Spotter SWMS, drafted for your job
A spotter helps manage plant movements from outside the machine’s path, where blind corners, overhead services and lost signals can put both crew and operator at risk. 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
Spotter
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Review the plant movement | Blind corners and overhead obstacles | High | Walk the route and choose protected standing positions |
| 2 | Agree signals with the operator | Conflicting directions | High | Nominate the directing spotter and test radio contact |
| 3 | Separate people from the route | Pedestrians near the plant gate | High | Set barriers and a controlled crossing point |
| 4 | Guide the planned manoeuvre | Reversing path and crush zones | Extreme | Stay visible and outside the path; stop if contact fails |
| 5 | Reposition or finish spotting | Plant moving before handover | High | Stop plant and confirm the next position or clear handover |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your spotter 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 spotter 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
Spotter struck while guiding a reversing truck around a blind corner
Extreme- Plan a standing position outside the vehicle path with a clear escape route
- Hold the truck until the spotter is visible and the route is clear
- 2
Spotter trapped between turning plant and a wall
Extreme- Keep the spotter outside swing and crush zones throughout the manoeuvre
- Reposition only after the operator stops and acknowledges the new position
- 3
Operator acting on conflicting signals from nearby workers
High- Nominate the directing spotter and agree signals with the operator
- Use a shared stop signal and stop if directions become unclear
- 4
Plant boom entering overhead wire space while the spotter is distracted
Extreme- Arrange isolation or an exclusion area before plant works near overhead lines
- Give overhead monitoring a dedicated position and stop when clearance cannot be judged
- 5
Truck continuing after the spotter radio connection drops out
High- Test radios and agree that lost contact means stop before movements begin
- Restore communication and confirm the spotter’s position before restarting
- 6
Pedestrians walking through the spotter’s controlled plant entrance
High- Provide barriers and a separate pedestrian route at the plant gate
- Hold plant for pedestrians and resume only when the crossing is clear
How the job usually runs
- 1Review the plant movementBlind corners and overhead obstacles → Walk the route and choose protected standing positions
- 2Agree signals with the operatorConflicting directions → Nominate the directing spotter and test radio contact
- 3Separate people from the routePedestrians near the plant gate → Set barriers and a controlled crossing point
- 4Guide the planned manoeuvreReversing path and crush zones → Stay visible and outside the path; stop if contact fails
- 5Reposition or finish spottingPlant moving before handover → Stop plant and confirm the next position or clear handover
PPE for this job
- High-visibility clothing
- Safety boots
- Hard hat near plant
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection compatible with communications
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
Spotter 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 the spotter also help with deliveries during the manoeuvre?
No. While directing plant, the spotter needs to watch the movement and maintain contact. The draft covers stopping plant before the spotter changes position or takes on another task.
What if the driver loses sight of the spotter?
Stop the vehicle and restore contact before moving again. The draft covers agreed signals, radio checks and a protected spotter position outside the vehicle path.
How much does a spotter 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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