SWMS builder

Build a draft safe work method statement for high risk construction work: enter the job details, tick the categories, edit the hazards and controls, then copy or print it.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Job details

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

If the job is part of a construction project.

High risk construction work

Tick each category this job involves

Edit: Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres

Your draft SWMS

Safe work method statement

Site address
________________
Business (PCBU) doing the work
________________
Principal contractor
Not applicable / ________________
Work starts
________________
Prepared by
________________
Jurisdiction
New South Wales

Prepared under s 299 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW). High risk construction work as listed in s 291.

1. Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (a)

Hazards and risks

  • Falls from roofs, edges, openings, ladders or platforms
  • Fragile roofing and skylights
  • Tools or materials falling on people below

Control measures

  • Eliminate: do the work at ground level or prefabricate where practicable
  • Engineering: edge protection, scaffold or elevating work platform; covers over openings
  • Administrative: exclusion zone below; pre-start check of fall protection
  • PPE: harness and rated anchor only where higher controls aren’t practicable, with a rescue plan

Implementing, monitoring and review

Supervisor inspects edge protection and equipment before each shift and after any change; review after any incident or near miss.

Consultation, review and sign-on

  • Workers who will do this work were consulted on this SWMS and have read it.
  • Review and revise this SWMS whenever a control measure is revised (r 302), and stop work if it is not being followed (r 300).
  • Keep a copy until the work is finished, or for 2 years after a notifiable incident connected with it (r 303).
NameSignatureDate

A starting draft: tailor every hazard and control to your site and the people doing the work. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. General information, not legal advice.

How this works

Each ticked category becomes a section with editable hazards, control measures (highest in the hierarchy first) and who checks them. The document covers what a SWMS must contain: identifying the high risk construction work, its hazards and risks, the control measures, and how they are put in place, monitored and reviewed (r 299 of the WHS Regulations; r 324 and r 327 in Victoria).

The category list follows your jurisdiction: 18 categories under the model regulations, 19 in Victoria. Use the SWMS checker if you are not sure the work needs one.

Not included: site-specific risk assessment, plant and licence details, emergency procedures and the principal contractor’s WHS management plan. Add these where they apply.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

Is a SWMS from this builder legally compliant?

It is laid out to cover what the regulations require a SWMS to contain, but compliance depends on the content. You must tailor the hazards and controls to the actual site, plant and people, consult the workers who will do the job, and make sure the work follows it.

Is anything I type saved?

No. The draft exists only in your browser tab. Copy the text or print it (including to PDF) before you close the page.

Do I need one SWMS per job?

A SWMS can cover several high risk construction work activities on one job, which is how this builder lays it out. If the same work is repeated across sites in the same way, one SWMS can be reused, but check it still fits each site and update it if conditions differ.

What order should controls be in?

Most effective first: eliminate the hazard, then substitute, isolate or use engineering controls, then administrative controls, with personal protective equipment last. The default text follows that order.

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Questions the calculator can’t answer?

Workfloor answers pay, award, leave and termination questions for your team, with the Fair Work Act section or award clause behind each answer.

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