Tree Pruning from Elevated Work Platform SWMS

Suits tree contractors and arborists who prune from a boom-type EWP. It covers planning the cuts, power line checks, EWP and drop zone set-up, harness and rescue, cutting, lowering limbs and pack-up. EWP operation in general and tree climbing each have their own SWMS.

Tree pruning 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); this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment that you tailor to your job. If the work is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, such as a fall of more than 2 m, energised electrical installations or powered mobile plant.

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

What Is Covered In Our Tree Pruning from Elevated Work Platform SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job, assess the tree and choose the EWP” to “Lower, stow, clear and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Contact with overhead power lines
• EWP overturning on soft or sloping ground
• Fall from the basket
• Chainsaw kickback and laceration from the basket
• Falling limbs in the drop zone
• Crush between the basket and the tree
• Hung-up limbs and tree defects
• Basket stuck aloft after a control failure
• Suspension trauma after a fall
• Vehicles and the public beside the work
• Noise, heat and fatigue
• Overloading the platform with cut material

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

• High risk work licence for a boom-type elevating work platform where the boom length is 11 m or more (WHS Regulation Schedule 3, item 21); a trainee is supervised by a licence holder (s 82)
• Documented training and verified competency on the EWP model used, including ground controls and emergency lowering (no licence class applies to scissor lifts or boom-type EWPs under 11 m)
• Tree workers competent in pruning, rigging and chainsaw use for the tasks they do, verified by the PCBU (no high risk work licence class covers tree work or chainsaws)
• Ground person trained in the EWP ground controls, emergency lowering and the rescue plan
• Training in harness use and EWP platform rescue for everyone who works in the basket
• Safety observer trained for the role where the EWP could come near an overhead line; authorised or instructed person status (ES Regulation 2026 Sch 2 s 1) for any work inside an exclusion zone
• Accredited traffic controllers where traffic is stopped or directed beside the work
• Workers trained in first aid, including control of severe bleeding and CPR, or access to them (WHS Regulation s 42)
• General construction induction training card (white card) if the work is construction work, for example clearing a site for building

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 78 to 80 (falls), ss 205 to 213 (plant), ss 214 and 215 (powered mobile plant), s 219 (plant that lifts or suspends loads) and Schedule 3 item 21 (boom-type EWP licence)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces 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
• 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
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008 (work beside a road)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 10 to 13 and schedule 2 (exclusion zones for overhead electric lines), s 292 and s 296 (serious electrical incidents)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)
• Forest Harvesting Code of Practice 2007 (chainsaw features and protective equipment; written for forest harvesting and used here as good practice for tree work)
• AS 2550.10 Cranes, hoists and winches – Safe use – Part 10: Mobile elevating work platforms (named in the Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Elevating work platforms; guidance only)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Elevating work platforms (model code, not approved in Queensland; guidance only)

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
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: safety helmet with chin strap and a face screen and eye protection for chainsaw work; chainsaw trousers and chainsaw-rated boots, and gloves suited to the task
• Emergency arrangements for: basket stuck aloft, contact with a power line and chainsaw laceration or severe bleeding
• 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.