Bush Regeneration and Weed Control SWMS

Suits bush regeneration teams, land care groups, councils and contractors who hand weed, apply herbicide and plant in bushland, riparian zones and reserves. It follows the work from planning, remote work and communication, through snakes, ticks and uneven ground, to hand weeding, herbicide application, planting, heat and clean-up.

A SWMS is legally required only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299), and bush regeneration is not construction work by itself; otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If the work forms part of construction work, tick any high risk construction work item that applies to it.

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 Bush Regeneration and Weed Control SWMS?

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

• Snake bite and venom
• Ticks, spiders and stinging insects
• Slips and falls on uneven ground and creek banks
• Herbicide exposure and spray drift
• Cuts from hand tools and sharps in the bush
• Manual handling when digging and planting
• Heat illness and sunburn
• Working alone or in remote areas
• Vehicle and quad bike rollover on bush tracks
• Spills near waterways
• Fire danger and storms
• Spreading weed seed on boots and vehicles

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

• Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation has no high risk work licence class for hand weeding, planting or herbicide application
• Bush regenerators trained in the site’s methods, weed identification, safe use of hand tools and this SWMS, with a team leader who knows the site
• Workers trained in the label and SDS for each herbicide before they first use it (WHS Regulation s 39)
• Herbicide licensing: hand-powered sprayers, equipment powered by compressed air or gas applied directly to the spray liquid, and hose proportioning devices are not ‘ground equipment’ under the Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 outside hazardous areas (Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Regulation 2021 s 5); applying herbicide with other powered ground equipment needs an operator who holds a commercial operator’s licence (or works under the supervision of a holder) and works in the course of the business of a licensed ground or aerial distribution contractor (Act s 39(2)), unless the defence in s 39(3) applies (a battery or motor-driven pump sprayer is not powered by hand); check the position for the equipment and site before the job
• Workers trained in recognising and treating snake bite, tick and insect reactions, and heat illness; at least one trained first aider on the crew or access to one (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Remote or isolated work arrangements understood by the whole crew, including check-in times and the emergency meeting point
• General construction induction training card (white card) only if the work is part of construction work on a construction site
• Site induction, and the landowner’s, council’s or land manager’s access and permit rules

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 48 (remote or isolated work), ss 226A to 226C (quad bikes), ss 342 and 344 (labelling decanted chemicals and SDS), s 346 (register), s 351 (managing hazardous chemical risks) and ss 40 and 41 (facilities and drinking water)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021 (decanted containers)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021 (outdoor work, heat, UV and remote or isolated work)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (hand-held powered tools)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 (Qld): Part 4 (ground distribution) and s 39(2)
• Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Regulation 2021 (Qld): s 5 (equipment that is not ground equipment) and s 15 (damage or injury to crops or stock)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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.