Amusement Ride Set-Up and Operation SWMS

Suits ride operators, showground and fete organisers and contractors who assemble, test and run mechanical rides and devices at fairs and events. It covers site checks, assembly, electrical connection, daily checks and test runs, queue and barrier set-up, patron loading, emergency stops and pack-up.

Assembling a ride that is to be transported to another place is not construction work, so no high risk construction work items are pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and risk assessment. Where construction work is also done on the site, tick the falls item if a fall of more than 2 metres could occur in it, and the powered mobile plant item if plant moves in its work area.

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

What Is Covered In Our Amusement Ride Set-Up and Operation SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the event and exchange information with the organiser” to “Dismantle, pack and transport”. The hazards and controls include:

• Unregistered or uninspected rides at events
• Ground settlement and ride tip-over
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Crush, pinch and entanglement during assembly
• Falls and dropped tools during assembly
• Loads dropped by forklifts and cranes
• Electric shock from leads and generators
• Missed defects without daily checks and test runs
• Public entering the ride envelope
• Patron ejection and restraint failure
• Wind and weather shut-down
• Emergency stop and patron rescue
• Unplanned movement during dismantling

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

• Competent person to assemble, commission and dismantle the device (WHS Regulation s 204(3)): training, qualification or experience in that device
• Operators who have completed the instruction and training in WHS Regulation s 238(3) and are competent, recorded in the log book
• Competent person for the annual detailed inspection (WHS Regulation s 241); a registered professional engineer unless the device is a continuously blown inflatable with a platform height below 9 m
• Competent person for any major inspection (WHS Regulation s 241A)
• High risk work licences for any forklift, boom-type elevating work platform (11 m or more), crane, dogging, rigging or scaffolding work used in set-up
• Licensed electrical worker for electrical work (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); competent person for inspecting and testing electrical equipment
• First aid trained person on site
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Amusement Devices Code of Practice 2023
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 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: safety boots; gloves for handling parts, pins and cables; high-visibility clothing when vehicles and mobile plant are moving; hard hat when working under or near overhead work or lifting
• Emergency arrangements for: patrons trapped or stranded, failure or ejection and fire or electric shock
• 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.