Soft Washing SWMS

For pressure cleaning and exterior cleaning businesses who treat roofs, walls, pavers and render with low-pressure chemical washes. It follows the job from the surface and asbestos check to power lines, chemical mixing, application, rinsing and run-off, access at height and pack-up.

Soft washing on its own is not clearly high risk construction work: WHS Regulation s 289 lists maintenance and repair of a structure but not cleaning, and excludes only maintenance or repair of a minor nature. A SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299), so no item is ticked for you; otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If your job is construction work, for example the cleaning is part of a roof restoration or repair, or you decide it counts as maintenance of a structure, tick the items that apply, such as a fall of more than 2 metres or work near energised electrical services.

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 Soft Washing SWMS?

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

• Chemical splashes from hypochlorite and cleaners
• Mixing incompatible chemicals and chlorine gas
• Breathing in spray mist and fumes
• Falls from ladders and roof edges
• Falls through fragile roofing
• Slippery soapy roofs, paths and driveways
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Water into switchboards and fittings
• Chemical run-off to drains and neighbours
• Hose whip and pump hazards
• Heavy drums and manual handling
• Heat and working alone

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

• Training in the soft wash system: mixing, pump and applicator use, dilution and rinsing
• Training in the cleaning chemicals used (SDS, dilution, incompatible products, spills, eyewash and first aid for splashes)
• Training in the access equipment used and in working on roofs, including fall prevention and rescue where roof work is needed
• Respirator fit testing and training where the SDS or risk assessment calls for respiratory protection
• Training in the identification and safe handling of asbestos for workers the PCBU reasonably believes may be involved in asbestos-related work (WHS Regulation s 445); other workers stop and report suspect material on older roofs, eaves and walls
• No high risk work licence applies to soft washing; a licence is needed only for a boom-type elevating work platform with a boom length of 11 m or more (Schedule 3, item 21)
• General construction induction training card (white card) where the cleaning is construction work, for example cleaning during a roof restoration
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders (or access to them) as the work needs (WHS Regulation s 42)

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 341, 342, 344, 346, 351 and 354 (labelling, decanted containers, safety data sheets, register, managing chemical risks and reactions)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 78 to 80 (falls), s 446 (no high pressure water on asbestos); ss 306C, 306D and 306K to 306M (construction falls and ladders: apply where the work is construction work, otherwise followed as good practice)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 36, 44 to 46 (hierarchy of control, personal protective equipment), s 60 (hazardous manual tasks), s 48 (remote or isolated work)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals 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
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead electric line exclusion zones and unsafe distances, ss 10 to 13 and 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 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.