On-Site Mobile Refuelling SWMS

Suits earthmoving, civil, agricultural and plant hire businesses that refuel machines on site from a utility-mounted, trailer or skid tank. It follows the job in order: setting up the zone, checking the tank, positioning the vehicle, preparing the machine, bonding and connecting, transferring fuel, reaching high filler points, portable containers, spills and fire, and packing up. Bulk tanker deliveries have their own SWMS.

Refuelling is not construction work by itself, so a SWMS is not required by law for it under WHS Regulation s 299 and no high risk construction work item is ticked. If the refuelling is part of high risk construction work on a site, such as work in an area that may have a flammable atmosphere or where powered mobile plant is moving, tick the items that apply; otherwise the document 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 On-Site Mobile Refuelling 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 and explosion from fuel vapour
• Static electricity discharge at the filler
• Fuel spills and leaks
• Overfilling and splash filling
• Skin and eye contact with diesel and petrol
• Hoses, couplings and nozzles failing
• Mobile tank and vehicle movement on site
• Overhead power lines near the refuelling vehicle
• Falls when reaching high filler points
• Manual handling of hoses and fuel containers
• Fuel entering drains and waterways
• Fire response and extinguishers

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 and verified competency for the refueller in the mobile tank, pump, bonding, nozzle, spill response and emergency procedure (WHS Regulation s 39)
• Fire extinguisher training, and first aid training that covers fuel splashes, burns and vapour exposure
• Driver licence of the class that covers the vehicle; where the mobile tank is carried on a public road and holds dangerous goods in a receptacle of more than 500 L, or the load is more than 500 kg of dangerous goods in a receptacle, the vehicle must be licensed and the driver must hold a dangerous goods driver licence (Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Dangerous Goods) Regulation 2018 ss 186 and 187)
• Site induction, including the site’s refuelling rules, emergency plan and assembly point; a general construction induction training card (white card) where the site is a construction site and its rules require one
• Spotter briefed on hand signals and the refuelling zone when the vehicle is reversed
• Competent person to maintain and inspect the tank, pump, hoses and nozzle in line with the manufacturer’s instructions (WHS Regulation s 213)
• Health monitoring for refuellers where there is a significant risk of exposure to a Schedule 14 chemical such as benzene in petrol (WHS Regulation s 368)
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders as the site needs (WHS Regulation s 42)

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): chapter 7 part 7.1 (hazardous chemicals), including ss 341 to 346 (labels, SDS and register) and ss 351 to 364 (risk management, spills, impact protection, fire protection, safety equipment and bulk containers)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 51 to 53 (hazardous atmospheres, ignition sources and flammable material kept at the lowest practicable quantity)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): plant ss 211, 213, 214 and 215; noise ss 56 to 58
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Dangerous Goods) Regulation 2018 (Qld), where the mobile tank is carried by road and the fuel is dangerous goods in a quantity it covers
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 (tractor refuelling guidance)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces 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 Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones (ss 10 to 13 and Schedule 2)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 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.