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How to prepare a Safe Work Method Statement.
A Safe Work Method Statement is a document that sets out the High threat construction work (HRCW) activities to be carried out at a workplace, the threats emerging from these activities and the steps to be put in place to manage the risks to health and wellness.
Tuesday, 24th May 2022.
Its main function is to assist workers and supervisors to carry out and monitor the control measures developed to make certain the work is performed securely.

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

includes a threat of an individual falling more than 2 metres (3 metres in South Australia); or.
involves demolition of an aspect of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical stability of the structure; or.
involves, or is likely to include, the disturbance of asbestos; or.
involves structural changes or repairs that need temporary assistance to prevent collapse; or.
is performed in an area at an office in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant; or.
is performed in or near a confined area; or.
is performed in or near:.
a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1 5 metres; or.
a tunnel; or.
includes making use of dynamites; or.
is carried out on or near pressurised gas distribution 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 a contaminated or flammable environment; or.
includes tilt-up or precast concrete; or.
is performed on, in or adjacent to a roadway, railway, delivering lane or other traffic passage that remains in use by traffic other than pedestrians; or.
is performed on a telecommunication tower; or.
is performed in a location at a workplace in which there is any motion of powered mobile plant; or.
is carried out in an area in which there are artificial extremes of temperature level; or.
is performed in or near water or other liquid that includes a threat of drowning; or.
involves diving work.
Keep In Mind: Victorian OHS guidelines have some minor variations of the above meaning of HRCW.

How do I go about preparing a SWMS?
A typical approach to establishing a SWMS involves the following:.

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

Learn the threats.
Evaluation the proposed work and information about each task to figure out the threats, i.e., the occasions or things that might cause harm to employees or other people. Details, such as codes of practice or guidance material, might be readily available in the site of your local work environment health and safety regulator for particular construction jobs.

Talk to the appropriate workers.
In consultation with the workers that will undertake the HRCW, their managers and health and safety agents (if any) review the local health and wellness requirements, and the proposed work.

Consider the views of workers about the threats, the prospective danger control steps and any site-specific matters that may affect the security of the work. If there are other employees that could be impacted by the work they need to also be consulted.

Note: There is a legal commitment to seek advice from affected workers and their health and safety agents when identifying dangers or selecting steps to control risk, and to take their views into account.

Select the most suitable control measures to eliminate or lower dangers.

To pick the most suitable control steps you need to use the 'hierarchy of control' as detailed in steps 1 to 5 below. HIA's information sheet The Hierarchy of Control describes how the hierarchy of control applies to the requirements for managing office hazards and dangers.

First, you should look for to eliminate threats up until now as is reasonably practicable (e.g., doing as much work as possible on the ground instead of at height).
If it is not fairly practicable to eliminate risks, you should carry out any specific control measures that are mandatory by law in your State or Area.
Some work environment health and safety laws prescribe particular control steps that need to be requested handling dangers to health and safety developing from specific hazards or activities. Examples consist of, but are not limited to, work including asbestos, work at height, operate in confined spaces. Specific requirements remain in the work environment health and safety laws offered in the site of your regional office health and wellness regulator.

After executing step 2, if a risk stays, the danger needs to be lowered up until now as is reasonably practicable by implementing one, or a combination of the following:.
Replacing a process or substance with one that is less hazardous. Damp sweeping instead of dry sweeping of dangerous dusts such as crystalline silica.
Separating workers and other individuals from the hazard. For example by setting up barriers between employees and mobile plant.
Utilising engineering controls. For instance, using an elevated work platform or a scaffold to reduce the risk of falling from height.
If after executing the above control measures a danger to health or safety still remains, decrease that risk, so far as is reasonably practicable, by using administrative controls. This includes, safety training, work guidelines, warning signs and guidance.
If a threat to health or security still stays after implementing the above, decrease that threat, up until now as is fairly practicable by supplying individual protective devices (PPE). This consists of using protective clothes such as safety glasses, hard hats, gloves, breathing protection, or a combination of appropriate PPE.
In many cases, a mix of control procedures will require to be applied to reduce risks as far as is reasonably practicable.

Writing the SWMS - What info must be consisted of?
A SWMS must:.

identify the work that is high danger construction work.
define the risks relating to the high threat construction work and the threats to health and wellness.
describe the measures to be implemented to control the threats, and.
describe how the control measures are to be implemented, monitored and reviewed.
For an example of how to do this see: How to complete a SWMS when using silica.

The control steps must be set out and expressed in a manner that is readily accessible and comprehensible to the individuals who will utilise the SWMS. Explain in clear terms how risks to health and safety are to be managed to make it possible for the work to be done safely, and how the control steps are to be carried out.

You can utilise any type or template to write the SWMS, consisting of paper and electronic formats, supplied the above information is consisted of and is easily accessible.

Can I utilise a generic SWMS?
A generic SWMS can be used after it has actually been evaluated and modified as required to make certain that it covers all the dangers and dangers that are present on the site where the work is to be performed. A generic SWMS requires to be reviewed/revised prior to beginning the work and prior to starting a brand-new activity or a change in work place or situations.

For more details about SWMS and your commitments go to the site of your regional office health and wellness authority and search for safe work method statements.
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My Website: https://occupational-safety.com.au/collections/swms