Towbar and Trailer Coupling Fitting SWMS

Suits auto mechanics, towbar fitters, trailer builders and mobile fitting businesses who fit towbars, tow balls, couplings, safety chains and trailer wiring. It follows the job in order: checking the kit and ratings, raising the vehicle, removing panels, drilling, fixing and tightening the bar, wiring the trailer socket, fitting the coupling, final checks and handover. Towing a trailer on the road is covered by a separate SWMS.

Fitting towbars and couplings is workshop work, not high risk construction work, 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. Otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment for the fitting.

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

What Is Covered In Our Towbar and Trailer Coupling Fitting SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and check the kit, the ratings and the vehicle” to “Handle fluids, chemicals, dust and waste, and finish up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Vehicle falling from a hoist or stand
• Crush injuries under raised vehicles
• Heavy towbars dropping or crushing fingers
• Drilling into fuel tanks, brake lines and wiring
• Fire from sparks near fuel
• Burns from hot exhausts
• Short circuits and battery arcs
• Wiring faults on trailer sockets
• Towbar or coupling failing in service
• Mismatched towbar, coupling and vehicle ratings
• Strains from overhead work
• Solvents, coatings and spills

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

• Trade qualification or equivalent experience in vehicle servicing or fitting, verified by the PCBU, with training in the towbar maker’s fitting method
• No high risk work licence class applies to fitting towbars or couplings, or to using vehicle hoists, jacks and axle stands (WHS Regulation Schedule 3)
• Training in the hoist, jacks and axle stands used (they have their own SWMS)
• A licensed electrical worker (electrical work licence) for electrical work on electrical equipment above extra low voltage, such as a mains inverter (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); a vehicle’s own extra low voltage wiring, such as 12 or 24 volt trailer circuits, is generally not electrical equipment, because s 14(1)(a) and (b) need a voltage greater than extra low voltage, and s 14(2) leaves out vehicle equipment that is part of the propulsion unit or powered from it; if you are unsure whether an item is electrical equipment, treat it as electrical equipment and ask a licensed electrical worker
• Training in the vehicle maker’s battery isolation procedure and in working near sensors, airbag and restraint circuits, recorded by the PCBU (WHS Regulation s 39)
• Workers trained in first aid, or access to trained persons (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Workshop induction

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 36, 39, 42, 44 and 60: hierarchy of controls, training, first aid, personal protective equipment and hazardous manual tasks
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 52 and 53: ignition sources in a hazardous atmosphere and flammable material kept at the lowest practicable quantity
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 56 and 57: noise exposure standard and hearing loss
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 203, 206, 213 and 243 and schedule 5: plant risk management, proper use, maintenance and inspection, and design registration of vehicle hoists
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 351 and 357: hazardous chemical risks and spills
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): s 14 (electrical equipment, including ss 14(1)(c) and 14(2)), s 18 (electrical work) and s 55 (electrical work licence)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace 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
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021

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
• 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 boots with toe protection and oil-resistant soles; safety glasses for all underbody work
• Emergency arrangements for: vehicle falls or a person is trapped, fuel leak or fire after a line or tank is disturbed and battery short circuit, burn or acid splash
• 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.