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What is a SWMS? A plain guide for Australian trades

By The SWMS Link team · Last updated 31 October 2026

A safe work method statement (SWMS) is a safety planning document for high risk construction work (SafeWork NSW). It sets out the high risk work, the hazards that could happen from it, and how the risks will be controlled (Safe Work Australia). If your builder has asked you for one, this guide covers what it is, who prepares it, and what goes in it.

What is a SWMS?

Safe Work Australia says a SWMS is a document that sets out three things:

  • the high risk construction work activities
  • the hazards that could happen from these activities
  • how the business will control the risks (Safe Work Australia)

SafeWork NSW describes it as a simple tool for planning safe work and putting it in place. It is used by supervisors and workers to stay safe on construction sites when they do high risk construction work.

In NSW, a SWMS must be specific to the site. It must also be made available to workers, supervisors and anyone else at the workplace, so they can understand the hazards, the risks and the safety controls that must be used (SafeWork NSW).

Who prepares a SWMS, and when

The duty sits with the business doing the high risk construction work. In WHS terms that business is a PCBU, short for "person conducting a business or undertaking" (SafeWork NSW).

Safe Work Australia says a PCBU that carries out high risk construction work has extra WHS duties, including to prepare, keep, comply with and review a SWMS for the work.

Timing matters. SafeWork NSW says the PCBU is required to have a SWMS prepared before the high risk construction work starts. In WA, the WHS Regulations require a SWMS to be prepared for proposed high risk construction work before any activity starts (WorkSafe WA).

You do not always have to write it yourself. In NSW, the PCBU must make sure a SWMS is prepared, or has already been prepared by another person, such as another PCBU (SafeWork NSW). Either way, check that the SWMS covers your work before you start.

The work a SWMS covers

A SWMS is for high risk construction work only. Safe Work Australia lists the types of work that count. A few examples from that list:

  • work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 m
  • work in or near a shaft or trench deeper than 1.5 m
  • work on or near energised electrical installations or services
  • work in an area where powered mobile plant is moving (Safe Work Australia)

The list runs from asbestos and confined spaces to work near traffic and diving work. Read the whole list on Safe Work Australia's construction page before you decide your job is not on it.

Work outside the list does not need to go in. SafeWork NSW says you don't need to include activities that are not high risk construction work in a SWMS. In WA, WorkSafe WA says a SWMS is not required for work of a minor nature.

What goes in a SWMS

SafeWork NSW sets a minimum. As a minimum, the SWMS must:

  • identify the work that is high risk construction work, for example work with a risk of a person falling more than two metres
  • specify the hazards, for example working on a roof, and the risks that go with them, for example a fall from the roof
  • describe the measures that will control the risks, for example roof rails
  • describe how those control measures will be put in place, monitored and reviewed
  • be understood by everyone using the document (SafeWork NSW)

That last point is easy to miss. If your crew can't follow it on site, it isn't doing its job.

To see what this looks like on a real document, see a sample SWMS. It is a roofing SWMS for a re-roof in Parramatta, NSW. It shows the site address and the nearest emergency department, the NSW high risk construction work list with the job's work ticked, each job step with its hazards, controls, the person responsible and how each control is checked, and a sign-on register (sample SWMS).

Using a SWMS on site

A SWMS is not a form you fill in and file. SafeWork NSW sets out how it is used once the job starts.

  • High risk construction work must be carried out in line with the SWMS.
  • Keep it at the workplace where the high risk work is happening, until that work is finished.
  • An electronic copy is fine, if your workers can get to it easily.
  • Review it regularly so it keeps working (SafeWork NSW).

You don't need a separate document for every task. One SWMS can cover a number of high risk construction work activities (SafeWork NSW).

If you do the same kind of work often, a generic SWMS can be used for high risk work you carry out on a regular basis. In NSW it must still be reviewed and take into account the hazards and risks of each site (SafeWork NSW).

Check your state's rules

Some WHS laws are specific to your state or territory. Safe Work Australia's interactive SWMS tool is based on the model WHS laws. It does not guarantee compliance or cover laws that are specific to your state or territory.

The pages behind this guide come from two states:

  • NSW: SafeWork NSW's guidance refers to the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation 2025.
  • WA: WorkSafe WA's guidance refers to the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022.

For anywhere else, or for your own situation, contact the WHS regulator in your state or territory. They can tell you which laws apply to your workplace (Safe Work Australia's SWMS tool).

Read how we write our guides. SWMS Link makes site-specific SWMS for Australian trades.

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