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• SWMS template · fall greater than 2 m

Working at heights SWMS template Australia

If anyone can fall more than 2 metres — first-floor eaves, a void, a ladder that puts the working platform over that line — this is high-risk construction work. You need a SWMS before the first foot leaves the ground. A JSA for interior painting does not cover the eave.

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When a working-at-heights SWMS is the right document

HRCW category: risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (model WHS regulation 291 / Schedule 3). Domestic work is not exempt. A weatherboard bungalow in Earlwood still counts.

Use this SWMS for eaves, voids, incomplete floors, and any ladder or platform where a fall would be over 2 m. Use a painting JSA only when the whole task stays on the ground floor under 2 m.

The SWMS must say how edge protection, exclusion and access will be implemented, monitored and reviewed — not just list them. Full list of categories: high-risk construction work checklist.

Filled example: first-floor eaves, Earlwood NSW

Not a roof sheet job. This example is gutter brackets and rotten eave lining on a suburban bungalow — fall from the eave to the driveway is more than 2 m. Different site and task from the warehouse roof on the roofing SWMS page.

Job / task
Replace first-floor eave lining and gutter brackets
Site
Weatherboard bungalow, Earlwood NSW 2206
Document
SWMS · HRCW: fall > 2 m · example only
PPE
Hard hat, hi-vis, steel-caps, glasses, gloves, harness if the scaffold is incomplete

Example layout — not a copy-paste legal document. Residual risk on a live eave often stays High. Edge protection goes in before anyone works at the soffit. Ground-floor painting under 2 m is a JSA, not this SWMS.

StepHazardsControls5×5 risk
1. Set up the driveway exclusion zone and inspect the ground for the mobile scaffold
Responsible: Supervisor
  • Occupants and cars using the driveway under the eave
  • Soft or sloping ground — scaffold punch-through
  • Overhead service drop to the house corner
  • Cones and tape the drop zone; no parking under the eave while lining is coming off
  • Sole boards on the lawn and driveway; check the fall across the bay before base-out
  • Spotter for the service drop; keep metal and the scaffold clear of the line
InitialL3×C4 = 12 High
ResidualL2×C3 = 6 Medium
2. Erect the mobile scaffold, fit guardrails and get a tag on before anyone works the soffit
Responsible: Leading hand
  • Fall more than 2 m from incomplete platform or while climbing
  • Scaffold collapse if ties or outriggers are skipped
  • Falling sole boards and frames onto the driveway
  • Build to the manufacturer’s spec; outriggers on; wheels locked; no climbing the frame
  • Guardrails and midrails on every working lift before tools go up
  • Exclusion zone stays live until the tag is on; hard hats below
InitialL3×C5 = 15 High
ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High
3. Strip rotten lining and unbolt gutter brackets from the scaffold
Responsible: Carpenter
  • Fall from the platform while reaching the fascia
  • Rotten timber giving way under hand pressure
  • Nails, asbestos-suspect fibro offcuts on an older bungalow
  • Keep both feet on the platform; do not stand on the gutter
  • Treat cement sheet as ACM until cleared — stop and isolate if fibro is in the soffit
  • Lower debris in a bag, not over the rail; gloves and glasses
InitialL4×C5 = 20 Critical
ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High
4. Fit new lining and brackets, then dismantle the scaffold
Responsible: Carpenter
  • Manual handling of long lining on a narrow platform
  • Fall during dismantle
  • Tools left on the eave
  • Two-person pass for long boards; don’t overreach the fascia
  • Dismantle in reverse; lower frames, don’t drop them
  • Final walk of the eave and driveway before the tag comes off
InitialL3×C5 = 15 High
ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High

SWMS vs JSA on the same house

Interior walls from a platform under 2 m: painting JSA. This eave: SWMS. Don’t merge them. More on SWMS vs JSA.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a working at heights SWMS template in Australia?

Yes, if there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. That is high-risk construction work under model WHS regulation 291 and Schedule 3. The SWMS has to name that category, the PCBU, the controls, and how they will be kept in place — not just say “use a ladder”.

Is a working at heights SWMS free to download?

The trial lets you generate and download a watermark-free SWMS PDF with no credit card. This page is an example layout, not a Word file you print and sign. Make the live document match the actual eave, scaffold and crew.

Is a JSA enough for first-floor eaves?

No. Ground-floor work from a platform under 2 m can be a JSA. The moment the fall is greater than 2 m — first-floor eaves, a stair void, a roof — you need a SWMS. A JSA is not a legal substitute on HRCW.

Does this SWMS work in NSW, VIC, QLD and WA?

The generator cites the WHS Act and Regulation in NSW, QLD and WA (and the other model-WHS jurisdictions). Victoria uses the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 — pick VIC and the citations follow. The 2 m fall trigger is treated the same way on site.

What residual risk should a heights SWMS show?

Consequence of a fall from a first floor often stays 5. Residual scores of High after edge protection are normal. A heights SWMS that rates the eave as Low after “take care” is not describing the job.

Write a working-at-heights SWMS for this job

Describe the access, the fall distance and the state. Free trial, no credit card.

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