Working on scaffolds SWMS, drafted for your job
Using a scaffold puts tools, materials and people on shared platforms where missing planks, overloaded bays or removed rails can change the working conditions. Tell us the scope and the site: the SWMS is drafted around them for your crew to check before the job begins.
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
Working on scaffolds
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where someone could fall from height
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Check scaffold before access | Missing planks and altered ties | High | Confirm inspection status and report visible defects |
| 2 | Enter by designated access | Falls climbing or carrying loads | High | Use stairs or ladders and hoist materials separately |
| 3 | Stage materials on platforms | Concentrated bay loading | High | Place stock only in the planned loading positions |
| 4 | Work from protected decks | Dropped objects and edge falls | High | Keep rails in place and separate the area below |
| 5 | Clear platforms and report changes | Loose offcuts and scaffold movement | High | Remove debris and close affected bays until checked |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your working on scaffolds 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 working on scaffolds 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
Falls from scaffold bays with missing rails or planks
High- Keep access closed to incomplete scaffold bays until the scaffold team rectifies them
- Check platforms, edge rails and building gaps before starting each work period
- 2
Scaffold platforms overloaded by concentrated brick or material stacks
High- Arrange deliveries and material positions to suit the scaffold’s stated bay loading
- Keep stock spread as planned and stop loading when the platform allocation is reached
- 3
Tools and offcuts falling from scaffold working decks
High- Use toe boards, screens and suitable tool retention for the planned task
- Separate the area below and remove loose offcuts from platforms as work progresses
- 4
Falls climbing scaffold braces instead of access stairs
High- Use the designated internal stairs or secured access ladder and keep hatches closed after passing
- Hoist materials separately so workers keep hands available for access
- 5
Scaffold movement after ties or braces are removed by trades
High- Keep ties, braces and rails in place; arrange changes through the scaffold team
- Stop using affected bays and report any movement or altered components
- 6
Slips on scaffold planks covered in mortar or rainwater
High- Clear mortar, packaging and loose materials from the working deck
- Stop use where weather makes footing unreliable and have affected platforms checked
How the job usually runs
- 1Check scaffold before accessMissing planks and altered ties → Confirm inspection status and report visible defects
- 2Enter by designated accessFalls climbing or carrying loads → Use stairs or ladders and hoist materials separately
- 3Stage materials on platformsConcentrated bay loading → Place stock only in the planned loading positions
- 4Work from protected decksDropped objects and edge falls → Keep rails in place and separate the area below
- 5Clear platforms and report changesLoose offcuts and scaffold movement → Remove debris and close affected bays until checked
PPE for this job
- Safety helmet
- Slip-resistant safety boots
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses
- High-visibility clothing
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
Working on scaffolds 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 it cover using a scaffold someone else erected?
Yes. The draft covers checking inspection status, visible platform condition and designated access before use. Include the scaffold type, work task and material loading arrangements for your site.
Can the crew remove a rail to bring materials in?
Changes need to go through the scaffold team with a planned loading arrangement. The draft covers keeping affected bays closed during changes and checking protection is restored before work resumes.
How much does a working on scaffolds 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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