End-of-Life Vehicle Dismantling and Depollution SWMS

For vehicle dismantlers, wreckers and recyclers who drain fluids, remove batteries and airbags and strip end-of-life vehicles. It follows the work from receiving and positioning the vehicle through fuel and fluid draining, airbag and refrigerant removal, dismantling and moving parts, to storage and waste. General workshop servicing is covered by other SWMS.

Dismantling vehicles is not construction work (a vehicle is plant, and the construction chapter of the WHS Regulation does not apply to plant unless s 290(2) says so), and a SWMS is legally required only for high risk construction work (s 299). No high risk construction work items are pre-ticked; if the work forms part of construction work, tick any item that applies to it. Otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

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 End-of-Life Vehicle Dismantling and Depollution SWMS?

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

• Fire or explosion when draining fuel
• Airbag or pretensioner firing during removal
• Battery sparks and acid splashes
• High-voltage shock on hybrid and electric vehicles
• Refrigerant release and frostbite burns
• Vehicle falling from jacks, stands or a hoist
• Asbestos dust from old brake and clutch parts
• Sparks igniting residual fuel when cutting
• Forklift and excavator collisions in the yard
• Stacked vehicles and parts falling
• Spills and contact with oils and coolant
• Strains from lifting engines and heavy parts

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 or supervised experience in vehicle dismantling and depollution, including the maker’s guidance for the vehicle models handled
• Training in the safe handling of the hazardous chemicals on site (fuel, oils, coolant, battery acid, refrigerant) and in reading the SDS
• Any licence or authorisation that the law requires for recovering air-conditioning refrigerant, held by the person who does that task (outside this SWMS; check the current requirements)
• Trained person for hybrid and electric vehicle high-voltage systems before any high-voltage component is touched; if the maker’s isolation procedure is not available, stop and get an electrically qualified person
• High risk work licence for the forklift truck class for anyone operating a forklift (Schedule 3); no licence class exists for excavators or grab attachments
• Dogging high risk work licence where loads are slung for a crane; use a separate SWMS for crane lifts
• Site induction and emergency procedures training

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 205 to 215 (plant controls, guarding, maintenance, powered mobile plant)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 52, 53 and 355 (ignition sources, flammable stock, fire and explosion)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 419 (work involving asbestos)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace 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
• Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work 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 Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 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.