Free SWMS template for Australia: what to include
A downloaded template is a starting point, not a compliant SWMS. Here is what the document has to contain, how to fill it in properly, and where a generic template will let you down.
What must a SWMS contain?
For high-risk construction work in Australia, a SWMS must identify the work, state the hazards and risks, describe the control measures, and describe how the controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed. It must be specific to the work and the site, and it must be able to be understood by the workers who will use it. Requirements are set by the model WHS Regulations and applied in each state and territory, with some differences in form and process.
What should the template have?
A workable template has: project and business details, the activity and its location, the high-risk construction work categories triggered, a hazard table with risk rating before and after controls, the control measures, the responsible person, a review trigger list, and a sign-off section for the workers who will carry out the work.
Why is a generic template risky?
Generic templates are written for no site in particular. They tend to list hazards in the abstract, repeat control measures that are already assumed, and skip the specific conditions that make a job dangerous: the slope, the overhead lines, the adjacent trades, the access route. A regulator or a client's safety team reads for specificity. If the statement could apply to any site, it usually fails the test that matters, which is whether the crew could follow it.
How do you fill one in?
Walk the work. Identify each step in sequence, then the hazards at each step in the conditions actually present, then the control for each hazard using the hierarchy of controls, then who is responsible and how it will be checked. Rate the risk before and after controls. Where a control depends on a hold point, say so.
Who signs a SWMS?
The workers who will carry out the high-risk construction work sign on to it, and the supervisor or person conducting the business confirms it before work starts. Sign-off is not a formality: it is the record that the crew has been made aware of the hazards and controls. A digital signature with a timestamp is easier to keep than a paper sheet, which is what SubbieSure's SWMS app does.
When must a SWMS be reviewed?
Review it when the work changes, when a hazard or incident shows the controls are not working, when a new crew or new plant arrives, or at the interval your jurisdiction or client requires. A statement signed in March for work that changed in May is a record of something that is no longer happening.
Can I use this page as a template?
No. This page explains what a template needs; it is not a fillable SWMS, and using it as one would not meet the requirement to identify the hazards and controls for your specific work. Use your own template, a client-supplied one, or the builder in SubbieSure, and have it reviewed against the requirements for your jurisdiction.
Check the product details
Related reading: SWMS app, how to write a SWMS, safety management software, toolbox talk app, subcontractor compliance checklist.
This page is published by SubbieSure and describes our own product, not an independent review or a ranking of vendors. It is general information, not legal or WHS advice. Check requirements for your work, contract and jurisdiction.
Questions about your requirements? Book a demo or email hello@subbiesure.com.