Free SWMS Generator
Build a draft Safe Work Method Statement for high risk construction work in any Australian state or territory. Pick your trade, tick the high risk work, edit the hazards and controls, then save the document as a PDF. You must make the draft site-specific before work starts.
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What is a Safe Work Method Statement?
A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is a written document that sets out the high risk construction work to be carried out at a workplace, the hazards and risks that work involves, and the measures that will be put in place to control those risks. Under the model WHS Regulations a SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts.
A SWMS is an administrative control. It does not make work safe on its own. Its job is to support the higher order controls you choose, so everyone on site knows what the hazards are, what controls apply, and who is responsible for putting them in place. Safe Work Australia guidance is clear that a short, specific SWMS beats a long, padded one: a document workers cannot follow on site is a document that fails.
The law also requires a SWMS to be set out in a way that is readily accessible and understandable to the people who use it. Plain language, short sentences, and controls that state exactly what to do.
When do you need a SWMS?
A SWMS is required only for high risk construction work (HRCW). The model WHS Regulations define 18 categories in reg 291. If your job involves at least one, a SWMS must be in place before that work starts.
- Work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (reg 291(a))
- Work on a telecommunication tower (reg 291(b))
- Demolition of a load-bearing element of a structure (reg 291(c))
- Work that involves, or is likely to involve, disturbing asbestos (reg 291(d))
- Structural alterations or repairs needing temporary support to prevent collapse (reg 291(e))
- Work in or near a confined space (reg 291(f))
- Work in or near a shaft or trench deeper than 1.5 metres, or a tunnel (reg 291(g))
- Work involving the use of explosives (reg 291(h))
- Work on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping (reg 291(i))
- Work on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines (reg 291(j))
- Work on or near energised electrical installations or services (reg 291(k))
- Work in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere (reg 291(l))
- Tilt-up or precast concrete work (reg 291(m))
- Work on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use (reg 291(n))
- Work in an area where there is movement of powered mobile plant (reg 291(o))
- Work in an area with artificial extremes of temperature (reg 291(p))
- Work in or near water or other liquid with a risk of drowning (reg 291(q))
- Diving work (reg 291(r))
Victoria is different
Victoria never adopted the model WHS laws. It runs its own OHS Regulations 2017, which list 19 categories of high risk construction work. Any demolition work triggers a SWMS in Victoria (not just load-bearing elements), tunnels are their own category, and the duty sits with employers and self-employed persons rather than PCBUs. This generator switches the categories and legislation references when you choose Victoria.
The 2 metre fall trigger now applies nationally. South Australia was the last jurisdiction to align, lowering its fall threshold from 3 metres to 2 metres on 1 July 2026. Wherever you work in Australia, work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres needs a SWMS.
What a SWMS must include
Reg 299(2) of the model WHS Regulations sets four mandatory content elements. Every SWMS must:
- Identify the work that is high risk construction work, so it is clear which reg 291 categories the document covers.
- State the hazards relating to that work and the risks to health and safety associated with those hazards.
- Describe the measures to be implemented to control the risks, selected by working through the hierarchy of control measures.
- Describe how the control measures are to be implemented, monitored and reviewed, including who is responsible for each of them.
Reg 299(3) adds two preparation requirements. The SWMS must take into account the circumstances at the workplace that may affect how the work is carried out, and it must be expressed in a way that is readily accessible and understandable to the people who use it.
Site-specific or it does not count
Regulators name generic, copy-paste SWMS documents as the most common failure they find on site. A SWMS prepared for one workplace may not meet the requirements at another unless it is reviewed against the actual site conditions and revised. That is why this generator requires a site address and site-specific notes before it will produce a document.
How this generator works
Four steps, all in your browser. Your draft saves to your device as you go.
1. Choose your state and trade
The legislation references, regulator details and high risk work categories switch to match your state or territory. Picking a trade pre-suggests the categories that usually apply.
2. Add your business and site details
Company, site address, principal contractor and a description of the work. The site-specific notes field is required, because a SWMS must reflect the actual workplace, not a template.
3. Tick the high risk work and edit the steps
Each work step comes pre-filled with hazards and controls in hierarchy order, from elimination down to PPE. Edit everything, add your own steps, then set PPE, plant and emergency procedures.
4. Review and save as PDF
Preview the full document, fix any sections still showing unedited template text, acknowledge the disclaimer, then use your browser's Save as PDF to keep an A4 copy.
SWMS requirements by state
Every state and territory requires a SWMS for high risk construction work, but the instrument, regulator and detail differ. Victoria runs its own regime.
| State | Legislation | Regulator | HRCW categories | Principal contractor threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 | SafeWork NSW | 18 | $250,000 |
| VIC | Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 | WorkSafe Victoria | 19 | $350,000 |
| QLD | Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 | WorkSafe Queensland | 18 | $250,000 |
| WA | Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 | WorkSafe WA | 18 | $250,000 |
| SA | Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 | SafeWork SA | 18 | $250,000 |
| TAS | Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022 | WorkSafe Tasmania | 18 | $250,000 |
| ACT | Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 | WorkSafe ACT | 18 | $250,000 |
| NT | Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011 | NT WorkSafe | 18 | $250,000 |
For the authoritative guidance, see Safe Work Australia's SWMS guidance and SafeWork NSW's guide to preparing a SWMS. Always check your own regulator's current requirements before work starts.
SWMS frequently asked questions
Only for high risk construction work. The model WHS Regulations list 18 categories of high risk construction work in reg 291, and Victoria lists 19 under its own OHS Regulations 2017. If your work falls into at least one category, a SWMS must be in place before that work starts. If none apply, a SWMS is not legally required, though you still have a general duty to manage risks to health and safety.
Before you rely on this document
This free tool helps you build a draft Safe Work Method Statement. It is a starting point, not a finished document, and it is not professional safety or legal advice. You are responsible for the SWMS you use on site. That means making it site-specific, consulting the workers doing the work, checking it covers the actual high risk construction work involved, and keeping it up to date as conditions change. If you are unsure, talk to a qualified WHS professional or your state or territory WHS regulator. Prepare Training accepts no liability for any document created with this tool or for how it is used, to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Content last reviewed: 4 July 2026.
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Know your site duties inside out?
If you are the one writing the SWMS, briefing the crew and signing off on controls, you are already doing supervisor-level work. Formalise that experience with a nationally recognised qualification. The Certificate IV in Building and Construction (CPC40120) and Diploma of Building and Construction (CPC50220) are the standard pathways to a builder's licence, and recognition of prior learning can credit the site experience you already have.