Mustering on Horseback SWMS

Suits graziers, stockmen and contract musterers who muster cattle or sheep on horseback. It follows the muster in order: planning, horse and tack checks, mounting, riding rough country, moving stock, roads and gates, heat and storms, staying in contact and caring for horses. Yard work, loading and quad bikes have their own SWMS.

Mustering is farm work, not construction work, so the WHS Regulation (s 299) does not require a SWMS for it and no high risk construction work item is ticked. The document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment; if the job includes high risk construction work, such as work near energised electrical services, tick the items that apply.

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 Mustering on Horseback SWMS?

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

• Falls from the horse
• Kicks, bites and crush injuries from horses and stock
• Horse stumbling on rough, steep or wet ground
• Tack failure
• Stock turning on riders or rushing
• Roads, gates and fence crossings
• Overhead power lines
• Heat, sun, dust and smoke
• Storms and lightning in open country
• Snake bites and stings that spook horses
• Remote work and delayed help for an injured rider
• Hendra virus and other zoonoses

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

• Riding experience and verified competency for the horse, terrain and stock being mustered, recorded by the PCBU; there is no licence for riding a horse
• Training in horse handling, tack checks and the signs of a sick or frightened horse, including when to treat illness as possible Hendra virus
• Muster leader with the experience to plan the route, brief the team and decide to stop
• First aid arrangements suited to the distance to help, with first aid training for at least one rider in a small team (WHS Regulation s 42 sets no fixed number of first aiders)
• Training in the radio, satellite or phone system and the check-in and emergency plan (WHS Regulation s 48)
• Property induction: boundaries, hazards, yards, creek crossings, roads, power lines and fire plan
• Young or inexperienced riders matched to quiet horses and easy tasks, and supervised, as the horse code advises for matching horse and rider
• Information on zoonoses and hygiene, with Q fever vaccination as good practice (not a legal requirement)

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 42, 43 and 48: first aid, emergency plans and remote or isolated work
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) ss 36 and 38 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 699: notifying a serious injury or a serious illness such as Q fever or Hendra virus
• Industry Code of Practice for Horse Riding Schools, Trail Riding Establishments and Horse Hiring Establishments 2002 (horse handling, tack, helmets, group riding and Hendra virus; guidance for a mustering team)
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024
• 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
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones (ss 10 to 13 and Schedule 2)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (model code, not approved in Queensland; guidance only)

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.