Erecting fixed scaffold SWMS, drafted for your job
Scaffolders work at height on a structure that is incomplete by definition, passing tubes and boards up while trades and the public move below. Describe the job and the structure it serves: 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
Erecting fixed scaffold
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set out base and barriers | Soft ground; people walking in | Medium | Firm level bases; fence the footprint first |
| 2 | Build and board first lift | Low falls; dropped gear | High | Guardrails on early; hoist gear up |
| 3 | Raise lifts progressively | Working off an incomplete lift | Extreme | Stand on a finished lift; harness where unboarded |
| 4 | Tie and brace to structure | Collapse until tied in | Extreme | Ties in as it rises; braces every bay |
| 5 | Check and tag for handover | Unfinished parts in use | High | Full walk-through; tag before others climb |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your erecting fixed scaffold 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 someone could fall from height
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
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 erecting fixed scaffold 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
Falling from an incomplete lift while erecting the next one
Extreme- Work from a fully boarded lift below the one being built
- Fit ledgers, transoms and guardrails as each bay rises, not after
- Harness clipped on where a lift cannot be boarded yet
- 2
Tubes, boards or couplers dropped on people below
High- Barrier and sign the footprint and keep it clear while gear goes up
- Rope, gin wheel or hoist for lifting; no throwing or dropping
- Hard hats with chin straps for everyone working in the zone
- 3
Scaffold collapsing from missing ties or soft foundations
Extreme- Sole boards and base plates on firm, level ground, never bare soil
- Ties go in as the scaffold rises at the spacings the design sets
- Brace every bay and wrench-check couplers as you build
- 4
Overhead powerlines within reach of tubes being passed up
Extreme- Walk the site for lines before the truck is unloaded
- Keep tubes low and horizontal near conductors with a spotter on
- If the clearance cannot be held, arrange the supply to be isolated first
- 5
Truck and forklift moving gear through the drop zone
Medium- Agree delivery points and keep unloading out of the work zone
- One person directs each lift; workers stay clear until it is grounded
- 6
Back and shoulder strain passing tubes and boards all day
Medium- Team lift long tubes and boards and keep bundles at waist height
- Rotate the heavy jobs through the crew across the day
- 7
Building occupants or the public walking into the work area
Medium- Fence the footprint and put signs on every approach
- Board or cover openings and keep toe boards on boarded lifts
How the job usually runs
- 1Set out base and barriersSoft ground; people walking in → Firm level bases; fence the footprint first
- 2Build and board first liftLow falls; dropped gear → Guardrails on early; hoist gear up
- 3Raise lifts progressivelyWorking off an incomplete lift → Stand on a finished lift; harness where unboarded
- 4Tie and brace to structureCollapse until tied in → Ties in as it rises; braces every bay
- 5Check and tag for handoverUnfinished parts in use → Full walk-through; tag before others climb
- 6Dismantle top downDropped tubes; falls → Reverse the build; clear zone below
PPE for this job
- Hard hat with chin strap
- Fall arrest harness
- Steel cap boots
- Grip gloves
- High-vis shirt or vest
- Safety glasses
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
Erecting fixed scaffold 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 altering and dismantling, not just erecting?
Yes. Describe the whole scope — new build, alterations to a standing scaffold or pull-down — and the draft steps through it in order, including the exclusion zone and progressive edge protection.
What if the scaffold runs next to powerlines?
Say so when you start. The draft adds the line check before unloading, keeping tubes low and horizontal near conductors, and arranging supply isolation where the clearance cannot be held.
Does it cover tube and coupler and frame systems?
Yes. Tell us the system you are building and the steps match it — tube and coupler with ties and braces, or frame scaffold with bracing and locks.
How much does a erecting fixed scaffold 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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