Scaffolder WHS Documents in Western Australia
Written to Western Australia legislation · delivered in about 4 minutes · free revision within 24h
A scaffolder starting on a Western Australia site is asked for a set of documents, not just a SWMS. This page covers the whole set: what each document is, who asks for it and when, and what happens if you turn up without it. WorkSafe WA is the regulator here and the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) is the law each document has to be written against.
The WHS documents a scaffolder needs in Western Australia
- ✓ A site-specific SWMS for each high risk activity, cited to the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) (WHS (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) reg 299)
- ✓ A SWMS register indexing every document, version and review date
- ✓ High risk work licences and scaffolder trade licences recognised in Western Australia
- ✓ Safety Data Sheets for hazardous chemicals, and a chemical register
- ✓ Site induction record and daily sign-on / SWMS acknowledgement sheets
The SWMS a scaffolder usually needs
One SWMS per high risk construction work activity. The Trade SWMS Pack generates all of them, cited to Western Australia law:
- ✓ Scaffold erection above 4 m (licensed work)
- ✓ Scaffold dismantling and component lowering
- ✓ Mobile and tower scaffold assembly
- ✓ Edge protection and guardrail installation
- ✓ Scaffold inspection and handover tagging
- ✓ Working near overhead electrical services
- ✓ Loading platform and hoist bay installation
- ✓ Swing stage and suspended scaffold work
The Western Australia law behind it
| Regulator | WorkSafe WA |
| Principal Act | Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) |
| Regulations | Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) |
| Duty to prepare a SWMS | WHS (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) reg 299 |
| High risk construction work defined in | WHS (General) Regulations 2022 (WA) reg 291 |
WA was the last jurisdiction to adopt the harmonised model WHS laws (31 March 2022), so its construction case law is still developing; its WHS (General) Regulations 2022 sit alongside separate mining and petroleum safety regulations.
Industrial manslaughter has applied in Western Australia since the WHS Act 2020 (WA) commenced on 31 March 2022, replacing the former Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, with penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment for an individual and a $10 million fine for a body corporate. That is the enforcement backdrop your WHS document set has to stand up to on a Western Australia site.
The hazards these documents have to control
A scaffolder SWMS in Western Australia is judged on whether it names and controls the hazards the trade actually meets:
- ⚠ Falls during erection and dismantling
- ⚠ Falling components
- ⚠ Scaffold collapse from overloading or poor foundations
- ⚠ Proximity to powerlines
- ⚠ Manual handling of components
The high risk work that triggers a scaffolder's SWMS
- ✓ Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
- ✓ Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
Every SWMS a scaffolder needs in Western Australia, in one go
The Trade SWMS Pack generates all 8 SWMS above from one questionnaire, cited to Western Australia law, plus the register, toolbox talks and sign-on sheets, for A$179.
See the Trade SWMS PackKeep exploring
Scaffolder WHS documents (all states)Scaffolder SWMS for WASWMS requirements by stateTrade SWMS Pack
Scaffolder WHS documents in other states: