SWMS Template WA
Updated 16 October 2026
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Western Australia requires a SWMS before any of the 18 types of high risk construction work in reg 291 of the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA). Reg 299 sets what it must contain, and regs 300 to 303 cover following it, giving the principal contractor a copy, reviewing it and keeping it. The regulator is WorkSafe WA. WA moved to these harmonised laws on 31 March 2022, so a SWMS that still cites the old Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 is out of date.
What a WA SWMS must contain (reg 299)
- ✓ Identify the work that is high risk construction work
- ✓ State the hazards of that work and the risks to health and safety from those hazards
- ✓ Describe the measures to be implemented to control the risks
- ✓ Describe how those control measures will be implemented, monitored and reviewed
- ✓ Take into account the circumstances at the workplace that may affect how the work is done, and the WHS management plan if the work is part of a construction project
- ✓ Be set out in a way that is readily accessible and understandable to the people who use it
Old WA SWMS templates: check the law they cite
Before 31 March 2022, WA construction work ran under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and the OSH Regulations 1996. The Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) and the WHS (General) Regulations 2022 replaced them. Many downloadable WA templates were written before that date. If a template cites the OSH Act or the 1996 Regulations, the structure may still be usable, but the citations are wrong and a principal contractor reviewing it will notice.
| Before 31 March 2022 | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Act | Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 | Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) |
| Regulations | OSH Regulations 1996 | WHS (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) |
| Where the SWMS rules sit | The OSH Regulations 1996 | regs 291 and 299 to 303 of the 2022 Regulations |
Where WA differs: electrical work
Most of the WA SWMS rules match the other harmonised states word for word. Electrical work is where WA is different, and a SWMS copied from an eastern-states template usually misses it.
- ✓ Roof spaces: before work in the roof space of a Class 1, 2 or 10a building, the electrical installation must be de-energised by a competent person, and a worker must not work there until it is (reg 153)
- ✓ Overhead lines: a worker, or plant or material they use, must not enter the danger zone of an overhead electric line (reg 166A). The zone is 0.5 m from a live insulated line of up to 1 000 V, 1.0 m from a live uninsulated line of up to 1 000 V, 3.0 m for lines over 1 000 V up to 33 000 V, and 6.0 m above 33 000 V
- ✓ Underground lines are covered separately by reg 166
Principal contractor projects (regs 292, 309 and 312)
On a construction project (reg 292) the principal contractor must take all reasonable steps to obtain a copy of your SWMS before the high risk construction work starts (reg 312), and its WHS management plan must set out how SWMS are collected, assessed, monitored and reviewed (reg 309). In practice that means no SWMS, no start.
Reviewing and keeping it (regs 302 and 303)
- ✓ Review the SWMS, and revise it as necessary, whenever the relevant control measures are revised (reg 302)
- ✓ Keep a copy until the high risk construction work it covers is completed (reg 303)
- ✓ If a notifiable incident happens in connection with the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident (reg 303)
- ✓ While it must be kept, a copy must be readily accessible to every worker doing the work (reg 303)
Common questions
▸Is a SWMS required in WA?
Yes, before any high risk construction work starts (reg 299 of the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA)). The 18 categories are in reg 291 and include a risk of a person falling more than 2 m and a trench or shaft deeper than 1.5 m.
▸Who checks SWMS in Western Australia?
WorkSafe WA inspectors can ask to see the SWMS on site, and on a construction project the principal contractor must obtain it before the high risk work starts (reg 312).
▸Can I use an old WA SWMS template from before 2022?
Only as a structure. Templates written before 31 March 2022 cite the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and the 1996 Regulations, which no longer apply. The SWMS must now reflect the WHS (General) Regulations 2022 (WA).
▸Does a WA SWMS have to be signed?
Reg 299 does not list signatures among the required contents. Most builders and principal contractors still ask for a worker sign-on, and it is the simplest way to show the crew was taken through it.
▸How long do I keep a SWMS in WA?
Until the high risk construction work is completed, and for at least 2 years after a notifiable incident connected with the work (reg 303).
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Official sources
Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA), legislation.wa.gov.auWorkSafe WA
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