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How to come up with a Safe Work Method Statement.
An SWMS is a document that sets out the High threat construction work (HRCW) activities to be carried out at a workplace, the hazards developing from these activities and the steps to be put in place to manage the risks to health and wellness.
Tuesday, 24th May 2022.
Its primary purpose is to assist employees and supervisors to carry out and keep an eye on the control measures established to make certain the work is carried out safely.

What is 'high risk construction work' (HRCW)?
High danger construction work is defined in WHS policies as construction work that:.

involves a threat of an individual falling more than 2 metres (3 metres in South Australia); or.
involves demolition of a component of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the structure; or.
involves, or is most likely to include, the disruption of asbestos; or.
involves structural changes or repairs that need short-lived support to prevent collapse; or.
is performed in a location at a work environment in which there is any motion of powered mobile plant; or.
is performed in or near a confined area; or.
is carried out in or near:.
a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1 5 metres; or.
a tunnel; or.
includes making use of explosives; or.
is performed on or near pressurised gas circulation mains or piping; or.
is performed on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines; or.
is performed on or near energised electrical installations or services; or.
is performed in an area that may have an infected or combustible environment; or.
includes tilt-up or precast concrete; or.
is carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, train, shipping lane or other traffic corridor that remains in usage by traffic other than pedestrians; or.
is performed on a telecommunication tower; or.
is performed in a location at a work environment in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant; or.
is carried out in an area in which there are synthetic extremes of temperature level; or.
is carried out in or near water or other liquid that involves a threat of drowning; or.
involves diving work.
Keep In Mind: Victorian OHS policies have some minor variations of the above definition of HRCW.

How do I set about preparing a SWMS?
A normal approach to establishing a SWMS includes the following:.

Collect all pertinent info about the work.
The very first job is to figure out the kinds of HRCW that the work involves and how it is to be carried out.

Learn the hazards.
Evaluation the proposed work and information about each task to determine the dangers, i.e., the occasions or things that may trigger harm to employees or other individuals. Info, such as codes of practice or assistance product, may be offered in the site of your local office health and wellness regulator for specific construction jobs.

Talk to the relevant employees.
In assessment with the workers that will carry out the HRCW, their managers and health and safety representatives (if any) examine the local health and safety requirements, and the proposed work.

Consider the views of workers about the threats, the potential risk control measures and any site-specific matters that may affect the security of the work. If there are other workers that could be impacted by the work they need to likewise be sought advice from.

Note: There is a legal obligation to consult affected workers and their health and safety representatives when recognising threats or selecting measures to manage threat, and to take their views into account.

Select the most suitable control procedures to remove or decrease risks.

To choose the most suitable control measures you need to apply the 'hierarchy of control' as detailed in steps 1 to 5 below. HIA's info sheet The Hierarchy of Control describes how the hierarchy of control applies to the requirements for handling office threats and risks.

You must seek to get rid of risks so far as is reasonably practicable (e.g., doing as much work as possible on the ground rather than at height).
If it is not fairly practicable to eliminate dangers, you must implement any particular control measures that are necessary by law in your State or Territory.
Some work environment health and wellness laws prescribe particular control measures that must be made an application for managing risks to health and safety developing from specific threats or activities. Examples consist of, however are not limited to, work including asbestos, work at height, operate in restricted areas. Particular requirements are in the workplace health and wellness laws readily available in the website of your regional work environment health and safety regulator.

After carrying out action 2, if a risk stays, the risk should be lowered up until now as is reasonably practicable by executing one, or a combination of the following:.
Substituting a process or substance with one that is less harmful. For instance, damp sweeping instead of dry sweeping of harmful dusts such as crystalline silica.
Isolating employees and other persons from the danger. For example by installing barriers between employees and mobile plant.
Using engineering controls. Using a raised work platform or a scaffold to lower the risk of falling from height.
If after executing the above control measures a risk to health or security still remains, minimise that danger, so far as is fairly practicable, by Utilising administrative controls. This includes, security training, work instructions, alerting indications and supervision. If a scaffold utilised to decrease dangers you might require to include scaffold tags revealing acceptable optimum loads, signs for incomplete scaffolds. You may also need to describe the training needed for those setting up the scaffold and the supervision of scaffold users.
If a threat to health or safety still remains after implementing the above, reduce that risk, up until now as is reasonably practicable by providing personal protective equipment (PPE). This consists of using protective clothes such as shatterproof glass, construction hats, gloves, breathing protection, or a mix of proper PPE.
A mix of control steps will require to be used to reduce threats as far as is fairly practicable.

Writing the SWMS - What information must be included?
A SWMS should:.

determine the work that is high risk construction work.
define the risks relating to the high threat construction work and the risks to health and wellness.
explain the procedures to be executed to manage the threats, and.
explain how the control procedures are to be carried out, kept track of and examined.
For an example of how to do this see: How to complete a SWMS when using silica.

The control measures must be set out and expressed in a way that is readily accessible and comprehensible to the individuals who will use the SWMS. Describe in clear terms how threats to health and wellness are to be controlled to make it possible for the work to be done securely, and how the control measures are to be implemented.

You can use any form or template to produce up the SWMS, consisting of paper and electronic formats, offered the above info is consisted of and is readily accessible.

Can I use a generic SWMS?
A generic SWMS can be utilised after it has been evaluated and revised as essential to make certain that it covers all the hazards and threats that are present on the site where the work is to be performed. A generic SWMS needs to be reviewed/revised prior to beginning the work and prior to beginning a new activity or a change in work location or situations.

For additional information about SWMS and your obligations go to the site of your local workplace health and wellness authority and search for safe work approach declarations.
this link

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