Loading Dock and Dock Leveller SWMS

For warehouses, distribution centres, factories and shops that receive or send freight over a loading dock. It follows the dock in order, from layout and traffic rules through securing the vehicle, using the leveller, working at the edge, unloading, fumes and noise, to leveller maintenance and closing the dock. Forklift operation has its own SWMS.

Work at a loading dock is generally not construction work, so the high risk construction work list in the WHS Regulation (section 291) does not apply, no item is pre-ticked and section 299 does not require a SWMS for it; the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If the job is construction work, for example building a dock or installing a new leveller, tick the items that apply on the form, such as the fall item (s 291(a)) if anyone could fall more than 2 metres and the powered mobile plant item (s 291(o)).

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Loading Dock and Dock Leveller SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Vehicles and forklifts colliding with pedestrians
• Truck creep or early departure while loading
• Falls from the dock edge and between dock and trailer
• Crushing by the dock leveller or lip
• Leveller dropping when the vehicle leaves
• Forklifts going off the dock or through a trailer floor
• Loads falling when trailer doors open
• Manual handling strains in trailers
• Exhaust fumes and carbon monoxide
• Heat and noise at the dock
• Hydraulic oil and electric shock during leveller maintenance
• Entrapment under a leveller and rescue

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• High risk work licence for the forklift truck class (order-picking forklift truck class for order pickers) for anyone operating a forklift; forklift operation is covered by its own SWMS
• Competence for pedestrian-operated pallet trucks and trolleys (no high risk work licence class applies to pedestrian-operated trucks)
• Dock staff trained in the dock rules, the vehicle securing method and the dock leveller controls
• Competent person trained on the dock leveller make and model for inspection, maintenance and repair
• Licensed electrician for any work on the leveller power supply or control circuits
• Site induction for drivers, visitors and contractors, and a general construction induction training card (white card) if the dock is on a construction site
• First aiders on each shift, trained in the emergency plan

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): ss 78 to 80 (falls), ss 213 to 215 and 218 (plant, powered mobile plant, industrial lift trucks), s 60 (hazardous manual tasks), ss 56 and 57 (noise)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace 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 Act 2002 (Qld): s 55 (electrical work must be done by a licensed person)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): s 17 (unsafe electrical equipment)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.