General building · Australia

SWMS for granny flat construction

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated 9 November 2026

Yes. Granny flat construction usually includes high risk construction work (risk of a person falling more than 2 metres; work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

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 from a roof edge, hitting underground services and being hit by mobile plant.

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SWMS example: granny flat construction

This is a complete SWMS for granny flat construction, with 5 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)

Build a granny flat · General building · Example

Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Risk of a person falling more than 2 metresWork in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Job steps, hazards and controls

#	Job step	Hazards	Risk before	Controls	Risk after
1	Set up fencing and keep the main house occupants away from the work	Public entering the work area Working in an occupied home or building	High	Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Engineering Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Administrative Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Administrative Plan noisy, dusty or risky work for when the building is empty. Eliminate Close off the work area with barriers, plastic sheeting or locked doors, and put up signs. Isolate Keep fire exits and paths clear at all times. Administrative Tell occupants before you turn off power, water or gas, and before noisy or dusty work. Administrative Lock away tools, chemicals and materials each day, out of reach of children. Administrative Clean up dust and debris at the end of each day. Administrative	Low
2	Excavate and pour the slab	Hitting underground services Being hit by mobile plant Wet concrete and cement burns	Extreme	Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate Scan the area with a cable locator before digging and mark services on the ground. Engineering Hand dig or vacuum excavate to expose services before using a machine near them. Engineering Lodge a free BYDA (Before You Dig Australia) request and get the plans before any digging. Administrative Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Administrative Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Engineering Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Administrative Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Administrative Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Administrative Use long-handled tools and pumps to cut down contact. Engineering Wash concrete off skin straight away with clean water. Administrative Have clean water and eye wash at the pour. Administrative Wear waterproof gloves, long sleeves and gumboots with trousers worn over the top. PPE Wear safety glasses or goggles to stop splashes. PPE	Medium
3	Frame and roof with edge protection	Falling from height Falling from a roof edge Nail gun injuries	Extreme	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 Do what you can from the ground or from a scaffold at the gutter line, for example pre-assemble parts on the ground. Eliminate Install edge protection or guardrails on all open roof edges before work starts. Isolate Use a perimeter scaffold with handrails and toe boards along the eaves where practical. Engineering Where guardrails cannot be fitted, use fall restraint on certified roof anchors so workers cannot reach the edge. Engineering Only workers briefed on this SWMS go on the roof. Stop and review the SWMS if the roof, weather or method changes. Administrative Use one safe, controlled access point and keep others off the roof. Administrative Have a written emergency and rescue plan, tested before work starts, for any worker using a harness (WHS Regulations r.80). Administrative 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	Medium
4	Connect services by licensed trades	Electric shock from live wiring Gas and fuel lines Trench or excavation collapse	Extreme	Isolate the power before any work. Do not do live work except in the limited cases the WHS Regulations allow (r.157; in Qld, the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013). Eliminate Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate Test before you touch: prove dead at the point of work with a voltage tester, proving the tester on a known live source before and after (AS/NZS 4836). Engineering Only licensed electricians do electrical work. Administrative Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Administrative Isolate and purge the line before work, with the owner's approval. Eliminate Lock off and tag the isolation valve. Isolate Check for leaks with a gas detector before and during work, and ventilate the area. Engineering Only licensed gasfitters work on gas lines. Administrative Remove ignition sources: no smoking, no hot work and no sparking tools near the line. Administrative Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Eliminate Barricade or cover the excavation so people and plant cannot fall in. Isolate Shore, bench or batter the walls of any trench 1.5 metres deep or more before anyone goes in, unless a geotechnical engineer advises in writing that the sides are safe. Engineering Keep spoil, materials and plant at least 1 metre back from the edge. Engineering Provide a safe way in and out, such as a ladder near where people work. Engineering Inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after rain or anything that could weaken it. Record it. Administrative	Medium
5	Fit out and clean up	General dust Poor housekeeping and waste	Medium	Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Substitute Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Isolate Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Engineering Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Engineering Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Administrative Wear a dust mask and safety glasses. 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

PPE

Steel cap bootsHi-vis shirt or vestHard hatSafety glassesHearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)Safety harness and lanyardP2 dust maskChemical-resistant gloves (nitrile)Safety gogglesKnee padsSun protection (brim hat, long sleeves, SPF 50+)Work gloves

Plant and equipment

Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machineConcrete pump (boom or line): High Risk Work Licence PB for truck-mounted concrete placing booms (not needed for line pumps)Fixed scaffold: Scaffolding HRWL (SB, SI or SA) to erect, alter or dismantle where a fall of more than 4 m is possibleNail gunCircular saw

Permits and plans

Roof access permitWorking at heights permit

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 granny flat construction

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 granny flat construction

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

SWMS read, explained and signed by everyone on the job
Edge protection installed and checked before anyone works above 2 m
BYDA plans on site and services located
Trench support, benching or battering in place; spoil kept back from the edge
Exclusion zone and spotter set up for plant and traffic
Exclusion zone below the work and public kept out
First aider, first aid kit and emergency number (000) confirmed
PPE checked and worn: steel cap boots, hi-vis shirt or vest, hard hat, safety glasses

The safe sequence of work

Set up fencing and keep the main house occupants away from the work
Excavate and pour the slab
Frame and roof with edge protection
Connect services by licensed trades
Fit out and clean up

Hazards to watch on granny flat construction

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

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 4Trench or excavation collapseThe trench walls cave in and bury or crush a worker. Trenches 1.5 metres deep or more must be shored, benched or battered unless a geotechnical engineer advises in writing that the sides are safe.

Step 2Wet concrete and cement burnsWet concrete, mortar and cement burn skin and eyes. Burns can be deep and are often not felt until later.

Step 4Gas and fuel linesDamaging or opening a gas or fuel line causes a leak, fire or explosion.

Step 3Falling from a roof edgeA worker slips or walks off the edge of a roof or gutter line and falls to the ground.

Step 1Working in an occupied home or buildingResidents, staff or children wander into the work area and get hurt, or the work blocks exits or cuts off power or water while people are inside.

Highest risk on granny flat construction: 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?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

This task can involve these high risk construction work categories under the WHS Regulations:

Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine
Concrete pump (boom or line): High Risk Work Licence PB for truck-mounted concrete placing booms (not needed for line pumps)
Fixed scaffold: Scaffolding HRWL (SB, SI or SA) to erect, alter or dismantle where a fall of more than 4 m is possible

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.

Rules that apply: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 5.1 Plant; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 Falls; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.7 General electrical safety; WHS Regulations, Part 6.3 Division 3 (Excavation work, r.304 to 306).

Each state has its own regulator and some extra rules: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

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 granny flat construction?

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 granny flat construction?

Usually Steel cap boots, Hi-vis shirt or vest, Hard hat, Safety glasses, Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), Safety harness and lanyard, P2 dust mask, Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile), Safety goggles, Knee pads, Sun protection (brim hat, long sleeves, SPF 50+), Work gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More general building SWMS

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Related jobs in other trades

Excavation and earthworksTrenchingAlso involves hitting underground services RoofingRoof Tile ReplacementAlso involves public entering the work area ConcretingFormworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plant ConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingAlso involves electric shock from live wiring DemolitionInternal Strip OutAlso involves electric shock from live wiring ElectricalSwitchboard UpgradeAlso involves working in an occupied home or building

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at Heights Toolbox talkOverhead Power Lines Toolbox talkWorking in Cold Weather Toolbox talkExcavation and Trench Safety

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