Stump Grinder SWMS

Suits arborists, landscapers, tree contractors and property maintenance crews who grind stumps with a walk-behind, tracked or towed stump grinder. It follows the job from the site inspection and underground services check through the exclusion zone, setting up, grinding, tooth changes and clean-up.

Stump grinding is not construction work by itself, so no high risk item is ticked. A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only when the grinding is construction work (for example site preparation for a structure, s 289) that also meets an s 291 item, so tick the energised electrical, road in use or powered mobile plant items when the job involves them, and the contaminated atmosphere item when the grinding creates silica dust, as the approved silica code advises; otherwise it works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. Chainsaw work needs a separate SWMS.

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

What Is Covered In Our Stump Grinder SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and inspect the stump and surroundings” to “Clear chips, make the hole safe and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Cutter wheel contact and entanglement
• Thrown rocks, chips and fragments
• Striking underground power, gas and water services
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Kickback when the wheel hits a root or rock
• Machine rollover on slopes and soft ground
• Fire from refuelling and hot engines
• Noise above the exposure standard
• Soil and wood dust, including silica
• Hand-arm vibration and fatigue
• Sharp, hot teeth when changing the wheel
• Heat illness and sun exposure

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

• No high risk work licence class applies to operating a stump grinder (it is not a Schedule 3 class)
• Operator trained in the manufacturer’s start-up, controls, emergency stop and cutter wheel procedures for the model used, with competency verified before working unsupervised
• General construction induction training card (white card) when the work is construction work
• Trained person to use a cable and pipe locator where private services must be traced
• First aid certificate for the nominated first aider
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021 (heat)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead line exclusion zones (ss 10 to 13 and sch 2) and underground electric lines (ss 14 and 15)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008 (work beside a road)

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
• 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 with toe protection and ankle support; full-face shield or safety glasses with side shields (face shield worn over glasses at the cutter)
• Emergency arrangements for: contact with the cutter wheel or entanglement, underground service struck and fuel or hydraulic oil fire
• 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 October 2026.