Cane Harvester Operation SWMS

Suits cane growers and harvesting contractors who operate cane harvesters in the field. It covers the pre-start check, block planning, harvesting in the row, slopes, unloading to haulout bins, overhead power lines, clearing blockages, fire control, long and night shifts, and road and rail crossings. Maintenance and blade changes and haulout driving use separate SWMS.

Cane harvesting is not high risk construction work, so no item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment that you tailor to your farm or contract. If any of the work is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, for example movement of powered mobile plant.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Cane Harvester Operation SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Harvester roll-over on slopes and drain edges
• Entanglement in cutters, chopper and elevator
• Debris thrown from cutters and extractor fans
• Missing or damaged guards
• Machine fire from trash build-up and leaks
• Collision with haulout units and bins
• People caught between machines
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Clearing blockages on a running machine
• Fatigue on long and night shifts
• Noise and heat in the cab
• Cane rail and road crossings

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Training and instruction in the harvester’s controls, safety systems, cutting and cleaning components, fire equipment and emergency stops, recorded by the PCBU
• Verification of competency on the harvester model before unsupervised work
• Driver licence and any registration, permit or oversize conditions the road rules require before the harvester is driven on a road
• Training in the two-way radio protocol and the signals agreed with haulout crews
• Property and mill induction covering cane rail crossings, sidings, power lines, no-go areas and emergency arrangements
• First aid arrangements for the harvesting crew that suit the remote location, with access to an adequate number of trained first aiders (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 208, 213, 214 and 215: guarding, maintenance and inspection of plant, powered mobile plant and operator protective devices
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 48, 52, 53 and 355: remote or isolated work, ignition sources, flammable stock and fire and explosion
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 56 and 57: noise exposure standard and managing the risk of hearing loss
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (guidance)
• Cane rail safety: a supplement to the Sugar Mill Safety Code of Practice 2024 (part 4, road and rail crossings and shared sidings; guidance for harvesting crews)
• Safety guidelines for Harvesting and In-Field Transport of Sugar Cane (CANEGROWERS), named in the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.