Whitegoods Delivery and Installation SWMS

Suits appliance retailers, delivery crews and installers who deliver and install fridges, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and ovens at homes and businesses. It follows the job in order: planning, loading, the tail lift, moving the appliance and stairs, removing the old unit and connecting the new one. Work by a licensed electrical worker, plumber or gas fitter needs its own SWMS.

Delivering and installing whitegoods 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 work is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, such as a fall of more than 2 m or movement of powered mobile plant. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment that you tailor to your appliances and your crew.

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

What Is Covered In Our Whitegoods Delivery and Installation SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the delivery and check access” to “Remove packaging and the old appliance, then clean up and leave”. The hazards and controls include:

• Appliances tipping or falling on a trolley or ramp
• Crush injuries to hands and feet
• Heavy lifts and strains
• Carrying appliances on stairs
• Tail lift and ramp loading
• Load shift on the truck
• Electric shock at the plug and socket
• Water leaks and slips on wet floors
• Gas leaks at gas appliances
• Dogs, children and aggression in the home
• Traffic when unloading at the kerb
• Cuts from packaging and sharp edges

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

• Driver licence for the class of the delivery vehicle
• Training and verified competency in hazardous manual tasks, using appliance trolleys and stair aids, and team lifting
• Training and verified competency for tail lift or ramp operation (WHS Regulation s 39)
• No Schedule 3 high risk work licence class covers appliance delivery, trolleys or tail lifts; a dogging licence is needed only if a worker slings a load for a crane or hoist (use a separate SWMS)
• Electrical work (hard-wired connection, new socket, wiring changes or repairs to electrical equipment) only by a licensed electrical worker (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); plugging a flexible cord into an existing socket outlet is not electrical work (s 18(2)(a))
• Plumbing or drainage work (new or altered pipework) only by a person who holds the licence for the work (Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 s 56)
• Gas work on a gas device such as a fixed gas cooker or oven (a gas device (type A)) only by a person who holds a gas work licence (Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 ss 725 and 726); connecting or disconnecting a gas cylinder to an existing fitting is excluded (s 726(4))
• First aid training for at least one worker on the crew (WHS Regulation s 42)
• General construction induction training card (white card) only if the work is part of construction work on a construction site

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 205 to 213: plant (proper use s 206, operational controls s 210, maintenance and inspection s 213)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 34 to 36: identifying hazards, managing risk and the hierarchy of control measures
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 60: managing risks of hazardous manual tasks
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 42 and 44: first aid and personal protective equipment
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities 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): s 18 (meaning of electrical work) and s 55 (electrical work licence)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld): s 56 (work without a licence)
• Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld): ss 725 and 726 (gas work)
• Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland), applied by the Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012 (Qld): s 6 (heavy vehicle means a vehicle with a GVM or ATM of more than 4.5 t), s 26C (primary duty of each party in the chain of responsibility), s 96 (compliance with mass requirements), s 110 (national regulations may prescribe loading requirements), s 111 (compliance with the loading requirements) and s 228 (duty of driver to avoid driving while fatigued or unfit to drive)
• National Load Restraint Guide (guidance only, not law)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 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 boots with toe protection and non-slip soles; work gloves with good grip for handling appliances and packaging; high-visibility clothing when working near traffic
• Emergency arrangements for: gas smell at the address, crush injury or appliance fall and burst hose or flooding
• 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.