Boat Slipway and Travel Lift SWMS

Suits boat yards, marinas and marine contractors who haul, move, support and re-launch vessels using a slipway, trailer or travel lift. It follows the job from the lift plan and exclusion zones through hauling, slinging, travelling, blocking and work beneath the hull to re-launch and pack-up. Crane lifts are covered by their own SWMS.

Hauling vessels in a boat yard is not high risk construction work by itself, so WHS Regulation s 299 requires a SWMS only if the work is part of high risk construction work. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment, and no high risk construction work item is pre-ticked. If the work is part of construction work, tick the items that apply, such as powered mobile plant (s 291(o)) or work in or near water with a risk of drowning (s 291(q)).

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Boat Slipway and Travel Lift SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the haul-out and confirm the vessel details” to “Pack up, inspect and record defects”. The hazards and controls include:

• Vessel dropped from slings or a travel lift
• Vessel falling from stands, props or a cradle
• Crush zones beneath and beside a suspended hull
• Load shift and swing during the lift
• Runaway cradle or trailer on the slipway
• Winch rope or cable snap-back
• Travel lift tipping on soft or sloping ground
• Falling into the water at the slipway edge
• Slips on wet and algae-covered hardstand
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Noise, heat and manual handling in the yard
• Antifouling and cleaning chemicals on the hull

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Dogging high risk work licence (Schedule 3) for anyone who slings vessels or directs the operator when the load is out of the operator’s view
• Schedule 3 has no travel lift class. Item 12 (bridge and gantry crane) covers use of a bridge crane or gantry crane that is controlled from a permanent cabin or control station on the crane, or remotely controlled with more than 3 powered operations; Schedule 19 defines a gantry crane as a crane with a bridge beam or beams on legs mounted to end carriages, able to travel, with a crab carrying hoisting units. Confirm with the regulator whether item 12 applies to your travel lift before the operator starts
• Operators of the travel lift, winch and tow plant trained and verified competent for the machine, with the maker’s training records kept
• Competent person to inspect slings, straps, wire rope and the winch, and to prepare the lift plan
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders as the work needs (WHS Regulation s 42)
• General construction induction training card (white card) only where the work is construction work
• Yard or marina induction, including the slipway, travel path and winch rules
• Vessel masters and crew hold the marine licences the vessel requires (marine licensing is outside this SWMS)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 205 to 213 (plant: unauthorised alterations, proper use, guarding, controls, maintenance and inspection)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 219 (plant that lifts or suspends loads)
• 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 the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021 (ladders and platforms)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 11 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: lifejacket (personal flotation device) that suits the work and fits the wearer, for work beside the water or on a vessel being launched; safety boots with non-slip soles
• Emergency arrangements for: person in the water, vessel slips or a stand fails with a person trapped and winch rope, sling or lifting gear failure
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.