Safety and compliance
What is a SWMS and when do tradies need one?
When is a SWMS required?
A SWMS is required before any high risk construction work starts. Work health and safety regulations list the types of work that count. Common examples for tradies include:
- Work where a person could fall more than two metres.
- Work on or near energised electrical installations or services.
- Work on or near pressurised gas mains or piping.
- Trenches or shafts deeper than 1.5 metres.
- Work involving demolition of load-bearing elements, or disturbing asbestos.
- Work in or near confined spaces, or near traffic or moving plant.
Check Safe Work Australia and your state regulator for the full list that applies to you.
Does Victoria have different rules?
Yes. Victoria has its own occupational health and safety framework, the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017, while most other jurisdictions use the model WHS laws. A SWMS is still required before high risk construction work, with broadly similar triggers, so check WorkSafe Victoria.
Under the Victorian regulations, employers and self-employed persons prepare the SWMS and keep a copy for the duration of the work.
What must a SWMS include?
A SWMS must identify the high risk construction work, state the hazards and risks, describe the control measures and how they'll be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be written so the workers doing the job can understand it.
Who prepares the SWMS?
The business doing the high risk work prepares it, in consultation with the workers involved. If you're a subcontractor, you prepare the SWMS for your work and give it to the principal contractor before you start.
Does the SWMS need to be on site?
The SWMS must be kept and available for inspection while the work is being done. Workers should be able to access it and the work must be carried out in line with it. If the work changes, the SWMS must be reviewed.
How do you manage SWMS without paperwork?
Attach the right SWMS to job types in your job management app. Workers review and sign it on their phone before starting, and a signed copy stays on the job record. That gives you an audit trail and stops forms going missing in the ute.
General information only. Check your state's WHS regulator for requirements that apply to your work.