Notes

What is an SWMS or Safe Work Method Statement?
What is an SWMS?

An SWMS is a file that lays out the high-risk building work activities to be carried out at a work environment, the hazards occurring from these tasks and the actions to be put in place to control the dangers.

One SWMS can be made use of for work that includes numerous risky building work tasks, as an example, a work activity that requires making use of a powered mobile plant, operating at elevations of greater than 2 metres and functioning beside a road used by website traffic other than pedestrians.

An SWMS is classed as a management control and also is made use of to support higher-order controls to eliminate or minimise threats to health and wellness, for instance, design controls.

An SWMS is usually various from other records that concentrate on specific jobs or processes, such as a Job Safety Evaluation or a Safe Operating Treatment. An SWMS is not planned to be a treatment-- instead it is a tool to aid supervisors as well as workers validate as well as keep track of the control procedures needed at the work environment.

What do I need to do?

A PCBU must prepare an SWMS-- or ensure an SWMS has actually been prepared-- for risky construction job activities. An SWMS have to be prepared before this work starts. For all various other construction activities, an SWMS is not called for.

Nevertheless, a PCBU should handle risks to health and wellness by getting rid of or reducing risks thus far as is fairly achievable.

A principal specialist has to likewise obtain the SWMS prior to high-risk building work on a building and construction task begins.

Who should prepare an SWMS?

The individual in charge of performing the risky construction work is ideal put to prepare the SWMS in assessment with employees who will certainly be directly engaged in the work. Normally, this implies an SWMS is prepared by the building contractor for their employees, or by the subcontractor for their employees
and also themselves.

The major professional, home builder and also subcontractors ought to speak with each other to identify that remains in the most effective position to prepare the SWMS.

Supervisors, professionals, leading hands and also workers should all be associated with creating an SWMS. Consulting workers is necessary so they understand the detail of the SWMS as well as what they are needed to do to execute and keep threat controls. Sharing information as well as utilising the expertise and experience of workers will certainly assist make sure the job is executed according to the SWMS.

If there is a Health and Safety Representative at the work environment, they must additionally be spoken with when creating an SWMS.

What is the role of the major contractor?

Under the WHS Rules each 'building task'-- that is a task that includes construction job where the expense of the building and construction work is $250 000 or more-- have to have a 'primary specialist'.

A primary contractor must take all sensible actions to get an SWMS from any professional accomplishing high-risk construction work before the work starts. If there is no SWMS the major professional should make plans for an SWMS to be prepared, for instance by the specialist. A principal service provider ought to established arrangements to see to it the risky building and construction job is carried out securely according to the SWMS. This can be done by keeping track of the implementation of the SWMS 'on the ground'.

The WHS Laws call for that the primary specialists' WHS administration plan consists of specific setups for gathering, examining, checking and also assessing the SWMS.

What details must be consisted of in an SWMS?

An SWMS should:

- Identify the job that is high-risk building work.

- Specify hazards relating to the risky construction job and the risks to wellness
as well as security.

- Describe the steps to be executed to regulate the dangers, and

- Describe exactly how the control measures are to be carried out, checked and assessed.

An SWMS must be short as well as focus on explaining the certain dangers identified for the high danger construction work to be undertaken and the control measures to be put in place so the job is accomplished safely.

An extensive, excessively detailed SWMS can be challenging to understand, use at the office, display or review.

An SWMS must be quickly understood by workers, consisting of those from non-English speaking histories. For instance, pictures or diagrams may be a much more effective method of interacting info.

While there are other legal requirements to make sure health and wellness-- for instance, to control exposure to noise and hands-on task hazards-- these risks and run the risk of controls do not require to be included in an SWMS.

If the SWMS is based upon a workplace-specific threat analysis, proof of the threat analysis might be needed by the regulator or for bookkeeping purposes yet does not require to be outlined in the SWMS.

SWMS layout

This template details the information which needs to be consisted of in an SWMS. The layout additionally includes various other info which ought to be consisted of as ideal technique, for instance, that was gotten in touch with to prepare the SWMS. However, when adding more information to the SWMS take into consideration the value and also relevance of the details and whether it will add unnecessary size or complexity to the document.

Can a common SWMS be made use of?
It is necessary for an SWMS to mirror the details scenarios of the workplace in which it will operate-- that is the office where the risky building work is to be executed, the workplace and also the employees accomplishing the work.

A generic SWMS used at various work environments may not meet the demands of the WHS regulations unless it has actually initially been assessed to consider the hazards and also dangers at the details workplace and also amended as necessary. One SWMS can be prepared to cover a selection of tasks if it thinks about the transforming nature of the work environment.

Alternatively, a separate SWMS can be planned for each risky building work activity. In this case take into consideration circumstances where different tasks influence each other, for example using powered mobile plant throughout the building and construction of a tunnel.
Executing as well as assessing an SWMS High-risk construction work should be accomplished based on the SWMS. The PCBU should implemented plans to make certain the SWMS is being abided by, as an example, office visits.

If work is not being executed based on the SWMS then it must quit promptly or as soon as it is risk-free to do so. In these situations, the SWMS must be reviewed and also if essential revised to show the best way to accomplish the work that is fairly practicable. Job must not resume until the work can be performed according to the SWMS.

A PCBU has to likewise ensure an SWMS is examined and as required modified if the actions implemented to manage risks to health and wellness are revised.

Where do I keep an SWMS?

The SWMS must be kept at the office where the risky building and construction job will be brought out. If this is not feasible then an SWMS needs to be maintained an area where it can be delivered to the work environment promptly. An SWMS can also be kept online.

Further details
More details can be discovered in the Code of Practice: Building and construction work with the Safe Work Australia web site (www.swa.gov.au).
Workplace safety for factory workers

Website: https://www.occupational-safety.com.au/collections/swms