Do I need a SWMS?
A Safe Work Method Statement is legally required before any high risk construction work starts. Pick your state and tick what the job involves: this checker tells you straight away whether you need one and which law applies. Free, instant, nothing leaves your browser.
Pick a state to run the check.
Common questions
▸How do I know if I need a SWMS?
You need a SWMS if your work involves any of the 18 high risk construction work categories in the WHS Regulations (19 in Victoria), such as a fall over 2 metres, work near energised electrical services, or a trench deeper than 1.5 metres. Tick what applies above and the checker tells you, with the regulation for your state.
▸Do sole traders need a SWMS?
Yes, if the work is high risk construction work. The duty applies to the PCBU carrying out the work, and a sole trader is a PCBU. In Victoria the duty holder is the employer or self-employed person.
▸What if my work is not high risk construction work?
Then a SWMS may not be legally required, but principal contractors commonly require one from every trade on site as a blanket condition of access. If a builder has asked for one, the practical answer is to provide it.
What is a SWMS?The 18 high risk work categoriesSite-specific SWMS, A$39Sample SWMS