Safety harness use SWMS, drafted for your job
A safety harness only forms part of a fall system: unsuitable anchors, incompatible connectors, sharp edges and an unworkable rescue plan can leave a worker exposed. Describe the job and site so your SWMS is drafted around them, then check the controls 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
Safety harness use
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Choose the access method | Avoidable exposure to open edges | Extreme | Consider guarded access first and select restraint where practical |
| 2 | Inspect system components | Damaged webbing and incompatible connectors | Extreme | Check harness, lines, connectors and anchors as a complete system |
| 3 | Fit and connect harness | Loose straps and wrong attachment point | High | Adjust fit and check the intended connection before access |
| 4 | Move through the work area | Swing falls and insufficient clearance | Extreme | Stay inside the planned envelope and protect line paths |
| 5 | Retrieve and inspect after use | Suspended worker and fall-loaded equipment | Extreme | Carry out rescue and remove fall-loaded gear from service |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your safety harness use 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
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 safety harness use 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
Harness anchor pulling free from unsuitable roof or structural members
Extreme- Use guarded access or restraint that prevents reaching the edge where practical
- Use anchors selected for the structure, work position and complete fall system
- 2
Worker slipping inside a loose or incorrectly routed safety harness
High- Select a harness suited to the wearer and adjust straps before access
- Have the fit and attachment point checked before connecting to the work system
- 3
Harness hooks opening against incompatible anchor rings or steel edges
Extreme- Use connectors compatible with the anchor and every other system component
- Check that gates close and lock and keep connectors away from edge loading
- 4
Falling worker striking a lower roof before the lanyard arrests
Extreme- Design the system around available clearance and use restraint where practical
- Account for lanyard deployment, harness movement and obstacles before choosing the setup
- 5
Harness lanyard cutting across a sharp edge during a sideways fall
Extreme- Position anchors to reduce sideways travel and protect exposed line paths
- Use equipment suited to edge exposure and keep work inside the planned area
- 6
Suspended harness wearer awaiting rescue after a fall
Extreme- Have a site-specific rescue method, equipment and trained crew ready before access
- Practise communication and retrieval from the actual work position without exposing rescuers
How the job usually runs
- 1Choose the access methodAvoidable exposure to open edges → Consider guarded access first and select restraint where practical
- 2Inspect system componentsDamaged webbing and incompatible connectors → Check harness, lines, connectors and anchors as a complete system
- 3Fit and connect harnessLoose straps and wrong attachment point → Adjust fit and check the intended connection before access
- 4Move through the work areaSwing falls and insufficient clearance → Stay inside the planned envelope and protect line paths
- 5Retrieve and inspect after useSuspended worker and fall-loaded equipment → Carry out rescue and remove fall-loaded gear from service
PPE for this job
- Harness suited to the selected system
- Compatible lanyard or retractable line
- Helmet suited to work at height
- Safety footwear with grip
- Gloves suited to line handling
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
Safety harness use 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
How do we choose between restraint and fall arrest?
Start with a method that keeps the worker away from the edge. Where fall arrest is selected, assess anchors, clearance, swing paths, compatible equipment and a workable rescue method for the actual work position.
What rescue details belong in a safety harness SWMS?
Identify how the crew reaches and retrieves a suspended worker, who performs each task and where the equipment is kept. Test communication and access before work begins, including protection for the rescuers.
How much does a safety harness use 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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