SWMS & WHS guides for Australian builders and trades
Written by a builder, checked against the legislation, updated when the rules change. Every article links to the regulator source so you can verify it yourself.
SWMS basics
Do Queensland builders need a SWMS?
Short answer: yes, if any of your work is "high risk construction work". A SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) is compulsory in Queensland before you start…
5 min readFree SWMS template download: what you get and what you don't
Here's a free sample SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) as a PDF: download the free sample SWMS. No email address, no sign-up. It's a real, completed…
5 min readTrade SWMS
SWMS for working at heights
If there's a risk of someone falling more than 2 metres, it's high risk construction work under regulation 291 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation…
4 min readSWMS for silica dust: engineered stone ban and the new rules
Two things changed in 2024 and a lot of tradies still haven't caught up. From 1 July 2024, engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs are banned across…
5 min readSWMS for electricians
Work on or near energised electrical installations or services is high risk construction work under regulation 291 of the Work Health and Safety…
5 min readSWMS for plumbers
Plumbers trip more high-risk construction work categories than almost any other trade. Trenches over 1.5 m, confined spaces, work near gas mains and live…
5 min readSWMS for painters: when you actually need one
Straight answer: painting is not on the high risk construction work list. Rolling a wall from the floor, cutting in off a step ladder, brushing a fence at…
5 min readWHS plans & systems
WHS Management Plan Queensland: do you need one?
If the construction work is worth $250,000 or more, it's a "construction project" under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), and the…
4 min readWHS basics for small builders
You do not need a safety department. You need five documents, used every job: a WHS (Work Health and Safety) policy or plan, SWMS (Safe Work Method…
4 min readRunning the site
Managing subcontractors on site
Here's the bit most head contractors get wrong: signing a subbie up doesn't hand them your safety duty. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)…
4 min readInductions and toolbox talks
A white card gets a worker onto a construction site. A site induction tells them about this site. A toolbox talk keeps them thinking about it week to…
4 min readSafety documents for renovations
Renovations are where small builders get hurt — legally and physically. Old houses have asbestos, the family is still living in them, and the job is small…
4 min readInspections & QBCC
Preparing for a WHSQ inspection
A WHSQ (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland) inspector can walk onto your site without notice and without your permission. They will ask who is in…
4 min readQBCC compliance checklist
If you hold a QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission) licence, there are five things the QBCC can pull you up on at any time: your licence…
4 min readStop reading, start building. The documents these articles describe are in the packs.
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