Decking SWMS, drafted for your job
Open joists and unfinished deck edges leave gaps underfoot, while long boards and metal decking sheets can shift during placement. Tell us the job and site conditions so your SWMS reflects the work; check the draft with the crew before starting.
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
Decking
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Prepare footings and access | Open excavations and routes | High | Barrier footing holes and establish a clear delivery route |
| 2 | Erect posts and bearers | Unbraced frame movement | High | Brace the frame before placing materials |
| 3 | Fit joists and protection | Open bays and deck edges | High | Install working platforms and edge barriers |
| 4 | Cut and lay decking | Blade contact and dust | High | Clamp supported cuts and capture saw dust |
| 5 | Fit balustrades and clear | Unprotected finished edges | High | Retain temporary protection until permanent barriers are secure |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your decking 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 someone could fall from height
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 decking 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
Falls through open joists before decking is fixed
High- Provide a secured working platform across joists before laying boards
- Cover openings and keep the laying front separated from access routes
- 2
Falls from deck edges before balustrades are fitted
High- Install edge protection as the deck frame progresses
- Use protected access and keep edge protection until permanent barriers are in place
- 3
Deck frame movement while bearers and posts are connected
High- Brace posts and bearers in the planned sequence before loading the frame
- Check connections and footings before stacking decking materials
- 4
Kickback cutting decking boards at the saw station
High- Use supported cutting benches with guards and extraction fitted
- Keep hands clear with clamps and isolate the saw before adjustments
- 5
Cuts and strains carrying long boards or metal sheets
Medium- Use mechanical handling and stage small bundles beside the laying area
- Use coordinated team lifts and gloves suited to sharp sheet edges
- 6
Dust from treated timber and composite decking cuts
Medium- Choose pre-cut lengths where practical and capture dust at the saw
- Collect offcuts separately and wear respiratory protection selected for the material
How the job usually runs
- 1Prepare footings and accessOpen excavations and routes → Barrier footing holes and establish a clear delivery route
- 2Erect posts and bearersUnbraced frame movement → Brace the frame before placing materials
- 3Fit joists and protectionOpen bays and deck edges → Install working platforms and edge barriers
- 4Cut and lay deckingBlade contact and dust → Clamp supported cuts and capture saw dust
- 5Fit balustrades and clearUnprotected finished edges → Retain temporary protection until permanent barriers are secure
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Cut-resistant gloves
- Particulate respirator
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
Decking 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 the draft cover metal decking sheets too?
Yes. Identify the decking material and support frame. The draft can include sheet handling, sharp edges, cutting equipment and fixing sequence alongside the open bays and edges of the deck.
What about working before the balustrade goes on?
The draft covers temporary edge protection and access while the deck is unfinished. Describe the deck layout and how the crew will install the permanent balustrade without exposing an open edge.
How much does a decking 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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