Mechanical tree felling SWMS, drafted for your job
An arborist assessment guides mechanical tree felling, where an excavator or grapple controls a tree with changing loads from lean, damaged limbs and roots. 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
Mechanical tree felling
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Assess tree and machine access | Lean, dead limbs and weak ground | High | Choose the method from tree condition and machine capability |
| 2 | Set the fall and travel zones | People or wires in the fall path | Extreme | Exclude people and resolve electrical exposure before felling |
| 3 | Grip and control the tree | Lost grip and machine overturn | Extreme | Use the planned grip and keep within stable machine reach |
| 4 | Lower and relocate sections | Trunk swing and falling limbs | High | Keep sections low and travel routes clear |
| 5 | Hand over for ground processing | Crew near moving attachments | High | Lower the tree and stop plant before crew entry |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your mechanical tree felling 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 mechanical tree felling 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
Trees falling outside the planned mechanical felling zone
Extreme- Assess tree lean, crown condition and escape areas before selecting the felling method
- Exclude people from the full potential fall area and stop when wind changes tree control
- 2
Excavator overturning as a leaning tree loads the boom
Extreme- Match the machine and attachment to the tree and ground conditions
- Position on stable ground and avoid pulling across slopes or beyond the planned reach
- 3
Trunk or dead limbs falling back towards the machine cab
Extreme- Use a machine with protective equipment suited to tree handling
- Assess dead limbs before gripping and keep the cab outside the planned fall path
- 4
Tree crown contacting overhead wires during mechanical lowering
Extreme- Arrange electrical isolation or another removal method before working where trees could contact wires
- Include the tree and attachment reach when setting the electrical exclusion area
- 5
Felled trunk slipping from the grapple during relocation
High- Use a compatible maintained attachment and grip sections within the machine’s handling capability
- Carry sections close to the ground and keep ground workers out of the travel route
- 6
Ground crew entering to cut branches before the machine stops
High- Separate machine felling from ground processing with a controlled handover area
- Lower the tree, stop attachments and acknowledge the crew before allowing entry
How the job usually runs
- 1Assess tree and machine accessLean, dead limbs and weak ground → Choose the method from tree condition and machine capability
- 2Set the fall and travel zonesPeople or wires in the fall path → Exclude people and resolve electrical exposure before felling
- 3Grip and control the treeLost grip and machine overturn → Use the planned grip and keep within stable machine reach
- 4Lower and relocate sectionsTrunk swing and falling limbs → Keep sections low and travel routes clear
- 5Hand over for ground processingCrew near moving attachments → Lower the tree and stop plant before crew entry
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Hard hat for ground crew
- High-visibility clothing
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Handling gloves for ground work
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
Mechanical tree felling 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 excavator and grapple tree removal?
Yes. Describe the tree, excavator and attachment. The draft covers machine suitability, ground support, fall zones, controlled lowering and handing felled sections over to ground crews.
What if the tree can reach overhead powerlines?
Stop and arrange isolation or a different removal method. The draft covers considering the whole tree and attachment reach when setting the electrical exclusion area.
How much does a mechanical tree felling 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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