Raised timber floor SWMS, drafted for your job
Bearers and joists leave open gaps before the floor is decked, and moving long timbers beneath the building puts crews into cramped spaces with limited escape routes. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it with the crew 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
Raised timber floor
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set out piers and subfloor access | Blocked escape and unstable supports | High | Check support locations and maintain clear subfloor entry routes |
| 2 | Position and connect bearers | Heavy timber over pier tops | High | Use lifting aids and secure bearers before releasing support |
| 3 | Install joists and bracing | Unstable frame and open gaps | High | Brace progressively and install temporary working decking |
| 4 | Fix floor decking progressively | Unprotected edges and openings | High | Maintain edge protection and cover openings as decking advances |
| 5 | Inspect and hand over the floor | Incomplete connections and treatment exposure | Medium | Check fixings and coordinate any remaining subfloor treatment |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your raised timber floor 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 raised timber floor 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 between open joists while the raised floor is assembled
High- Install temporary decking and edge protection as the frame progresses
- Keep workers off unsupported joists and incomplete floor openings
- 2
Crushing beneath timber bearers being placed onto floor piers
High- Use a lifting aid and prepare stable landing points before raising bearers
- Keep hands clear of pier tops until the timber is supported
- 3
Raised floor frame shifting before joists and bearers are braced
High- Brace and connect the frame progressively in the planned sequence
- Do not stack flooring packs on incomplete framing
- 4
Workers trapped in tight subfloor spaces behind staged timber
High- Plan clear entry and exit paths before bringing materials under the floor
- Assess air and access conditions and use separate entry arrangements if the space needs them
- 5
Saw kickback cutting joists in cramped subfloor work positions
High- Cut timber on a supported bench outside the subfloor where practicable
- Use guarded tools and isolate them before clearing trapped offcuts
- 6
Termite treatment contacting floor crews entering recently treated subfloor soil
Medium- Coordinate treatment and carpentry so crews stay clear during application
- Confirm re-entry conditions with the treatment crew before subfloor work resumes
How the job usually runs
- 1Set out piers and subfloor accessBlocked escape and unstable supports → Check support locations and maintain clear subfloor entry routes
- 2Position and connect bearersHeavy timber over pier tops → Use lifting aids and secure bearers before releasing support
- 3Install joists and bracingUnstable frame and open gaps → Brace progressively and install temporary working decking
- 4Fix floor decking progressivelyUnprotected edges and openings → Maintain edge protection and cover openings as decking advances
- 5Inspect and hand over the floorIncomplete connections and treatment exposure → Check fixings and coordinate any remaining subfloor treatment
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Handling gloves
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Fitted particulate respirator
- Knee protection
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
Raised timber floor 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
Is this for a timber floor on bearers and joists?
Yes. The draft follows a raised timber structure with piers or stumps, bearers, joists and decking. Describe the support arrangement and subfloor access so lifting, bracing and temporary decking suit the job.
Can the crew work beneath the raised floor?
Yes, where the access and conditions have been assessed. The draft includes clear exits, material staging and checking air conditions, with separate entry arrangements when the subfloor presents hazards beyond ordinary restricted access.
How much does a raised timber floor 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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