PTO Shaft and Implement Hitching SWMS

Suits farmers, contractors, rural workers and trainers who hitch tractor implements and run PTO shafts. It follows the job from matching the tractor, implement and shaft, through guard checks, hitching and fitting the shaft, to the test run, working with the PTO turning, servicing and unhitching. Tractor operation is covered by the separate Tractor Operation SWMS.

Hitching implements and running PTO shafts is rural work, not high risk construction work, so no high risk construction work items are pre-ticked. A SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); tick the items that apply if the work forms part of such work. Otherwise it works as a written safe work procedure and risk assessment.

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 PTO Shaft and Implement Hitching SWMS?

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

• Entanglement in PTO shafts and couplings
• Missing or damaged PTO and implement guards
• Crush between tractor and implement when hitching
• Tractor rolling or started during hitching
• Implements dropping from stands or hydraulics
• Hydraulic oil injection and hose failure
• Wrong shaft length, speed or hitch point
• Clearing blockages with the drive connected
• Overhead power lines when raising implements
• Noise, fatigue and working alone

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

• Competence of each operator on the tractor and the implement being hitched, checked by the PCBU or supervisor before solo hitching (Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024, chapter 6)
• Training for anyone working close to the tractor and implement, including how the PTO shaft, guards and coupling work
• Induction in this SWMS and in the tractor and implement manufacturers’ instructions
• Licence for any vehicle driven on a public road; no high risk work licence class applies to tractors or hitching implements (WHS Regulation Schedule 3)
• Close supervision of young or inexperienced workers until the PCBU confirms they are competent
• Competent person for servicing, inspection and repair of the shaft, guards and implement (WHS Regulation s 213)
• An adequate number of workers trained in first aid, or access to them, as the first aid assessment shows (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• 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
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006
• 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
• AS 1121.4 Agricultural tractor power take-offs – Guards for power take-off (PTO) drive-shafts – Strength and wear tests and acceptance criteria (as named in the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024)
• AS 1319 Safety signs for the occupational environment (as named in the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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.