Sample SWMS: roofing in NSW

This SWMS was made by the SWMS Link engine for a re-roof in Parramatta, NSW: setting up roof access and edge protection, then replacing metal roof sheets. It's the document your crew reads and the builder receives.

The site's address, the NSW law it falls under, and the nearest emergency department
The NSW high-risk construction work list, word for word, with this job's work ticked
Site conditions from a few questions, such as fragile skylights and today's wind
Each job step with its hazards, controls, the person responsible, and how each control is checked
A sign-on register and a box for the principal contractor

The roofing library is still being reviewed by a WHS professional before launch, so this sample carries a draft label. At launch, the PDF carries your business's logo.

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Sample Roofing

ABN 51 824 753 556

Safe Work Method Statement

SW-SAMPL · Version 1 FINAL

Finalised 13 Oct 2026, 8:00 am · Review by 11 Jan 2027

Sample: re-roof and new gutters at 12 Example Street

1Job and site

Site address: 12 Example Street, Parramatta NSW 2150
State and law: NSW · Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)
Work starts: 2 Nov 2026
Construction project: No
Principal contractor: Not a construction project
Person responsible: Sam Supervisor, 0400 000 000
Prepared by: Sam Supervisor (Supervisor), sam@example.com
Who's who: First aider: Chris Example, 0400 000 004
Consultation: Crew: at sign-on, see the sign-on register.
Regulator: SafeWork NSW
Overall risk: Extreme 20 to Medium 8

2This job at a glance

Tasks

1 Set up roof access and edge protection3 stepsExtreme 20 to Medium 8
2 Remove and replace metal roof sheeting3 stepsExtreme 20 to Medium 8

High risk workWork Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), s 291

involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m

Not in this job: telecom tower; structural or load-bearing demolition; disturbing asbestos; temporary support for structural work; confined space; trench or shaft over 1.5 m, or tunnel; explosives; pressurised gas mains or piping; chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines; energised electrical installations; contaminated or flammable atmosphere; tilt-up or precast concrete; traffic corridor; powered mobile plant; artificial extremes of temperature; risk of drowning; diving work.

Must wear

Hard hatAS/NZS 1801
HarnessAS/NZS 1891.1
GlovesAS/NZS 2161
Eye protectionAS/NZS 1337.1
Hearing protectionAS/NZS 1270

Not needed: Safety boots, Face shield, P2 respirator, Hi-vis clothing, Sun-safe clothing, Welding mask.

Site

Roof edge height: 6 m · Pitch: Medium (15° to 35°) · Fragile roof areas: No · Asbestos: Checked, none found · Power lines near: No · Others below or beside: No · Conditions: None

Emergency

Call 000 (or 112 from a mobile) · First aid kit: Ute, passenger side · Assembly point: Front footpath by the letterbox · Nearest emergency department: Westmead Hospital (about 3.2 km in a straight line)

Full emergency and rescue plan in section 5.

3Principal contractor received

Name
Signature
Date

4Job steps, hazards and controls

Job step	Hazard	Risk	Control	Who	After
Set up roof access and edge protectionFollows: Managing the risk of falls in housing construction; Managing the risk of falls at workplaces
1 Check the site, roof and access points before anyone goes up	Fragile roof, weak framing or power lines not found before work startsFalls, electric shock, serious injury	High 12	Procedure Inspect the site and roof from the ground with the builder or owner before anyone goes up	Supervisor	Medium 8
		High 12	Procedure Check framing, battens and old mesh from inside the roof space; mark weak areas and treat the roof as fragile until confirmed sound	Supervisor	Medium 8
2 Set up access and edge protection	Fall from the roof edge, a ladder or an openingFractures, head injury, death	Extreme 20	Eliminate Do cutting, pre-assembly and any other work possible on the ground or inside	Supervisor	Medium 8
			Engineering Fit edge protection to every open edge before roof work starts: guardrails with infill over 26°, or a perimeter scaffold. Inspect it daily and after strong wind	Supervisor and scaffolder
			Engineering Use a stair tower, or a tied-off industrial ladder for small jobs (4 to 1, 1 m above the landing), entering through a gate in the rails	Supervisor
	Fall while fitting or removing edge protectionFractures, head injury, death	Extreme 20	Engineering Fit and remove rails from a scaffold, EWP or ladder at the eaves, not from the open edge	Supervisor	Medium 8
		Extreme 20	Engineering Until rails are up, work on a restraint line; over 15°, fall arrest only where there is clearance below. A trained rescuer stays on site	Roofer	Medium 8
3 Set up an exclusion zone below the work	Tools, sheets or debris falling onto people belowHead injury, serious injury	High 12	Isolate Barricade the area below the roof edge and lifting point, at least 2 m out, with no-go signs. Recheck after every delivery	Supervisor	Low 4
			Engineering Fit toe boards or mesh to the edge protection where people could be below	Supervisor
			PPE Wear a hard hat when working below the roof	All crew
Remove and replace metal roof sheetingFollows: Managing the risk of falls in housing construction; Managing the risk of falls at workplaces
4 Remove old roof sheets and fixings	Fall through the roof frame where sheets are offFractures, head injury, death	Extreme 20	Engineering Keep safety mesh under every area being stripped; check each run before its sheets come off and replace rusted or loose mesh	Supervisor	Medium 8
			Engineering Where mesh can't be fitted, use tagged, certified anchors with restraint lines too short to reach the unmeshed area	Roofer
			Procedure Strip and re-sheet a few sheets at a time; stand only on fixed sheets, never on mesh or bare purlins	All crew
	Losing balance carrying long sheets on the roof, especially in windFalls, back and shoulder injury	High 12	Engineering Move sheets with a sheet lifter, hoist or crane, never by hand up a ladder	Supervisor	Medium 6
		High 12	Procedure Two people carry sheets over 6 m; no carrying in strong wind	All crew	Medium 6
5 Lift new sheets onto the roof	Bundles falling or caught by wind during the liftCrush injury, cuts, falls	High 12	Isolate Barricade the area under the load and the lifting path, and confirm it is clear before each lift	Supervisor	Low 4
5 Lift new sheets onto the roof		High 12	Engineering Lift bundles by crane, hoist or sheet lifter; land them over the frame and tie down before releasing the lifting gear	Roofer and licensed crane operator	Low 4
6 Cut and fix new sheets and flashings	Power tool cutting on the roof: loss of balance, swarf, sharp edgesFalls, cuts, eye injury	High 12	Eliminate Order sheets and flashings to length, or cut on the ground, to keep cutting off the roof	Supervisor	Low 4
			Substitute Cut sheets with shears or nibblers instead of an angle grinder	Roofer
			PPE Wear cut-resistant gloves, safety glasses and hearing protection when cutting and handling sheets	All crew

Controls are listed highest first: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineering, procedures, then PPE last.

5Emergency and rescue

In an emergency: stop work and make the area safe, call 000, give first aid only if trained, then tell the person responsible and the principal contractor.

Call 000 or 112 from a mobile
First aid kit Ute, passenger side
Assembly point Front footpath by the letterbox
Nearest emergency department (confirm the route) Westmead Hospital (about 3.2 km in a straight line)
Someone falls and hangs in a harness Rescue them at once with the gear kept near the work, from the scaffold, an EWP, the roof or inside the building. Call 000 and give first aid.

6Plant, licences, substances and permits

Plant and equipment
Industrial ladders, rated at least 120 kg Pre-use check: Feet, rungs, stiles and locks checked before use; a damaged ladder is tagged out Checked by: All crew
Roof-edge guardrails, toe boards and infill panels Pre-use check: Complete and secure before roof access each day and after strong wind Checked by: Supervisor
Scaffold or stair tower Pre-use check: Where a person or thing could fall over 4 m: inspected by a competent person before use, after repairs or incidents, and every 30 days Checked by: Supervisor
Harnesses, lanyards and roof anchors Pre-use check: Checked by the user before each use; anchors certified; fall arrest used only where there's clearance below; gear that has stopped a fall is retired Checked by: Each user; supervisor checks anchors
Roof safety mesh Pre-use check: Old mesh checked for rust and broken ties before stripping; new mesh inspected before sheets are loaded Checked by: Supervisor
Crane, hoist or sheet lifter Pre-use check: Run the operator's pre-start checks; use tagged lifting gear within its rated load Checked by: Operator

Licences and training
General construction induction (White Card) · Ticket Who needs it: All crew
Working at heights training, including harness use and rescue · Training Who needs it: Everyone working at height
Scaffolding licence: erect, alter or dismantle; fall over 4 m · Licence Who needs it: Scaffolder
Crane licence, where the crane's type and size need one · Licence Who needs it: Crane operator

Hazardous substances
None listed.

Permits and notifications
None listed.

7Checking, review and stop work

Checking the controls: the person responsible checks the controls in this SWMS at each daily pre-start, after any change to the job, and after bad weather. Anything not in place or not working is fixed before that work continues.

Review this SWMS:

if the control measures don't control the risks they were put in place to control, for example after a notifiable incident
before a change at the workplace that is likely to create a new or different risk the control measures may not effectively control
if a new relevant hazard or risk is identified
if consultation shows that a review is necessary
if a health and safety representative asks for a review
by 11 Jan 2027

Stop work as soon as it is safe to do so if this SWMS is not being followed. Do not restart until the work follows this SWMS, or the SWMS has been reviewed and revised.

8Sign-on register

Workers sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS, were consulted, and will stop work if it isn't being followed. Digital sign-ons are kept in the live register.

Name	Employer	Card (state, last 4)	Verification	Version	Date and time	Signature

9How risk is scored

Likelihood	Insignificant	Minor	Moderate	Major	Catastrophic
Almost certain	Medium 5	High 10	High 15	Extreme 20	Extreme 25
Likely	Low 4	Medium 8	High 12	High 16	Extreme 20
Possible	Low 3	Medium 6	Medium 9	High 12	High 15
Unlikely	Low 2	Low 4	Medium 6	Medium 8	High 10
Rare	Low 1	Low 2	Low 3	Low 4	Medium 5

Consequence: Insignificant, no injury · Minor, first aid · Moderate, medical treatment or time off · Major, serious injury or hospital · Catastrophic, death or permanent disability. Likelihood: Almost certain, expected on this job · Likely, will probably happen · Possible, might happen · Unlikely, not expected · Rare, only in unusual circumstances. Bands: Low 1 to 4 · Medium 5 to 9 · High 10 to 16 · Extreme 17 to 25.