Hire yard operations SWMS, drafted for your job
A hire yard mixes customers unfamiliar with plant, equipment returning with unknown faults and repeated loading movements through the same storage and workshop areas. 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
Hire yard operations
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Select equipment and inspect condition | Unsuitable or faulty hire plant | High | Match equipment to the task and quarantine defects |
| 2 | Demonstrate equipment in a clear area | Unexpected movement near customers | High | Check guards and explain stopping and isolation controls |
| 3 | Load and secure for collection | Ramp rollover and heavy lifting | Extreme | Use suitable ramps or lifting aids and clear the loading zone |
| 4 | Receive and inspect returned equipment | Unknown damage and stored energy | High | Separate returns and isolate equipment before servicing |
| 5 | Service, clean and store equipment | Fuel ignition and cleaning chemicals | High | Separate workshop tasks and secure equipment before storage |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your hire yard operations 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 hire yard operations 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
Customers walking into forklift routes between hire yard racks
Extreme- Separate customer waiting and walking areas from forklift and delivery routes
- Stop plant before customers enter equipment collection areas
- 2
Hired plant tipping off loading ramps into the customer collection area
Extreme- Use secured ramps suited to the machine and receiving vehicle on firm ground
- Clear the loading line and keep people outside the machine’s possible fall path
- 3
Returned hire equipment starting or moving during damage inspection
High- Quarantine faulty or unknown equipment and isolate it before inspection
- Check guards and controls before any test in a separated demonstration area
- 4
Back strain lifting compact hire equipment into customer vehicles
Medium- Use lift tables, trolleys or mechanical loading aids beside collection bays
- Split accessory loads and share awkward handling tasks
- 5
Fuel vapours igniting beside the hire yard refuelling and service bays
Extreme- Separate fuel storage and refuelling from ignition sources and hot equipment
- Stop engines before filling and contain spills before work resumes
- 6
Falls climbing between hire machines secured on delivery truck trays
High- Use ground-level securing methods and suitable truck access where needed
- Keep walking areas clear and avoid climbing over stored equipment
- 7
Degreaser splashes washing returned hire equipment in the yard bay
Medium- Use a contained wash area with controlled product dispensing
- Wear product-matched skin and eye protection and keep customers outside
How the job usually runs
- 1Select equipment and inspect conditionUnsuitable or faulty hire plant → Match equipment to the task and quarantine defects
- 2Demonstrate equipment in a clear areaUnexpected movement near customers → Check guards and explain stopping and isolation controls
- 3Load and secure for collectionRamp rollover and heavy lifting → Use suitable ramps or lifting aids and clear the loading zone
- 4Receive and inspect returned equipmentUnknown damage and stored energy → Separate returns and isolate equipment before servicing
- 5Service, clean and store equipmentFuel ignition and cleaning chemicals → Separate workshop tasks and secure equipment before storage
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- High visibility clothing
- Safety glasses
- Handling gloves
- Hearing protection
- Product-matched chemical gloves
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
Hire yard operations 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 loading equipment into customers’ trailers?
Yes. Describe the equipment, collection vehicles and loading method. The draft includes checking ramps and vehicle suitability, clearing the loading zone and securing equipment before the customer leaves.
Can returned equipment go straight back into the hire area?
Inspect it first. The draft includes separating returns, checking damage and controls, and quarantining faults before another demonstration or hire. Servicing starts with the equipment isolated.
How much does a hire yard operations 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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