Vending Machine Installation and Restocking SWMS

Suits vending operators and delivery crews who deliver, position, connect and restock vending machines. It follows the job from planning the route through loading, moving on trolleys and stair climbers, positioning, the electrical and water connection limits, testing, restocking, cash collection and working alone, to pack-up. General delivery van work and whitegoods installation need their own SWMS.

A vending machine is plant, and the construction work chapter of the WHS Regulation applies to plant only in the cases listed in s 290(2), so no high risk construction work item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (s 299). If the installation is part of a fit-out or other construction work (s 290(2)(b)), tick the items that apply. Otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment that you tailor to your machines and sites.

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

What Is Covered In Our Vending Machine Installation and Restocking SWMS?

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

• Machine tipping over and crushing a worker
• Moving machines on stairs and ramps
• Trolley and stair climber use
• Crush between the machine and walls
• Lifting and loading heavy machines
• Electric shock and the electrical work limit
• Water connection and the plumbing licence limit
• Cuts from glass fronts and panels
• Strains restocking cartons and cases
• Cash collection and robbery risk
• Working alone
• Loading at the kerb

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

• Worker trained and assessed as competent in moving, positioning and restocking vending machines, and in using the trolleys and stair climbers on the job (WHS Regulation s 39 duty to train and instruct)
• Licensed electrical worker for any electrical work beyond plugging in by a flexible cord plug and socket outlet (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• Plumbing licence that covers any water supply or drain work for machines that need water (Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 s 56); a trainee works under direct supervision (s 58(1)(b))
• Driver licence for the class of the delivery vehicle, and a worker trained in safe loading and securing of heavy machines
• Workers collecting cash trained in the cash collection procedure and in responding to threats
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers this work, and it needs no construction induction training card because it is not construction work
• First aid equipment and facilities, and the person appointed as the job’s first aider (WHS Regulation s 42); a worker working alone has a first aid kit in the vehicle and a check-in arrangement

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 60: hazardous manual tasks
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 48: remote or isolated work
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 55C and 55D: psychosocial risks
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 213: maintenance and inspection of plant
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 289 and 290: construction work and plant
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld) ss 18 and 55: electrical work and licences
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld) ss 56 and 58 and Schedule 1: plumbing work and licences
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022
• 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 Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace

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; work gloves for handling machines and cartons; cut-resistant gloves for glass fronts and panel edges; high-visibility vest for loading at the kerb and in car parks
• Emergency arrangements for: machine tipping on to a person, robbery or threat and 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.