Quad Bike Operation SWMS

For farms, rural contractors, land managers and council crews whose workers use quad bikes for mustering, spraying, fencing and carrying loads. It follows the work from rider and helmet checks and pre-start through terrain, loads, towing and road crossings to parking.

Quad bike work on a farm is not construction work by itself. A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only when the work is high risk construction work, so otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. If it is, tick the items that apply, for example movement of powered mobile plant, or work beside a road in use.

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 Quad Bike Operation SWMS?

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

• Quad bike rollover on slopes and rough ground
• Riding without a securely fitted helmet
• Underage riders and extra passengers
• Overloaded racks and liquid spray tanks
• Towing trailers and implements
• Loss of control on wet, muddy or loose ground
• Collision with stock, vehicles and fences
• Contact with overhead power lines and wires
• Chemical exposure while spraying
• Falls and rollover when loading onto vehicles
• Fatigue, heat and working alone
• Fire when refuelling

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

• Operators aged at least 16, or the different minimum age the manufacturer recommends for that quad bike (WHS Regulation s 226A)
• Training for quad bike operation by a competent trainer, such as a nationally approved quad bike unit, and verification of competency before unsupervised work
• Training for any attachment, trailer or spray unit carried or towed
• Driver licence and registration as the road rules require for any use on a road or road-related area
• General construction induction training card (white card) when working on a construction site
• Site or property induction covering terrain, no-go areas and emergency arrangements

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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 (when carrying or spraying chemicals)
• 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 section 10 and schedule 2
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 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.