Manual handling SWMS, drafted for your job
Lifting and carrying bricks, timber, bags of cement and sheet material all day is how backs, shoulders and knees get wrecked on site. 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
Manual handling
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Plan the lift and route | Heavy load; blocked path | Medium | Pick the right aid or a second person first |
| 2 | Stage loads close and low | Double handling; ground lifts | Low | Deliver to waist height near the work |
| 3 | Lift with the legs | Back and shoulder strain | High | Square up, grip firm, keep the load close |
| 4 | Carry or wheel it over | Trips; barrow tipping | Medium | Clear route; loads balanced and low |
| 5 | Set down and rotate | Twisting under load; fatigue | Medium | Lower onto blocks; swap tasks through the shift |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your manual handling 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
High-risk work on this job
This task is not usually high-risk construction work. If your job involves any category, tick it when you start and the SWMS covers it.
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 manual handling 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
Long or awkward loads like timber lengths and sheet material
High- Break the load down or use a trolley, dolly or wheelbarrow instead of carrying
- Two-person lift for anything too heavy or awkward for one worker
- Stage materials at waist height so nobody lifts from the ground
- 2
Repetitive lifting of bricks, blocks and bags through the shift
Medium- Rotate workers between lifting and lighter tasks across the day
- Split deliveries into smaller lots set close to the work face
- Bring in a forklift, telehandler or conveyor for bulk materials
- 3
Wheelbarrow tipping or jolting on rough, sloping or muddy ground
Medium- Keep barrow runs level and clear; lay planks or track mats over soft ground
- Load the barrow balanced with the weight kept low
- Keep runs away from trench edges and drop-offs
- 4
Carrying loads up stairs and ladders or across uneven ground
High- Use a hoist, lift or materials elevator for upper levels wherever you can
- Carry smaller loads on stairs and keep one hand for the rail
- Never carry a load up a ladder; send it up on a rope or lift
- 5
Load shifting or slipping out of the hands mid-lift
Medium- Test the weight and grip points with a small tilt before committing
- Wear grip gloves and keep loads dry and free of mud
- Set the load down if it starts to move; never fight a falling load
- 6
Bent and twisted lifts in cramped rooms and between racking
Medium- Clear the space first so you can square up to the load
- Move the load in stages instead of twisting under weight
- 7
Dropped loads landing on feet or trapping hands
Medium- Set loads down on blocks or a pallet, never onto hands or feet
- Steel cap boots on, and hands pulled clear as the load lands
How the job usually runs
- 1Plan the lift and routeHeavy load; blocked path → Pick the right aid or a second person first
- 2Stage loads close and lowDouble handling; ground lifts → Deliver to waist height near the work
- 3Lift with the legsBack and shoulder strain → Square up, grip firm, keep the load close
- 4Carry or wheel it overTrips; barrow tipping → Clear route; loads balanced and low
- 5Set down and rotateTwisting under load; fatigue → Lower onto blocks; swap tasks through the shift
PPE for this job
- Steel cap boots
- Work gloves with grip
- High-vis shirt or vest
- Knee pads for low work
- Hard hat around lifting gear
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
Manual handling 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 SWMS cover team lifts and mechanical aids?
Yes. When you describe the job, list the loads and the gear on site — trolley, forklift, telehandler or hoist — and the draft builds the steps around using them before anyone lifts by hand.
Does it cover lots of small lifts all day?
Yes. Repetitive handling is where the strain builds up, so the draft includes rotating tasks, staging materials close to the work and splitting deliveries into smaller lots.
Can one SWMS cover deliveries and moving materials around site?
Yes. Describe the whole scope — unloading deliveries, shifting stock and feeding the work face — and the steps cover each lift. It is still one job and one SWMS.
How much does a manual handling 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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