SWMS template: free blank form, worked example, AI draft
Print it and fill it in by hand, or type into the Word version. No email, no logo, no catch.
The free download
The blank SWMS form
Print it and fill it in by hand on site, or type into the Word version and print that.
Four A4 pages. Our own layout and wording, free to use and change for your jobs. Nothing of ours is printed on it, so the finished SWMS is your document.
On the form
What goes in each part
8 parts over four A4 pages, in the order you fill them in.
- 1The jobWho is doing the work, for which builder, where and when, and who wrote the SWMS with which workers. Details left over from an old job can make the whole document look generic.
- 2High-risk construction work in this jobEach kind of high-risk construction work this job brings in, in the words your state's list uses. Check them against your state's list before you write.
- 3Equipment, licences and protective gearThe plant, tools and licences the job needs, any permits, and the protective gear people will wear.
- 4Steps, hazards and controlsThe heart of the form. The work in the order it happens on the day; for each step, what could cause harm and what could happen to someone, the controls, how they will be put in place, and who is responsible.
- 5Checking and reviewing the controlsHow you will check the controls are working while the work goes on, who checks and how often, who reviews the controls, how changes reach the crew, and what makes you stop and review the SWMS.
- 6Review recordEach time the SWMS changes: the date, what changed, who reviewed it, and the new version number.
- 7EmergencyThe first aid contact and kit, the nearest hospital, the assembly point, and the numbers to call.
- 8Sign-onA plain statement the crew signs: they have read it or had it explained, understand it, and will stop and speak up if things change.
What each state's regulation lists for a SWMS
A SWMS must identify the high-risk construction work, the hazards and risks, the measures that control those risks, and how the controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed.
NSW s299(2)Qld s299(2)WA r299(2)SA r299(2)Tas r299(2)ACT s299(2)NT r299(2)read 21 Oct 2026
Victoria: check the current rule with WorkSafe Victoria.
From the source
Your regulator's material
Check the linked regulator for your state or territory for its SWMS guidance and any template it offers. If your builder or site uses a particular layout, use theirs.
Example Painting (fictional)
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Exterior repaint, two-storey house
Site Fictional site
Law NSW
High-risk construction work
- Someone could fall more than 2 metres
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set up scaffold and exclusion zone | Falls from height; falling objects onto people below | High | Licensed scaffolder erects it; supervisor checks the tag before use; barriers below |
| 2 | Wash down and scrape | Slips on wet scaffold; flaking old paint | Medium | Work from the scaffold only; test old paint for lead before scraping |
| 3 | Sand and prepare | Dust in eyes and lungs | Medium | Sanders with dust extraction; supervisor checks masks and eye protection fit |
| 4 | Apply paint | Fumes; dropped tools | Low | Water-based paint where possible; tool lanyards; keep the area below closed |
| 5 | Clean up and hand over | Trips; occupants walking into the work area | Low | Clear as you go; barriers stay until the supervisor walks the site with the owner |
Illustrative first page for a fictional job, filled in properly.
Switchboard example. Not your job. Watermarked. Free to view — no sign-on.
Illustrative only — not job-specific, not for site use.
Filled in, part by part
What a filled-in SWMS looks like
The same parts as the blank form, written for one job.
- 1The headerThe business, the site, the builder and the dates. All of it belongs to this one job.
- 2High-risk work namedThe categories this job actually involves. Reviewers commonly compare them with the planned work.
- 3Steps in orderThe work broken down the way it will happen on the day, not a standard list.
- 4Hazard and risk per stepWhat could cause harm at that step, and what could happen to someone.
- 5Controls you will really useWhat you actually do about each hazard, how it is set up, and who is responsible. Then every worker signs before they start.
The other way
Or get a draft written for your job
Describe the job instead: the task, the site, the state. The draft is written for it. You check it, change what doesn't fit, then finalise and share it with your crew.
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
Before you send it
What reviewers send back
A form is only the layout. These are the reasons a filled-in SWMS still comes back, and every one is about it not matching the actual job.
- Generic stepsSteps that could belong to any job anywhere. They commonly prompt questions about how the SWMS fits this job.
- Wrong site or businessAnother project's address, or a template's example business left in.
- No control for the real hazardTick-box controls that do not say what you will actually do.
- High-risk work missingThe job involves work on the state's list, and the SWMS does not name it.
- Not signedThe crew has not read and signed it before starting.
- Out of dateThe site or the method changed and the SWMS did not.
Questions
Template questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Our own layout and wording. The legal wording on this page is quoted separately, each line with its source and the version read.
- Next review
- January 2027, or sooner if a regulation changes
Is this the official SWMS template?
No. This is our own blank form. Read the quoted rules on this page and your regulator's guidance when you prepare the SWMS for your job. If your builder asks for a particular layout, use theirs.
PDF or Word?
PDF to print and fill in by hand on site. Word if you want to type the job's details into the same layout, add rows or your logo, and then print it.
Is a blank form already a SWMS?
No. It is an empty layout. Use it to record this job's high-risk work, hazards and risks, the controls, and how those controls will be put in place, checked and reviewed. Then check the completed document against the site with the crew.
Can I fill it in on my phone?
Typing into a form on a phone is awkward on site. If that is you, describe the job and get a draft written for it instead. You check it, change what doesn't fit, then send the PDF.
Does the blank form cost anything?
No. Download it free, with no email and no account. AI drafting for your job needs a SWMS pack or plan; the price is shown on this page.
Whose name goes on the finished SWMS?
Yours. The form carries no logo or name of ours, and neither does a SWMS you finalise with us. It is your business's document.
How many rows do I get for steps and signatures?
Twelve steps and twenty signatures. Print an extra steps page or sign-on page if the job needs more, and number the pages.