Knapsack and Hand-Wand Spraying SWMS

Suits weed control and pest control operators, grounds and garden crews, farm workers and land managers who spray chemicals with a knapsack or hand wand. It follows the job in order: planning and the label, checking the sprayer, mixing and filling, carrying, spraying, working near lines, roads and water, heat, blockages, clean-up and transport. Boom spraying and hose-reel units need their own SWMS.

Knapsack and hand-wand spraying is not high risk construction work by itself, so no item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). If the spraying is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, for example energised electrical installations or services. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment that you tailor to your site and products.

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 Knapsack and Hand-Wand Spraying SWMS?

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

• Spray drift onto workers, neighbours and waterways
• Skin and eye contact with concentrate and spray
• Inhaling vapour and spray mist
• Leaking tanks, hoses and trigger valves
• Pressure release when clearing blockages
• Spills when mixing and filling
• Back and shoulder strain from a full knapsack
• Slips and falls on slopes and uneven ground
• Contact with overhead lines and electrical equipment
• Heat illness in chemical PPE
• Snake, spider and insect bites
• Contaminated rinsate and leftover chemicals

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 knapsack or hand sprayer in use and in the label directions of each product, recorded by the PCBU
• Training in the hazardous chemicals used, including reading the label and the safety data sheet (SDS)
• Any chemical user training, accreditation or licence that the product label, a permit or Queensland agricultural chemical rules require for the product
• Spraying herbicide from ground equipment (ground distribution): the operator must hold a commercial operator’s licence or work under the supervision of a holder who is present throughout, and act in the course of a licensed contractor’s business, unless a defence applies, for example land that the operator, a relative or a primarily pastoral or agricultural employer owns or occupies (Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 s 39(2), (3)); outside a hazardous area, hand-powered apparatus, compressed air or gas applied directly to the liquid without air blasting, and hose proportioning devices are not ground equipment (Regulation 2021 s 5); the Act covers herbicides, not other pesticides; check the position for your equipment and site before the job
• Fit testing and training for any tight-fitting respirator the label or SDS calls for
• Health monitoring where the Regulation requires it, for example for organophosphate pesticides (WHS Regulation s 368 and Schedule 14)
• First aid training for at least one person on site, with first aid provided as s 42 of the WHS Regulation requires
• Site or property induction covering no-spray zones, waterways, neighbours and emergency arrangements

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 351, 355, 357, 363 and 368: hazardous chemical risks, fire and explosion, spills, handling systems and health monitoring
• Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988 (Qld): s 7 (unlabelled containers), s 10 (disposal of chemicals and packages), s 11B (reuse of chemical packages) and s 13(1) (a registered agricultural chemical product must be used only in a way stated on the approved label, unless a permit or regulation authorises another use)
• Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 (Qld): ss 16A and 39(2), (3); Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Regulation 2021 (Qld) s 5
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 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.