Sports Field Line Marking SWMS

Suits grounds staff, turf contractors, councils, schools and clubs that mark football, cricket, rugby, hockey and other sports fields with walk-behind, ride-on or tractor-mounted line-marking machines. It follows the job in order: planning and walking the field, machine checks, loading, mixing paint, set-out, marking, working in the sun, cleaning and packing up. Marking lines on roads needs its own SWMS (see the Road Line Marking SWMS).

Marking a sports field 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 marking is part of construction work, such as the build of a new field, tick the reg 291 items that apply (for example reg 291(o), movement of powered mobile plant). Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment that you tailor to your machine and venue.

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

What Is Covered In Our Sports Field Line Marking SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and walk the field” to “Pack up, refuel, store and leave the field safe”. The hazards and controls include:

• Roll-over of tractors and ride-on line markers
• Players, spectators and pets entering the machine’s path
• Paint and chemical splashes in the eyes and on skin
• Paint injected through the skin by a spray gun or hose
• Spray drift onto people, vehicles and waterways
• Hidden holes, irrigation heads and soft ground
• Contact with overhead power lines near the field
• Heat illness, sunburn and sudden storms
• Fire from fuel, solvents and aerosols
• Heavy drums, ramps and manual handling
• Tipping goal posts and trip hazards from pegs and string
• Working alone on a large venue

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

• Operators trained and assessed as competent on the line marking machine, ride-on unit or tractor and implement they use, including starting and stopping, spray pressure, controls and emergency procedures (WHS Regulation s 39)
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers line marking machines, ride-on units or tractors
• Training in reading the label and safety data sheet (SDS) for each marking product, and in mixing, decanting, cleaning up and spills
• Practical training for anyone who connects an implement to a tractor, including power take-off shaft guards
• Driver licence of the class required for the vehicle and any trailer used to carry the machine to the venue
• First aid provided as s 42 of the WHS Regulation requires, including for snake bite, heat illness and chemical splashes
• Young workers operate machines only once they have the skill and training for the machine, and with supervision (Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006)
• Venue induction, and the venue’s access and safety rules
• General construction induction training card (white card) only if the line marking is part of construction work, such as the build of a new field

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) s 19: duties to workers and to other people, such as players, spectators and the public
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 214 to 216: powered mobile plant, operator protection, collisions with people and roll-over protection on tractors
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 341, 342, 344, 346 and 351 (part 7.1): labelling, decanting, safety data sheets, the register and managing risks, for each marking product that is a hazardous chemical and for fuel carried in a separate container; part 7.1 does not apply to fuel, oil or coolant in a container fitted to the machine for its operation (s 328(4)(b))
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 52 and 53: ignition sources and flammable material
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 48 (remote or isolated work), s 42 (first aid), ss 56 and 57 (noise) and s 60 (hazardous manual tasks)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 (tractors and implements)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Spray Painting and Powder Coating Code of Practice 2021 (where paint is sprayed)
• 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 (outdoor work, sun and heat, remote or isolated work)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• 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 (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)

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
• 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 non-slip soles; no sandals or sports shoes; safety glasses when mixing, decanting, filling, flushing or spraying, with a face shield over them for concentrate
• Emergency arrangements for: paint, concentrate or solvent in the eyes, paint or oil injected through the skin by a spray gun or hose and roll-over, or a person trapped under or struck by a machine
• 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.