and equipment

Nail gunCircular sawDrop sawAir compressorPlatform ladder

Emergency

Call 000. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS.

Free SWMS template for wall framing

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this SWMS

Pre-start checklist for wall framing

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  2. Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  3. Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  4. Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  5. Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  6. Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day

Hazards to watch on wall framing

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 3Compressed airAn air hose whips when a fitting fails, or air blown at skin or eyes drives dirt in and causes injury.
Step 2Wood and MDF dustSawing and sanding timber, MDF and treated wood makes fine dust that causes asthma, skin problems and some cancers.
Step 3Nail gun injuriesA nail gun fires by accident, or a nail goes through the timber or ricochets and hits the user or someone nearby.
Step 4Strong wind and stormsWind blows sheets, panels and people off roofs and scaffolds, and storms and lightning make work at height and lifting unsafe.
Step 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 5Falling through a floor opening or voidA worker steps into an open hole, stairwell, lift shaft or penetration and falls to the level below.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: Insignificant to CatastrophicBA
Highest risk on wall framing: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and catastrophic becomes unlikely and major).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work more than 2 metres off the ground?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, clear sheet, fibro or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Why SWMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • It is generic: another site address, tasks that are not on this job, or no sign it was reviewed for this site. WorkSafe WA says a generic SWMS may not meet the regulations unless it is reviewed and amended for the workplace.
  • The HRCW boxes are not ticked, or the ticks do not match the tasks (for example a roof job with no falls box ticked).
  • Falls are controlled only by "be careful", training or a harness, with no edge protection or scaffold and no reason why higher controls are not reasonably practicable.
  • Workers will clip on to a harness but there is no rescue plan for someone left hanging.
  • The "how controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed" part is missing, or it says the same thing on every row.
  • No worker sign-on, no person responsible for compliance, or a date given to the principal contractor that is before they actually received it.
  • Licence or White Card details are missing for workers operating plant or doing licensed high risk work.

Questions

Do I need a SWMS for wall framing?

A SWMS is required by law if wall framing includes any high risk construction work, such as working where someone could fall more than 2 metres. Many principal contractors ask for one either way.

Who signs the SWMS?

The person conducting the business (PCBU) or their supervisor prepares it with the workers, and every worker doing the high risk work signs to show they were consulted and understand it. Give a copy to the principal contractor before work starts.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this SWMS, and every revised version, until the high risk construction work is finished, where workers and inspectors can see it on site. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident.

What PPE is needed for wall framing?

Usually Steel cap boots, Safety glasses, Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), Work gloves, Hard hat, P2 dust mask, Safety goggles, Face shield. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More carpentry SWMS

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Related jobs in other trades

ConcretingFormworkAlso involves falling from heightRoofingRoof Tile ReplacementAlso involves strong wind and stormsConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingAlso involves saw cuts and kickbackWelding and fabricationStructural Steel ErectionAlso involves structural collapse during alterationsRoofingGutter ReplacementAlso involves falling from heightConcretingConcrete Slab PourAlso involves saw cuts and kickback

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkSlips, Trips and FallsToolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

Blank SWMS template: free SWMS templates. Also for other countries: United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources