In Victoria, employers and self-employed people must prepare a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before any high risk construction work starts. Victoria runs under its own Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Regulations 2017, not the national WHS laws, so a few things are worded and done differently. Here’s what Victorian tradies need to know, in plain English.
How Victoria is different from the rest of Australia
- Different law: Victoria uses the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017. Every other state and territory uses the model WHS laws.
- Different wording: the duty sits with “employers and self-employed persons” rather than a “PCBU”. If you’re a sole trader, that’s you.
- 19 types of high risk construction work, not 18: Victoria counts any demolition, not just load-bearing, and lists tunnels separately.
- Regulator and insurer: WorkSafe Victoria is both the safety regulator and the workers’ compensation insurer.
Working in other states too? See our SWMS in Australia guide.
Do I need a SWMS in Victoria? The 19 types of high risk construction work
According to WorkSafe Victoria, you need a SWMS for construction work:
- where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
- on or next to roadways or railways used by road or rail traffic
- in, over or next to water or liquids where there is a risk of drowning
- at workplaces where there is any movement of powered mobile plant
- where there are structural alterations that require temporary support to prevent collapse
- in an area with artificial extremes of temperature
- on or near energised electrical installations or services
- involving a trench or shaft more than 1.5 metres deep
- on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
- involving demolition
- involving a confined space
- on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
- involving tilt-up or precast concrete
- on telecommunications towers
- involving diving
- involving removal or likely disturbance of asbestos
- in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
- involving the use of explosives
- involving a tunnel
A WorkSafe Victoria example: laying sewer pipe in a 4-metre trench next to a freeway, under overhead power lines, with an excavator working, ticks five boxes at once.
What WorkSafe Victoria wants to see in a SWMS
WorkSafe Victoria says a SWMS should clearly name:
- the specific high risk construction work it covers
- the specific task, for example roof framing
- the hazards, for example a fall of more than 2 metres or a trench deeper than 1.5 metres
- the controls that stop the harm, for example guard rails, scaffold or catch platforms
- the person responsible for putting the controls in place, for example the foreperson
And what to leave out. WorkSafe Victoria specifically says not to include:
- references to other documents such as Australian Standards, because they change and workers may not be able to get or understand them
- risk matrices and risk scores, because they aren’t legally required
- tasks that aren’t high risk construction work
That’s good news if you’ve been handed a 30-page SWMS full of risk scores. Shorter and clearer is better.
Generic and AI-generated SWMS in Victoria
WorkSafe Victoria allows a generic or AI-generated SWMS, but only if you review it on site before work starts, make sure it covers all the high risk work and risks for that job, and remove anything that doesn’t apply. A template straight off the internet, unchanged, isn’t enough. As we say: don’t call it generic, call it a template you make specific to each site.
Your SWMS duties on a Victorian site
- Prepare it before work starts, ideally on site with the workers, their health and safety representatives and supervisors.
- Follow it. If the work isn’t being done the way the SWMS says, stop as soon as it’s safe, and don’t restart until it complies or the SWMS is reviewed.
- Review it with your workers whenever the high risk work changes, or there’s a sign the risks aren’t controlled, such as after an incident. Hand-written changes on site are fine.
- Keep a copy for as long as the high risk work is going.
- Principal contractors should make sure no high risk work starts without a SWMS in place.
Three ways to get your SWMS sorted
- Do it yourself in the Projects One app: step by step on your phone, signed on site, ready to copy for the next job. See the SWMS app.
- We write it for you: a SWMS for your actual job and site. SWMS done for you.
- Prefer paper? We’ll prepare it and send it ready to sign. Paper safety documents.
Talk to a real person
We help tradies right around Australia, including Victoria. We talk tradie, not acronyms. Call us and we’ll tell you what your business actually needs.
Victorian SWMS FAQs
Is a SWMS the same as a Risk Assessment (JSA) in Victoria?
No. WorkSafe Victoria is clear that a SWMS is required by law for high risk construction work, while a Risk Assessment or JSA isn’t required by law but is a useful tool, including for tasks that aren’t high risk.
Can several businesses share one SWMS?
Yes, if they’re doing the same high risk construction work. All the employers involved should help develop it, and all their workers should have access to it.
Do I need risk scores or a risk matrix in my SWMS?
No. WorkSafe Victoria says risk matrices and risk scores aren’t legally required in a SWMS. Clear controls matter more.
Does WorkSafe Victoria have a SWMS template?
Yes, WorkSafe Victoria publishes a free SWMS template and guidance on its SWMS page. Like any template, it has to be filled in for your site and task.
General information based on WorkSafe Victoria’s Safe Work Method Statements guidance and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic). It isn’t legal advice. For your situation, call us or WorkSafe Victoria’s advisory line.