Arborist WHS Manual

This is the arborist edition of the WHS Manual. It has the same chapters as the general WHS Manual, written for tree crews, so you only need one of the two. It names the plant, licences, chemicals, laws and approved codes that tree work involves, explains where a SWMS is required by law, and points to the SWMS, checklists, rescue plans and registers in our range that fit tree work. The cover page is ready for your business name and logo. Part A is the management system, in 23 numbered chapters. Part B holds the full text of 65 policies and procedures (41 that apply to every business and 24 for arborist work), each on its own pages in the same editable file, so you can edit, issue and sign off each one without buying it separately.

Need the SWMS for your work? Browse arborist and tree work SWMS, or add policies, forms and registers with the Arborist WHS Management System.

What Is Included In Our Arborist WHS Manual?

• WHS policy statement with an approval sign-off
• Where a SWMS is required by law for tree work, and the safe work procedures for all other tree jobs
• Duties and roles for owners, crew leaders, climbers and ground crew
• Tree assessment, exclusion and drop zones, and job planning
• Climbing, work positioning, rigging, felling and aerial rescue
• Chainsaws, chippers and stump grinders, and the rules for each
• Elevating work platforms and crane-assisted tree work, with licences and lift conditions
• Overhead power line exclusion zones and underground services
• Storm damage, hung-up trees and trees under tension
• Fuel, herbicide licensing, sap, mould and asbestos near damaged buildings
• Noise, vibration, heat, snakes, insects and first aid for remote crews
• A list of 45 tree work SWMS, plans, procedures, checklists and registers, and when to use each
• Part B: the full text of 65 policies and procedures, from risk, hazard and incident management to manual handling, hazardous substances, emergencies and return to work, plus 24 for arborist work

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld): primary duty of care (s 19), persons who manage or control a workplace (s 20), approved codes (ss 26A, 274 and 275), notifiable incidents (ss 35 to 39), consultation and cooperation (ss 46 to 49), the right to cease unsafe work (ss 84 to 86), no levy on workers (s 273) and the dictionary (sch 5), which defines a structure
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): the safe electrical equipment duty (s 30), electrical codes of practice (ss 44 and 45) and electrical work licences (s 55)
• Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 (Qld): commercial operators’ licences (ss 16 and 16A) and ground distribution of herbicides (s 39)
• Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988 (Qld): use of registered products only from containers with an approved label (s 7), controlled and proscribed chemicals (ss 8 and 9), disposal of chemicals and packages (ss 10 and 11B)
• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld): the general environmental duty (s 319) and depositing contaminants in waters, roadside gutters and stormwater drainage (s 440ZG)
• Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld): weeds, pests and fire ants
• Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld): protection of native wildlife
• Electricity Act 1994 (Qld): the works of electricity entities, which own and operate the power lines our crews work near
• Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld): claims, rehabilitation and return to work
• Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012 (Qld), which applies the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland): meaning of heavy vehicle (s 6) and the chain of responsibility (ss 26A to 26H), which reaches loads carried by tipper trucks and chipper trucks
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): managing risks (ss 32 to 38), information, training and instruction (s 39), facilities, first aid, emergency plans and PPE (ss 40 to 47), remote or isolated work (s 48), airborne contaminants (ss 49 and 50), ignition sources and flammables (ss 52 and 53), falling objects (ss 54 and 55), noise (ss 56 to 58), hazardous manual tasks (s 60), falls (ss 78 to 80), high risk work licences (ss 81 to 85 and sch 3), plant (chapter 5, including ss 203 to 221 and design registration in sch 5), construction work (chapter 6, including ss 289 to 291, 299 and 316), hazardous chemicals (chapter 7), asbestos (chapter 8) and the dictionary (sch 19)
• Work Health and Safety (Codes of Practice) Notice 2022 (Qld): the list of approved codes of practice
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead electric lines (ss 10 to 13 and sch 2), underground electric lines (ss 14 and 15), trimming of trees near private overhead electric lines (s 23), trimming of trees by electricity entities (s 265), specified electrical equipment (s 138), safety switches (s 139) and notifying serious electrical incidents (s 292)
• Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017 (Qld)
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015 (Qld): traffic controllers (ss 51, 54 and 55)
• 16 Queensland approved codes of practice, named in full in the manual

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word manual (443 pages), A4 portrait, with a cover page ready for your business name and logo, a contents list, Part A (23 numbered chapters) and Part B (65 policies and procedures)
• Business details and document control typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• A WHS policy statement with an approval sign-off
• Roles, procedures, a risk matrix, record-keeping periods, definitions and references
• Part B: the full text of 65 policies and procedures, each starting on a new page
• Links by name to the matching SWMS, forms and registers in our range

Review it and adjust it to suit your business, your sites and the way your team works, and talk it through with your workers. If you have any trouble downloading this template, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading.