Safe Work Method Statement: Warehouse Metal Re-Roof at 6.2 m
•PCBU / Company: Kestrel Roofing Pty Ltd
•Contact Person: Tom Adeyemi
•Principal Contractor / Builder: Marino Ridge Constructions Pty Ltd
•Site Address: 88 Whitmore Circuit, Mount Barker SA 5251
•Project Name: Mount Barker Warehouse Re-Roof
•Work Activity Covered by this SWMS: Removal and replacement of metal roof sheeting on a single-storey warehouse, eaves height 6.2 m, including pre-start assessment of the old roof, perimeter edge protection, treatment of fragile translucent panels, removal and craneage of old sheets, installation of new sheeting, and completion inspection
•Date Prepared: 18 August 2026
•Review Date: Set at the pre-start briefing and recorded on the site copy; this SWMS must in any case be reviewed and revised whenever the work, the hazards or the control measures change, as required by reg 302 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA)
1. Work Activity & Scope
Kestrel Roofing Pty Ltd will remove the existing metal roof sheeting from the single-storey warehouse at 88 Whitmore Circuit, Mount Barker SA 5251 and install new metal sheeting, for principal contractor Marino Ridge Constructions Pty Ltd. The eaves height is 6.2 metres. The crew is 4 workers and the planned duration is 3 weeks.
The warehouse tenant continues to operate inside the building for the duration of the work. Internal exclusion zones under each day's work area are agreed with Marino Ridge Constructions before that day's work starts, and no roof work proceeds over an area of the building that is not excluded below.
This activity is high risk construction work under reg 291 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA), so this SWMS was prepared before the work commenced as required by reg 299. A copy has been given to Marino Ridge Constructions Pty Ltd under reg 301. Under reg 300 the work must be carried out in accordance with this statement, and if it is not, it must stop until it can be. The SWMS is kept and available for inspection until the re-roof is complete, under reg 303. The regulator for this work is SafeWork SA.
2. High Risk Construction Work Categories
The following categories under reg 291 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA) apply:
•Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres: every task on this roof is performed at 6.2 metres, from the first assessment to the last flashing.
•Work on or near fragile surfaces, managed inside the falls category above: the old roof contains translucent sheeting panels that are treated as fragile and are never stood on, and the sheeting and mesh elsewhere are of unknown condition until assessed.
•Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant: a 10 m scissor lift works at the building perimeter and the tenant's delivery forklift operates at ground level near the loading dock.
Note on the falls duty: regs 78 and 79 require Kestrel Roofing Pty Ltd to manage the risk of any fall that is liable to cause injury, whatever the height. The more-than-2-metres threshold does not switch that duty on; it is only what places this work in the high risk construction work categories under reg 291.
An overhead electric line runs near the loading dock. No part of the crane, the scissor lift, a sheet under load or a tool may come inside the exclusion distance required by South Australian electrical safety requirements. The applicable distance has been confirmed with the network operator before work, and the crane set-up plan in the work method below keeps all plant outside it.
3. Persons, Roles & Responsibilities
•Site supervisor (Tom Adeyemi): briefs this SWMS to the crew, runs each day's pre-start, coordinates the internal exclusion zones with Marino Ridge Constructions, verifies edge protection and mesh before roof access, controls the crane and hoist plan, and stops the work when a control is missing or the weather limit is reached.
•Roofers (3): carry out the work method below, remain within protected areas, keep tools lanyarded, and have the authority and the obligation to stop work and report any changed condition, including a suspect panel or a damaged section of mesh.
•Scissor lift operators (crew members as rostered): trained and familiarised on the specific machine, with competency verified by the supervisor before first use. No high risk work licence class applies to this machine, as set out under permits and licences below.
•Crane and forklift operators: hold whatever licence their plant class requires, follow the agreed lift and laydown plan, and take direction from the nominated spotter.
•Marino Ridge Constructions Pty Ltd (principal contractor): holds the copy of this SWMS given under reg 301, maintains the internal exclusion zones with the tenant, and coordinates ground-level traffic around the loading dock.
•All workers: hold a current general construction induction card (white card) under regs 316 and 317 and sign on to this SWMS before starting.
4. Plant, Equipment & Materials
•10 m scissor lift for perimeter and edge work, with pre-operational checks each day
•Vehicle-mounted crane and materials hoist for lowering old sheets and raising new sheet packs
•Proprietary guardrail edge protection system for the full roof perimeter, with scaffold-based sections at the access bay erected in line with AS/NZS 4576
•Full-body harnesses, lanyards and roof anchorages conforming to AS/NZS 1891, inspected before each use, for the limited leading-edge tasks identified in the work method
•Covers and barricading for translucent panels and unmeshed areas
•Tool lanyards for all hand tools used at height, and lidded bins for fasteners and offcuts
•New metal roof sheeting, flashings and fasteners to the project specification, delivered in strapped packs
•First aid kit at the site set-up area; a phone is with the crew at the workface at all times
Damaged or defective equipment is tagged out and removed from service immediately.
5. Step-by-Step Work Method: Hazards, Risk Ratings & Controls
Step 1: Pre-start roof assessment from the scissor lift
•Hazards: Stepping onto an old roof of unknown condition; fragile translucent panels; corroded sheeting and fixings giving way underfoot
•Initial risk: High (L4 x C5)
•Controls: No worker walks the old roof to inspect it. The assessment is carried out from the basket of the 10 m scissor lift along the eaves and, for the underside, from inside the warehouse in areas the principal contractor has cleared with the tenant. The supervisor maps every translucent panel, records the visible condition of the safety mesh, purlins and fixings, and marks the findings on the roof plan used for the whole job. Nothing in the work method proceeds until this map exists.
•Residual risk: Low (L1 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor
Step 2: Perimeter edge protection installation
•Hazards: Falls of 6.2 metres while installing protection at the roof edge; components dropped to the ground below
•Initial risk: High (L4 x C5)
•Controls: Guardrail edge protection is installed to the full perimeter before any general roof access, and it is installed from the scissor lift basket, not from the roof. Scaffold-based sections at the access bay are erected in line with AS/NZS 4576. A barricaded ground exclusion zone sits under each section as it goes up, sized so no dropped component can land outside it, and kept clear of the loading dock traffic path agreed with Marino Ridge Constructions. The supervisor inspects the completed protection before the first roofer steps onto the roof.
•Residual risk: Medium (L2 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor, roofers
Step 3: Safety mesh assessment and fragile panel treatment
•Hazards: Falling through a translucent panel; falling through sheeting where the mesh below is missing, corroded or cut
•Initial risk: High (L4 x C5)
•Controls: Using the roof plan from the assessment, every translucent panel and every unmeshed or suspect-mesh area is physically barricaded or covered with load-rated covers before general access. Translucent panels are treated as fragile at all times and are never stood on, walked across or used to support materials, regardless of how sound they look. Workers stand only on areas confirmed as mesh-protected, or on work platforms spanning the purlins where the mesh cannot be confirmed. Any newly discovered defect stops work in that bay until it is barricaded or covered.
•Residual risk: Medium (L2 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor, roofers
Step 4: Sheet removal, craneage and laydown control
•Hazards: Workers struck by suspended loads; old sheets sliding from the roof; sheets lifted by wind during handling; plant operating inside the overhead line exclusion distance near the loading dock
•Initial risk: High (L4 x C5)
•Controls: Old sheets are released in small runs, stacked and strapped on the roof immediately, and lowered by the crane or materials hoist; no loose sheet is ever left unsecured on the roof or slid over the edge. One nominated spotter controls every lift and no load travels over any person or over the occupied part of the building. The crane is set up at the position fixed in the lift plan so that the boom, the load and its swing stay outside the overhead line exclusion distance confirmed with the network operator, with slew limited away from the line. The tenant's forklift and the crane never operate in the same zone at the same time; the supervisor and the principal contractor separate them by time or barricade.
•Residual risk: Medium (L2 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor, crane operator, roofers
Step 5: New sheeting installation and leading edge work
•Hazards: Falls at the unprotected leading edge as new sheets go down; falls through openings between old and new sheeting
•Initial risk: High (L4 x C5)
•Controls: New sheets are laid working from the fixed, protected area toward the leading edge, so workers always stand on secured sheeting over mesh, never in front of the edge. The exposed opening is kept to the minimum one sheet run and is barricaded at each break. Where a task at the leading edge cannot be done from the protected side or from the scissor lift, and only then, the worker uses a harness and lanyard to a rated anchorage in accordance with AS/NZS 1891, with the anchorage points identified by the supervisor and a rescue plan briefed before anyone clips on. Fall arrest is the last resort in the hierarchy on this job, not the default.
•Residual risk: Medium (L2 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor, roofers
Step 6: Working within weather limits
•Hazards: Sheets caught by wind while being carried or fixed; slippery sheeting after rain or dew; heat stress on an exposed roof
•Initial risk: High (L3 x C5)
•Controls: Kestrel Roofing Pty Ltd applies its own stop-work rule for wind: when wind at roof level reaches 38 km/h, or earlier if a sheet becomes hard to control, all sheet handling stops and loose materials are secured. This is a company rule, not a number taken from the Regulations, and the supervisor may stop earlier at any time. No roof access on wet sheeting until the supervisor confirms it has dried. Water, shade breaks and task rotation are arranged in hot weather, with timing set at the pre-start.
•Residual risk: Low (L1 x C4)
•Responsible: Site supervisor
Step 7: Housekeeping and dropped-object control above the operating warehouse
•Hazards: Fasteners, offcuts or tools falling into the warehouse or to the ground while the tenant operates below
•Initial risk: High (L3 x C5)
•Controls: The internal exclusion zone under the day's work area, agreed with Marino Ridge Constructions each morning, keeps tenant staff out from below before any sheet is lifted. All hand tools at height are on tool lanyards. Fasteners and offcuts go straight into lidded bins, never loose on the roof. No materials are stored within the zone behind the roof edge nominated by the supervisor at pre-start. At every break and at the end of every shift a roofer walks the protected area and confirms nothing is loose before the crew leaves the roof.
•Residual risk: Low (L1 x C4)
•Responsible: Roofers, site supervisor
Step 8: Completion inspection and demobilisation
•Hazards: Incomplete fixing or flashing left behind; falls while removing edge protection at the end of the job
•Initial risk: Medium (L3 x C4)
•Controls: The supervisor inspects the finished roof against the specification, confirming all sheets fixed, penetrations flashed, translucent panel replacements completed to the specification, and no tools or fixings left on the roof. Edge protection is the last thing removed, and it is removed from the scissor lift basket in the reverse of the installation sequence, never by workers standing on the roof beside a stripped edge. The supervisor confirms completion with Marino Ridge Constructions before the exclusion zones are lifted.
•Residual risk: Low (L1 x C3)
•Responsible: Site supervisor
6. Personal Protective Equipment
PPE supports, and never replaces, the higher-order controls above, and is provided, used and maintained in line with regs 44 to 47 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA):
•Hard hat and steel-capped boots at all times on site; boots with soles suited to metal roof surfaces
•High-visibility clothing at all times, and without exception in the crane, forklift and loading dock areas
•Full-body harness and lanyard to AS/NZS 1891 for the leading-edge tasks identified in the work method, inspected before each use
•Cut-resistant gloves when handling sheet edges and flashings
•Eye protection when drilling and cutting
•Sun protection, including sunscreen and neck protection, for exposed roof work
Any item of PPE that is damaged, or any harness that has arrested a fall, is withdrawn from service.
7. Permits, Licences & Training Requirements
•Every worker holds a current general construction induction card (white card) under regs 316 and 317 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA), sighted at induction.
•The 10 m scissor lift used on this job requires no high risk work licence class. A high risk work licence is only triggered for elevating work platforms by a boom-type unit with a boom length of 11 metres or more, which requires class WP under reg 81. That distinction matters: a scissor lift is not a boom-type platform, so no WP licence is needed here, but if the plant on this job ever changes to a boom-type unit of 11 metres or more, work stops until a WP licence holder is engaged and this SWMS is reviewed. Scissor lift operators are nevertheless trained and familiarised on the machine, with competency verified and recorded by the supervisor.
•Crane and forklift operators hold the licence their plant class requires, sighted before their first lift on site.
•All workers complete the Marino Ridge Constructions site induction before starting, including the arrangements for the tenant's operations and the loading dock.
8. Emergency Procedures
•The address to give emergency services is 88 Whitmore Circuit, Mount Barker SA 5251. The assembly point, first aid officer and nearest hospital route are confirmed at the principal contractor's induction and repeated at Kestrel Roofing's pre-start briefing.
•Fall arrest event: call 000 immediately. The crew carries out the rescue plan briefed before any harness work began, reaching the suspended worker from the scissor lift or the protected roof area within minutes; no one is left suspended waiting for the ambulance. The harness system involved is withdrawn from service.
•Fall or dropped object into the warehouse: the supervisor alerts the tenant contact through Marino Ridge Constructions, work stops, 000 is called if anyone is injured, and the internal area is made safe before anything resumes.
•Plant contact or near miss with the overhead line: stop all plant, keep everyone clear of the machine and the ground around it, and call 000 and the network operator's emergency line before anything is moved.
•Severe weather warning: secure all sheets and materials, clear the roof, and do not return until the supervisor confirms conditions are inside the limits above.
•All incidents and near misses are reported to the supervisor and to Marino Ridge Constructions. Notifiable incidents are reported to SafeWork SA and the scene is preserved until SafeWork SA says otherwise.
9. Monitoring, Review & Consultation
•The supervisor checks compliance with this SWMS at each pre-start and during the shift. Under reg 300 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA), if the work is not being carried out in accordance with this statement it must stop until it is.
•This SWMS is reviewed and revised under reg 302 whenever the roof condition differs from the assessment map, the plant changes, the tenant's operations change, or any control proves inadequate, and the crew is re-briefed on every revision.
•The crew was consulted in preparing this SWMS before mobilisation and signs on below. Any worker can stop the job to raise a safety concern, without needing the supervisor's permission first.
•A copy is kept at the site set-up area and remains available until the re-roof is complete, under reg 303, with the principal contractor holding the copy provided under reg 301.
10. Applicable Legislation & Standards
•Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA)
•Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA): reg 291 (high risk construction work), reg 299 (SWMS required before high risk construction work), reg 300 (work must comply with the SWMS or stop), reg 301 (copy to the principal contractor), reg 302 (review), reg 303 (keeping the SWMS), regs 78 and 79 (managing the risk of falls, applying to any fall liable to cause injury and not only falls above 2 metres), regs 44 to 47 (personal protective equipment), regs 316 and 317 (general construction induction), reg 81 (high risk work licences, relevant here only to the boom-type EWP distinction stated under permits and licences above)
•AS/NZS 1891 (industrial fall-arrest systems and devices)
•AS/NZS 4576 (guidelines for scaffolding, for the scaffold-based edge protection sections)
•South Australian electrical safety requirements for overhead line exclusion distances, applied as confirmed with the network operator
•Regulator: SafeWork SA
11. Worker Sign-Off & Acknowledgement
Each person below confirms they have read and understood this SWMS, were given the chance to ask questions, and will carry out the work in accordance with it.
Site supervisor - Tom Adeyemi, Kestrel Roofing Pty Ltd
Signature: ________________________ Date: ____________________
Roofer 2
Signature: ________________________ Date: ____________________
Roofer 3
Signature: ________________________ Date: ____________________
Roofer 4
Signature: ________________________ Date: ____________________