Stairs installation SWMS, drafted for your job
Stair stringers are awkward to position beside an open stairwell, and an unfinished flight may look usable before its supports, treads and edge protection are complete. 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
Stairs installation
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Protect stairwell and set out | Open landing edges | Extreme | Install barriers and a separate working platform |
| 2 | Prepare stringers and stair parts | Saw cuts and awkward handling | High | Use a supported cutting station and plan lifting points |
| 3 | Lift and support the stringers | Swinging components and collapse | High | Use lifting aids and brace before releasing the load |
| 4 | Fix treads, risers and balustrades | Incomplete flight and concealed services | High | Check service routes and keep the flight closed during assembly |
| 5 | Check supports and open access | Premature use of unfinished stairs | High | Inspect connections and edge protection before releasing the stair route |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your stairs installation 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 stairs installation 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 the stairwell opening while stringers are positioned
Extreme- Protect the stairwell edge and provide a separate working platform
- Alter barriers only as the planned installation sequence provides replacement protection
- 2
Crushing as stair stringers swing into the landing opening
High- Use lifting aids and prepare supported landing points before moving stringers
- Keep people clear of the lift path and pinch points at wall brackets
- 3
Partly fixed stair flight collapsing before permanent connections are complete
Extreme- Install the planned temporary supports before loading the flight
- Keep access closed until connections and tread supports are checked
- 4
Saw cuts trimming stair treads inside the narrow stairwell
High- Cut treads on a stable bench away from the stair opening
- Clamp workpieces and keep saw guards and extraction fitted
- 5
Drill strikes on concealed cables behind stair stringer brackets
Extreme- Locate services and arrange isolation before drilling fixing points
- Resolve uncertain service routes before making holes in walls or landings
- 6
Other trades falling from stairs with missing treads or balustrades
High- Barrier both ends of the unfinished stair flight and provide another access route
- Keep temporary edge protection until the permanent balustrade is secured
How the job usually runs
- 1Protect stairwell and set outOpen landing edges → Install barriers and a separate working platform
- 2Prepare stringers and stair partsSaw cuts and awkward handling → Use a supported cutting station and plan lifting points
- 3Lift and support the stringersSwinging components and collapse → Use lifting aids and brace before releasing the load
- 4Fix treads, risers and balustradesIncomplete flight and concealed services → Check service routes and keep the flight closed during assembly
- 5Check supports and open accessPremature use of unfinished stairs → Inspect connections and edge protection before releasing the stair route
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Handling gloves
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Fitted particulate respirator
- Head 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
Stairs installation 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
Can other trades use the stairs during installation?
Keep the unfinished flight closed and provide another route. The draft includes barriers at both ends and checking supports, treads and edge protection before the stair is released for use.
Does it cover lifting prefabricated stair flights into place?
Yes. Describe the flight material, access and lifting arrangement. The draft includes supported landing points, exclusion from the lift path and temporary support until permanent connections are completed and checked.
How much does a stairs installation 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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