Builders often ask us for “a general carpentry SWMS” or “a carpentry pack”. Many already have a SWMS handed down from Dad or an uncle, or an expensive download they don’t really understand. The trouble is that a SWMS only works if it matches what you and your crew actually do. As the builder, you also need to collect the right SWMS from your subcontractors and make sure they follow them. Here’s how it all fits together.
When does carpentry work need a SWMS?
A SWMS is legally required when the job includes high risk construction work. Carpentry and building commonly include:
- a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres: frames, trusses, upper floors, stairwell voids, scaffold and roof framing
- structural alterations that need temporary support, like props and temporary bracing during renovations
- demolition of load-bearing parts of a building
- work likely to involve disturbing asbestos, common in renovations of older homes
- working where powered mobile plant is moving, such as cranes lifting trusses, telehandlers and other trades’ excavators
- work on or near energised electrical services and next to a road in use at the front of the site
It’s also the first document a WHS inspector asks for when they walk onto a site.
Working on a site where someone else’s excavator, bobcat or other plant is operating? That’s still high risk construction work for your business, even though you’re not operating it. See working near someone else’s plant.
A fall through a stairwell void, and WHS on site straight after
A builder found us recently after his apprentice fell through a stairwell void. Thankfully he’ll be fine, but WHS inspectors were on site not long after the ambulance left, and the first thing they asked for was the SWMS.
Voids and penetrations are one of the most common fall hazards on a build, and they appear and change as the job goes on. Your SWMS should cover:
- Guardrails or secure covers on stairwell voids, lift shafts, floor penetrations and open edges, installed as soon as the void is formed
- Covers that are fixed in place, strong enough to take a person’s weight, and clearly marked
- Checking voids every day and after other trades have been through, because covers get moved
- Supervising apprentices and new workers closely, and making sure they’ve been through the SWMS before they start
Why a “general carpentry SWMS” or downloaded pack often doesn’t work
A SWMS has to describe how this work will be done safely on this site. A one-size-fits-all document usually falls short because:
- It doesn’t match your tasks. Framing, roof trusses, renovations, decks and fit-outs all have different hazards.
- It doesn’t match your site. Voids, heights, access, scaffold and other trades change from job to job.
- Old SWMS can be out of date, with old company names, old rules (silica and asbestos rules have changed), and equipment you no longer use.
- Nobody understands it. If your crew can’t explain the controls, it isn’t protecting them, and an inspector will notice.
A good carpentry SWMS is written for the high risk work you and your staff actually do, and reviewed for each site. You don’t start from scratch every time; you keep it current and make it fit.
Your SWMS vs your subcontractors’ SWMS
As the builder, there are two jobs:
- Write SWMS for the high risk work you and your staff do, like framing at height, installing trusses, working from scaffold, and renovation demolition.
- Collect a SWMS from each subcontractor for the high risk work they do, before they start.
Builders are responsible for subcontractors’ safety on their site, so far as is reasonably practicable. Collecting a SWMS isn’t enough on its own: you need to check it’s right for the job, and make sure the subcontractor actually follows it. On projects worth $250,000 or more, you’re also the principal contractor, with extra duties like a WHS management plan.
What to check in a subcontractor’s SWMS
- Is it for this job and this site, not another builder’s job or a generic template?
- Does it cover the high risk work they’ll actually be doing, including their plant and equipment?
- Does it deal with your site’s hazards, like voids, scaffold, traffic, other trades and plant?
- Are the controls realistic, and does it name who’s responsible?
- Has their crew signed it, and is it in date?
If it isn’t right, ask the subcontractor to fix it before they start. Then check on site that what they’re doing matches what the SWMS says.
Can a subcontractor just sign on to the builder’s SWMS?
Technically, yes: a subcontractor can adopt and sign on to the builder’s SWMS. But the builder’s SWMS normally isn’t written for the subcontractor’s work, so it usually doesn’t cover what they’re actually doing.
Scaffold is a good example. The builder using the scaffold to install cladding needs a very different SWMS from the subcontractor who erects the scaffold:
| Builder using the scaffold (e.g. for cladding) | Scaffolder erecting and dismantling it |
|---|---|
| Check the scaffold is tagged and handed over as complete before use | Scaffolding licence for work where a person or object could fall more than 4 metres |
| Don’t alter or remove parts (ties, planks, guardrails), and call the scaffolder if changes are needed | Erecting, altering and dismantling sequence, with edge protection as they build |
| Stay within the load rating, and keep materials and tools off the edges | Ground conditions, base plates, ties and bracing to the design |
| Gaps to the building, access ladders and gates, and falling object protection | Inspection, tagging and handover, plus inspections after weather or changes |
Working together when high risk work crosses over
On a build, high risk work often overlaps: a crane lifting trusses while carpenters work below, roof plumbers and carpenters on the roof at the same time, an electrician in the ceiling while sheets are being cut, or an excavator working next to formwork. When that happens, everyone involved has a duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate.
- Share SWMS between trades whose work overlaps, so everyone knows each other’s controls.
- Plan the sequence so trades aren’t working over or under each other where it can be avoided.
- Agree exclusion zones, who controls them, and who needs to stop when.
- Hold a quick pre-start or toolbox talk when different trades start working together.
- Review the SWMS when the site changes, like a void opening up or the scaffold being altered.
What a carpentry SWMS needs to cover
| Hazard | Controls to include |
|---|---|
| Falls from frames, trusses and upper floors | Edge protection and scaffold first, then fall arrest with rated anchors. Work from the ground or a working platform where you can. |
| Voids, stairwells and penetrations | Guardrails or fixed, marked covers as soon as voids are formed, and daily checks. |
| Truss and frame collapse | Temporary bracing to the engineer’s or manufacturer’s details, and no loading until braced. |
| Nail guns | Sequential (single-shot) triggers, no disabling safety devices, disconnecting before clearing jams, and eye protection. |
| Saws | Guards kept on, blades sharp and right for the material, work secured, and hearing and eye protection. |
| Scaffold and ladders | Only use tagged scaffold, no alterations, the right ladder for short-duration work, and three points of contact. |
| Dust: fibre cement, MDF and treated timber | On-tool dust extraction or score-and-snap for fibre cement (silica), extraction for MDF, and the right respirator. |
| Asbestos in renovations | Check before you cut or demolish, assume it’s asbestos if unsure, and get it identified and removed correctly. |
| Temporary support and props | Engineer’s propping details, and nothing removed until it’s safe. |
| Plant and other trades | Exclusion zones, coordination with other trades, and the site traffic plan. |
| Manual handling | Team lifts and mechanical aids for beams, sheets and doors. |
Make your SWMS work on site
- Read it and talk it through with your crew before work starts, then everyone signs. It isn’t a “tick, flick and sign here” exercise.
- Make it site-specific: this house, these voids, this scaffold, these trades.
- Keep it on site, and review it as the build changes.
- Keep your subcontractors’ SWMS on file, checked and signed, and walk the site to make sure they’re being followed.
How we can help builders and carpenters
SWMS Done For You: $240. Tell us what you and your crew do, whether it’s framing, renovations, decks, fit-outs or roof framing, and we write a carpentry SWMS that fits your work. It arrives as a Word document within about 2 business days, ready to review, talk through, sign and take to site.
Asking for a “carpentry pack”? Call us. We’ll work out what you actually need: the SWMS for your high risk work, Risk Assessments (some people call them JSAs) for your other tasks, and a simple way to check and keep your subcontractors’ SWMS. The Projects One app also lets subcontractors send their SWMS to you, and keeps everything in one place for when an inspector asks.
Not sure what you need? Talk to a real person
Hi, I’m Wendy. Most of the builders I talk to have a SWMS they’ve been handed or bought but don’t really understand. Call me and I’ll help you work out what your business actually needs, for you and your subbies.
Carpentry SWMS questions
Can I use one general carpentry SWMS for everything?
Only if it actually covers the high risk work you do and you review it for each site. Most “general” SWMS miss site-specific hazards like voids, scaffold, other trades and plant. It’s often better to have a SWMS for each type of high risk work and keep them up to date.
Is the SWMS I got from my dad, or bought online, OK to use?
It might be a starting point, but check it matches what you and your crew do now, uses your business details, and reflects current rules. If you can’t explain every control in it, it needs work.
Can my subcontractor just sign on to my SWMS?
Technically they can, but your SWMS usually isn’t written for their work. A scaffolder erecting scaffold, for example, needs a very different SWMS from a builder using it. It’s usually better for each subcontractor to provide a SWMS for their own high risk work.
Am I responsible for my subcontractors’ safety?
Yes, so far as is reasonably practicable. You share duties with them, so you need to check their SWMS is right for the job, coordinate the work, and make sure they follow it on site.
What do I do if a subcontractor’s SWMS isn’t right?
Ask them to fix it before they start the work. Point out what’s missing, such as your site’s voids, scaffold or plant, or their own equipment. Don’t let the high risk work start until it’s right.
Do I need a SWMS for working on an upper floor or near a stairwell void?
Yes, if there’s a risk of someone falling more than 2 metres, and most upper floors and voids qualify. Your SWMS should cover edge protection and void covers.
Related guides
- SWMS by trade: Roofing · Electrical · Plumbing · Concreting · Excavation and earthmoving · Painting · Plastering and rendering · More trades
- Do I need a SWMS for every job?
- SWMS vs Risk Assessment (JSA) vs Take 5
- SWMS rules in each state: Queensland, NSW, Victoria, WA
General information based on the model Work Health and Safety Regulations used in Queensland, NSW, WA and most states. Victoria uses its own OHS laws, but SWMS rules there are very similar. This isn’t legal advice, so check the detail for your state or ask us.