Portable Generator Operation SWMS

Suits trades, event crews, farms, workshops and building sites that run petrol, diesel or inverter generators for tools, lighting or site power. It covers siting and fumes, refuelling, leads and safety switches, noise, weather, and shutdown and storage.

Running a generator is not high risk construction work by itself, so no items are pre-ticked. A SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299); otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure. Tick the items that apply if the job is construction work, for example a contaminated or flammable atmosphere (item 11) or energised electrical installations (item 10).

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

What Is Covered In Our Portable Generator Operation SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan where and how the generator will be used” to “Shut down, cool, store and transport”. The hazards and controls include:

• Carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes
• Fire and explosion when refuelling
• Electric shock from leads and wet equipment
• Back-feed into building wiring
• Hot engine and exhaust burns
• Generator tipping or falling when moved
• Manual handling when lifting and loading
• Hearing loss from engine noise
• Rain and wet ground around electrical connections
• Fuel spills and storage

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

• Workers trained and instructed in the make and model of generator used, including starting, stopping, refuelling, load limits and the emergency stop
• Licensed electrical worker for any connection to a switchboard, fixed wiring or a changeover switch (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• Competent person to inspect and test leads, power boards and portable safety switches where the site requires it
• General construction induction training card (white card) when the generator is used on a construction site, and site induction
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers a portable generator

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace 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
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): electrical equipment and wiring for construction work (s 140)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• AS/NZS 3012 (Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites), as named in Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 140

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (12 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 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; safety glasses when refuelling or working near the engine; gloves for handling fuel and hot parts
• Emergency arrangements for: suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, fuel fire 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.