Paving SWMS, drafted for your job
Pavers go down piece by piece on bent knees beside a saw throwing silica dust, while plate compactors and delivery trucks share the same ground. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it on site before work starts.
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
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Paving
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Prepare and compact the base | Soft spots and moving plant | High | Check levels; keep workers clear of compacting plant |
| 2 | Stage pallets and set the saw | Truck movements and saw dust | High | Separate unloading; place the saw with extraction |
| 3 | Lay pavers on screeded sand | Bent knees and stacked pavers | Medium | Work from staged pallets; keep the carry route clear |
| 4 | Cut edge and corner pieces | Blade contact and silica dust | High | Wet cut with the guard down; hands clear |
| 5 | Fill joints and compact | Vibration and moving plant | Medium | Sweep in joint sand; compact with guards fitted |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your paving SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
Categories this task often involves
You tick the ones your job involves. Each ticked category gets its own steps and controls, in your state's wording.
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a paving job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Silica dust cutting pavers at the saw station
High- Cut with a wet saw or on-tool extraction positioned away from other workers
- Wear a fit-tested particulate respirator while cutting and cleaning up
- 2
Saw blade contact trimming pavers for edges and corners
High- Keep the blade guard fitted and support the paver on the saw table
- Keep hands out of the blade path and isolate the saw before clearing offcuts
- 3
Knee and back strain laying pavers all day
Medium- Stage pallets beside the laying front and move pavers on a trolley
- Use knee protection and rotate laying with setting out and cutting
- 4
Fingers crushed under dropped pavers and slabs
Medium- Use a slab lifter or trolley for large pavers and slabs
- Keep fingers clear of the underside and lower slabs with handling grips
- 5
Plate compactor vibration and noise at the operator
Medium- Choose a low-vibration compactor and maintain its handles and mounts
- Rotate compacting with other tasks and wear hearing protection
- 6
Delivery truck or forklift striking workers near pallet drops
High- Set a designated unloading area separated from the laying front
- Use a spotter for reversing and keep ground workers clear of the load path
- 7
Trips on screed rails, paver stacks and cutting offcuts
Medium- Keep the laying front and walkways clear of stacks and offcuts
- Collect cut waste into a bin beside the saw as work progresses
- 8
Pedestrians walking through open paving work
Medium- Barrier the work area and leave a firm bypass route
- Reopen sections only after joints are filled and the surface is checked
How the job usually runs
- 1Prepare and compact the baseSoft spots and moving plant → Check levels; keep workers clear of compacting plant
- 2Stage pallets and set the sawTruck movements and saw dust → Separate unloading; place the saw with extraction
- 3Lay pavers on screeded sandBent knees and stacked pavers → Work from staged pallets; keep the carry route clear
- 4Cut edge and corner piecesBlade contact and silica dust → Wet cut with the guard down; hands clear
- 5Fill joints and compactVibration and moving plant → Sweep in joint sand; compact with guards fitted
- 6Clean up and reopenOffcuts and unfinished surface → Collect waste; check the surface before removing barriers
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Knee pads
- Cut-resistant gloves
- Fit-tested particulate respirator
- Hearing protection
- Safety glasses
- High-visibility clothing near plant
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Paving SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does it cover cutting pavers on a brick saw?
Yes. Name the saw and where it will sit. The draft covers wet cutting or extraction, the guard, supporting the paver on the table and keeping hands out of the blade path.
Does it cover paving beside a live footpath?
Yes. Describe the path and how people move past. The draft covers barriering the work area, a firm bypass and reopening sections only after the surface is finished and checked.
What if the job is asphalt paving instead of pavers?
Asphalt paving needs different steps from hand-laid pavers. Describe the hot mix and plant when you start; review the draft for hot material handling, paver movements and roller separation before work begins.
How much does a paving SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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