My builder wants a SWMS. What do I send?
It's the night before, you're on your phone, and the builder needs it for tomorrow morning. Here's what to send, and what they'll check.
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
Why they ask
Why the builder wants it before you start
On a bigger project the builder is usually the principal contractor. Quoted from each state's regulation:
A business carrying out high-risk construction work must make sure a SWMS for the work has been prepared before that work starts.
NSW s299(1)Qld s299(1)WA r299(1)SA r299(1)Tas r299(1)ACT s299(1)NT r299(1)read 21 Oct 2026
An employer or self-employed person must not perform high-risk construction work that risks anyone’s health or safety unless a SWMS is prepared before the work starts and the work follows it.
Vic r327(1)read 21 Oct 2026
Before you send
What builders check
A builder reads a subcontractor's SWMS looking for the same things every time. Most send-backs are one of these.
- It is for their siteYour business name and their site address, not a generic document or last job's copy.
- The steps match the workThe method reads like the job you will actually do, in order.
- The controls are realEach hazard has a control you would actually use on that site.
- High-risk work is tickedThe categories on the page match the work they engaged you for.
- It is signedYour crew has read and signed it before starting, not after.
- It is currentThe method on the page is what you still plan to do.
If you don't have one
What to do tonight
You can do it all from your phone.
- 1
Describe the job
The task, the site and the state. Your answers write a draft for your job, not a generic form.
- 2
Check the draft
Read it the way the builder will. Change the steps and controls until they match how you will do the work.
- 3
Finalise and send
Finalising gives you a clean PDF with your business name. Send it to the builder's inbox link or by email.
When it comes back
Edit and re-issue free
Builders send SWMS back. It's normal: it means someone read it.
Make their changes and re-issue the same job
Tomorrow morning
Signing on site
You review it on site before work starts. Then your crew reads it and signs.
Show the QR code on your phone: each worker opens the SWMS on their own phone, reads it and signs, with no account and no app.
Or print the A4 sign-on sheet for the site shed, for anyone without a phone on them.
Start here
Describe the job, get the draft
Free preview from a reviewed example. You check it on site before work starts, then finalise and send the PDF.
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
- Builder review practice checked against the model code of practice; the legal lines print from logged rule rows quoted from each state's regulation.
- Next review
- January 2027, or sooner when a regulation changes
Questions
Questions people ask
Can I send last job's SWMS?
Only if it is rewritten for this site and this job. A SWMS with another project's address or steps is the most common reason builders send one back.
Does the builder sign my SWMS?
Some builders add their own review or sign-off; it depends on the builder. Your crew signs it before starting either way.