How to write a SWMS: a worked painting job, step by step

A fictional exterior painting job shows the process with practical detail. Adapt the method and controls to your own site.

Write for the work in front of you. Describe the job and site, break the work into steps, pair each hazard with a practical control, and explain how the crew will put those controls in place and check them. Review the draft on site with the crew before finalising and sharing it.

A$39per job

However many high-risk activities it covers.

However many high-risk activities it covers.
3 for A$99
10 for A$249
Yearly A$129 for 120
Monthly A$60 for 10

Two painters discuss a clipboard outside fencing beside a house and scaffold.

What goes in a SWMS?

Read the wording for your state or territory below, quoted from its regulation.

A SWMS must identify the high-risk construction work, the hazards and risks, the measures that control those risks, and how the controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed.

NSW s299(2)Qld s299(2)WA r299(2)SA r299(2)Tas r299(2)ACT s299(2)NT r299(2)read 21 Oct 2026

Victoria: check the current rule with WorkSafe Victoria.

The example

What is this painting job?

This fictional job is repainting the outside of a house from scaffold. The crew will protect the entry, prepare the walls, apply the paint and pack up. Other trades share the driveway.

The example assumes sound, previously assessed wall surfaces. Suspect coatings or materials call for a separate assessment before surface preparation. The controls below are prompts for this example, with site checks still to do.

Start to finish

How do I turn that job into a SWMS?

1
Describe the scope and site
Write “repaint exterior house walls from scaffold”. Note the shared driveway, entry, work area and planned equipment. Check the site with the builder.
2
Break the work into steps
List delivery and set-up, checking access, surface preparation, painting and pack-up. Keep them in the order the crew will do them.
3
Pair hazards with controls
For this example, discuss falls from scaffold, falling tools, dust, paint exposure and people entering the work area. Plan suitable scaffold access and edge protection, an exclusion area, dust capture and product-specific handling controls.
4
Explain who does what
Record who arranges the scaffold check, sets up the exclusion area and checks the dust equipment. Confirm those people, equipment and arrangements are available for this job.
5
Check the draft on site
Walk the work area with the crew. Check the access, scaffold arrangements, paint safety data sheets and shared driveway plan. Change anything that does not fit.
6
Brief, sign and share
Talk through the steps and controls with the crew. Finalise the checked draft, collect signatures and send the PDF to the builder. Keep the current version handy for the job.

What if the work changes?

Keep the plan tied to this job

If the scaffold access changes or another trade moves into the work area, revisit the affected steps and controls with the crew. The review guide explains how to update and re-sign the same job.

Start here

Describe your own job

Get a free preview, then check the steps and controls against the work you plan to do.

Sources

Where this guide's information comes from

1.Safe Work Australia · Model Code of Practice: Construction work · accessed 21 Oct 2026

Last reviewed: 21 October 2026
How: Practical guidance for preparing the job document. The legal wording on this page is quoted with its source and the version read.
Next review: January 2027, or sooner when a regulation changes