Tipper and dog trailer SWMS, drafted for your job
Raising a loaded body under powerlines or on soft ground is where tipper and dog work goes badly wrong, and both bodies can tip. Tell us the job and the sites you are carting to: 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
Tipper and dog trailer
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Load up and tarp | Load over sides; spillage | Medium | Load even across both bodies; tarp before rolling |
| 2 | Drive in and check in | Site traffic; blind spots | Medium | Follow site traffic rules; spotter to reverse |
| 3 | Pick the tip point | Lines overhead; soft ground | Extreme | Look up; firm level ground; zone cleared |
| 4 | Tip each body in turn | Hang-up; rollover | High | Straight combination; watch the load walk out |
| 5 | Body down and pull away | Raised body; spilt material | High | Body flat and latched; clean the rails |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your tipper and dog trailer 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 on or near energised electrical installations
- 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 tipper and dog trailer 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
Raised body contacting overhead powerlines while tipping
Extreme- Look up before every tip and pick a tip point clear of lines
- Keep bodies down until you are sure of the clearance the site sets
- If nowhere is clear, dump low and drag the material out instead
- 2
Truck or trailer rolling over while tipping on a slope
High- Tip only on firm, level ground with the combination dead straight
- Check ground bearing before committing, especially on fill and near edges
- Never tip the dog trailer while the combination is jack-knifed
- 3
Falling body or swinging tailgate striking someone underneath
High- Nobody under or behind a raised body; prop it before any work
- Lower the body fully and check the tailgate is latched before moving off
- 4
Load hanging up in the body then releasing suddenly mid-tip
High- Watch the load walk out; wet or sticky loads can hang then drop
- Lower the body and re-tip rather than driving to shake it loose
- 5
Reversing to the tip head near people, edges and trenches
High- Spotter for reversing where the site calls for one
- Keep an exclusion zone behind the combination while it backs
- Stop short of edges and windrows and let the load push out
- 6
Material spilling off the top of the load on the road
Medium- Tarp both bodies before leaving the load point
- Load to the sides not above them and clean the rails before rolling
- 7
Climbing in or on a raised or loaded body to free material
Medium- Never climb into a raised or loaded body; free it from ground level
- Lower the body and shut the truck down before clearing a blockage
How the job usually runs
- 1Load up and tarpLoad over sides; spillage → Load even across both bodies; tarp before rolling
- 2Drive in and check inSite traffic; blind spots → Follow site traffic rules; spotter to reverse
- 3Pick the tip pointLines overhead; soft ground → Look up; firm level ground; zone cleared
- 4Tip each body in turnHang-up; rollover → Straight combination; watch the load walk out
- 5Body down and pull awayRaised body; spilt material → Body flat and latched; clean the rails
PPE for this job
- High-vis shirt or vest
- Steel cap boots
- Hard hat
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses
- Hearing 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
Tipper and dog trailer 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 tipping near powerlines?
Yes. Powerline contact is one of the deadliest risks in tipping work, so the draft makes looking up and picking a tip point clear of lines the first check at every site. Where nowhere is clear, the load gets dumped low and shifted.
We tip both bodies on every run. Is that covered?
Yes. The steps treat the truck and trailer bodies as separate tips with the same checks each time — straight combination, level ground, exclusion zone, body down before moving.
Does it cover site haul roads, not just the highway?
Yes. The run from the gate to the tip head gets its own rows — check-in, haul road rules, reversing with a spotter and staying clear of edges and trenches.
How much does a tipper and dog trailer 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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