Free printable SWMS template
Type into the table, add rows as you need them, then print it or download it as a CSV or plain text file. The columns cover what a SWMS must contain: the high risk construction work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how the controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed. There is also a sign-off column. Use it as a starting point and replace every blank with detail from your actual job.
Type straight into the template, or print it blank and fill it in by hand. Printing sends only the template to the printer (landscape A4 works best). Downloads are built in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Safe work method statement (SWMS)
Starting point only. Adapt it to your site, your work and the people doing it. General information, not legal advice. Columns follow the content a SWMS must have under WHS Regulation 299(2).
| High risk construction work activity | Hazards | Risks | Control measures | How controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed | Sign-off (name, signature, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
How to fill it in
These points come from the Construction Work Code of Practice (see the sources). They are the difference between a SWMS that gets accepted and one that gets sent back.
- Identify the high risk work. Tick every category that applies, then break the job into tasks in a logical order.
- Name the hazards and the risks. For each task, say what can cause harm and what harm could result.
- Make the controls specific. The Code says a SWMS should give clear direction and should not leave decisions to supervisors or workers. Its example is that “use appropriate PPE” does not describe a control measure. Say exactly what is to be used or done.
- Say how the controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed. Name who checks, how often and how. The Code gives routine or random workplace inspections as one example of an arrangement.
- Fit it to the workplace. A SWMS must take into account the site, the work environment and the workers. A generic SWMS for regular work must be reviewed for the specific workplace and revised as necessary.
- Consult the workers. The Code says workers and their health and safety representatives should be consulted when the SWMS is prepared and when it is reviewed. The sign-off column is one way to record who took part.
- Give it to the principal contractor. For a construction project, the Code says the business must provide the principal contractor with a copy before the high risk construction work starts.
When a SWMS is legally required
A SWMS is legally required for high risk construction work. The Code of Practice puts it this way: a SWMS is required for the 18 high risk construction work activities defined in the WHS Regulations, and for all other construction activities a SWMS is not required (Code of Practice, section 4.1). Two further points from the Code:
- A business must prepare a SWMS, or make sure one has been prepared, before high risk construction work starts.
- Regulation 299(2) sets what it must contain: identify the work that is high risk construction work, specify the hazards and the risks, describe the control measures, and describe how the controls are to be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Regulation 300 requires arrangements so the work is carried out in accordance with the SWMS.
Safe Work Australia’s information sheet adds that the SWMS must be reviewed and revised if the control measures do not adequately control the risk (Safe Work Australia). Even where no SWMS is required, the Code says a business must still manage risks by eliminating or minimising them so far as is reasonably practicable. That is where a JSA often comes in.
The model WHS Regulations are a template that each state and territory adopts or adapts. Victoria, for example, publishes its own SWMS guidance (WorkSafe Victoria). The Code also notes that the fall height that triggers high risk work is 3 metres in some jurisdictions. Check the regulations in the state where the work happens.
The 18 high risk construction work activities
These are the categories of high risk construction work defined in Regulation 291 of the model WHS Regulations, as set out in the SWMS template in the Code of Practice (Appendix D). Safe Work Australia publishes examples for each (high risk construction work requiring a SWMS). Check the regulation text for your state before you rely on the wording here.
- Work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (3 metres in some jurisdictions)
- Work carried out on a telecommunication tower
- Demolition of an element of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to its physical integrity
- Work that involves, or is likely to involve, disturbing asbestos
- Structural alterations or repairs that require temporary support to prevent collapse
- Work carried out in or near a confined space
- Work carried out in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres, or in or near a tunnel
- Work that involves the use of explosives
- Work carried out on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
- Work carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
- Work carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services
- Work carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
- Work that involves tilt-up or precast concrete
- Work carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians
- Work carried out in an area at a workplace in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant
- Work carried out in an area in which there are artificial extremes of temperature
- Work carried out in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning
- Diving work
SWMS and mine sites
The Code of Practice says construction work does not include mining or the exploration for or extraction of minerals. Its examples of what is not construction work include extracting sand or rock from a quarry or open-cut mine, tunnelling or shafts in an underground mine to extract or inject minerals, installing services as part of mining, drilling for a sample or developing a shaft, and removing overburden at an open-cut mine. Those activities are regulated under state mining legislation instead.
Construction work on a mine site, such as building or altering a structure, can still be construction work. In practice many mines also ask contractors for a SWMS or a JSA as a site rule, whether or not the law strictly requires one. Our guide to SWMS and JSA for mining work covers the state differences, including Western Australia and Queensland.
SWMS or JSA?
A SWMS has legal status for high risk construction work. A JSA (job safety analysis) is an industry term for a task-level risk assessment, and is usually a site or company requirement. If the site asks for a JSA, use the free JSA template. If you are unsure which one the site wants, ask its safety team before you write anything.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SWMS?
A safe work method statement (SWMS) is a written document that sets out the high risk construction work to be carried out, the hazards and risks that come with it, the control measures that will be used, and how those controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed. The model WHS Regulations require one for 18 listed types of high risk construction work.
When is a SWMS legally required?
Under the model WHS Regulations a SWMS is required for the 18 high risk construction work activities listed in Regulation 291, and it must be prepared before that work starts. The Code of Practice says a SWMS is not required for other construction activities, although the business must still manage the risks. Each state and territory has its own regulations, so check yours.
Is this SWMS template ready to use as it is?
No. It is a starting point. A SWMS has to take account of the actual workplace, the work environment and the workers doing the job. The Code allows a generic SWMS for work done regularly, but says it must be reviewed for the specific workplace and revised as necessary. Consult the workers who will do the work.
Do I need a SWMS for work on a mine site?
It depends on the work. The Code of Practice says mining and the extraction of minerals are not construction work, so activities such as removing overburden at an open-cut mine or tunnelling in an underground mine to extract minerals fall outside the construction work rules. Construction work on a mine site, such as building a structure, can be covered. Mines also commonly ask for a SWMS or a JSA as a site rule. Ask the site and check your state's mining legislation.
Who writes the SWMS?
The business carrying out the high risk construction work must prepare it or make sure it has been prepared. The Code says the person responsible for carrying out the work is best placed to prepare it, in consultation with the workers who will do the work. On a construction project, the principal contractor must be given a copy before the high risk work starts.
How long do I keep a SWMS?
The template notes in the Code say a SWMS must be kept and available for inspection until the high risk construction work is completed, that all versions should be kept if it is revised, and that it must be kept for at least 2 years from the date of a notifiable incident connected with the work. Confirm the current requirement for your state.
Sources
Last checked 8 October 2026. Every legal or regulatory statement in this guide comes from one of these pages. Rules and platform terms change, so confirm against the source before you rely on them.
- Commonwealth legislation register: Work Health and Safety (Construction Work) Code of Practice 2015 (text checked for the 18 categories, the SWMS content rules and the construction work exclusions)
- Safe Work Australia: Model Code of Practice, Construction work (November 2024)
- Safe Work Australia: Information sheet, Safe work method statements
- Safe Work Australia: High risk construction work requiring a SWMS
- WorkSafe Victoria: Safe work method statements (SWMS)