Steel Awning Carport or Pergola SWMS

Suits steel fabricators, carport and pergola installers and builders who erect steel awnings and carports. It covers site checks, unloading and lifting steel, footings, cutting and welding, bracing, work at height and roof fixing.

The high risk construction work box for a risk of a fall of more than 2 metres is ticked, because erecting and roofing a carport, awning or pergola frame normally puts a person at that height. A SWMS is required by law for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). Tick any other box that applies, such as energised electrical installations or services when digging near underground cables or working near overhead lines, or movement of powered mobile plant when a crane or truck works in the area.

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

What Is Covered In Our Steel Awning Carport or Pergola SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and check the site, structure and services” to “Touch up coatings, clean up and hand over”. The hazards and controls include:

• Heavy steel members falling or crushing
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Striking underground services when digging footings
• Falls from ladders, platforms and the frame
• Falls through fragile roofing
• Frame collapse before bracing
• Fire and sparks from welding
• Welding fume and arc eye
• Angle grinder kickback and flying particles
• Noise from cutting and grinding
• Wet concrete burns
• Strains from lifting and carrying steel

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card)
• Site induction
• Queensland Building and Construction Commission licence where the work requires one (check the QBCC requirements for the job)
• Welding competency for the process used by each welder, and training for angle grinders, saws and drills
• Licence for the class of any crane, forklift truck or vehicle loading crane used (Schedule 3); dogging class or higher rigging class for anyone who slings loads or directs a crane operator when the load is out of the operator’s view (Schedule 19)
• Boom-type elevating work platform licence for a boom of 11 m or more
• Scaffolding licence for scaffold where a person or object could fall more than 4 m (erected under a separate scaffolding SWMS)
• Licensed electrician for any electrical connection to lights, fans or power on the structure
• Trained first aider on site

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 the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021
• Steel Construction Advisory Standard 2004
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (where scaffold is used)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones in schedule 2
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)

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; hard hat; safety glasses and face shield; welding helmet, welding gloves and flame-resistant clothing
• Emergency arrangements for: fall from height or suspension in a harness and welding 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 November 2026.