Furniture Removal SWMS

For removalists, home movers and small transport businesses packing and moving furniture and household goods. It follows the job from the premises assessment and packing through heavy items, stairs, loading and tail lift use to driving, unloading and setting up at the destination.

Furniture removal is not construction work by itself; a SWMS is legally required only when it is part of high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299), and otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. If suspected asbestos may be disturbed, or the work is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply.

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

What Is Covered In Our Furniture Removal SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Assess the job and the premises” to “Heat, hydration and fatigue management”. The hazards and controls include:

• Back and shoulder strain from heavy items
• Falls while carrying items on stairs
• Crush by tail lift platforms
• Falls from the truck deck or tail lift
• Items dropping onto feet and hands
• Cuts from glass and broken items
• Load shifting in the truck
• Reversing into people and objects
• Heat illness and fatigue
• Slips and trips on rugs and floors
• Suspected asbestos at older premises

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

• Training in safe manual handling and the use of trolleys and lifting aids
• Training and verified competency for tail lift operation
• Driver licence for the class of truck driven
• Site induction and body corporate or building access induction where required
• No Schedule 3 high risk work licence class covers tail lifts, trolleys or furniture removal

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021

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 with toe protection; gloves suited to the task; long pants and sun protection when working in the open; safety glasses when dismantling furniture
• Emergency arrangements for: serious crush injury or fall and heat illness
• 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.