Yes. If you’re a sole trader doing high risk construction work, you need a SWMS. Under work health and safety law, a sole trader is a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), the same as a bigger company. Working on your own doesn’t change the SWMS rules.
Why sole traders get caught out
- “It’s just me.” The rule is about the work, not the size of your business. Up a roof over 2 metres, near live power or next to an excavator? You need a SWMS.
- “The builder has one.” The principal contractor has their own duties, but you must make sure a SWMS is in place for your high risk work and give them a copy before you start.
- “I’ve done this a thousand times.” Experience helps, but the site is different every time. Your SWMS needs to fit this site.
What a sole trader actually needs
- A SWMS for any high risk construction work you do (see the 18 types in our SWMS in Australia guide)
- Your White Card (general construction induction)
- Any licences for the work: trade licence, builder’s or contractor’s licence where your state requires one (for example QBCC in Queensland), and high risk work licences for things like large EWPs, forklifts or cranes
- Safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals you use
- Insurance certificates, especially public liability, which most builders ask for before you start
- A simple way to record pre-start checks on your gear and incidents if they happen
If you take on your first worker or apprentice
Things step up when you employ someone. You need workers’ compensation insurance (WorkCover Queensland, icare in NSW, WorkSafe Victoria and so on), and you must consult your worker on the SWMS, give them information and instruction, and make sure they follow it. We built Projects One to make that step easy. If you’re about to put someone on, give us a call first.
Keep it simple
Most sole traders don’t need a 50-page safety manual. You need the right SWMS for the job, done properly and quickly, and somewhere to keep it so you can show the builder or an inspector. That’s exactly what our app is for.
Not sure what you need? Talk to a real person
We talk tradie, not acronyms. Give us a call and we’ll tell you what your business actually needs.
General information based on the model Work Health and Safety laws used across most of Australia. It isn’t legal advice. Victoria uses its own OHS laws with very similar SWMS rules, so check the detail for your state.