Office Safety SWMS

Suits offices, home businesses, trade and construction firms with a site office, and any workplace with desk-based staff. It follows the work from workstation set-up through desk work, handling and storage, electrical safety, fire and emergency readiness, sharp items and machines, temperature and noise, chemicals, hygiene and closing the office.

Ordinary office work is not high risk construction work, so WHS Regulation s 299 does not require a SWMS for it; this works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment, including for a site office on a construction project.

New to SWMS? Read What is a safe work method statement?

What is covered in our office safety SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Set up workstations, seating and screens” to “Complete work and close the office area”. The hazards and controls include:

• Poor workstation set-up and awkward postures
• Eye strain and glare from screens
• Repetitive strain from keying and mouse use
• Work-related stress, bullying and harassment
• Slips, trips and falls on cords and clutter
• Falls from chairs and reaching to high shelves
• Electric shock and overloaded power boards
• Fire, blocked exits and evacuation
• Cuts and entanglement from blades and shredders
• Heat, cold and noise in the office
• Cleaning products and toner exposure
• Working alone or after hours

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

• Workplace induction covering emergency procedures, evacuation routes and how to report hazards
• General construction induction training card (white card) when the office is a site office on a construction site and the work is construction work
• Workstation set-up instruction for workers who use screens, repeated when their set-up changes
• Current first aid training for nominated first aiders and warden training for nominated fire wardens
• Competent person to inspect and test electrical equipment and safety switches (RCDs)
• Licensed electrician for any electrical repair, installation or modification
• Training for supervisors in identifying psychosocial hazards, taking reports and responding to complaints

Legislation and codes of practice referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid 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
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021 (step stools and ladders)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld) (evacuation routes and fire and evacuation plans, where it applies to the building)
• AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs (named in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026)

What you get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages. Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: closed-in, non-slip footwear; disposable gloves and safety glasses when handling cleaning products, toner or waste; cut-resistant gloves when handling blades, broken glass or sharp waste
• Emergency arrangements for: fire, electric shock and aggressive or threatening person
• 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.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed October 2026.