Press Brake SWMS

Suits fabricators, sheet metal workers and workshop crews who bend sheet and plate on hydraulic, electric or mechanical press brakes. It covers planning the bend and tooling, pre-start checks, tool changes, back gauge setting, handling sheets, forming bends, long and heavy parts, clearing faults and maintenance. Guillotine shears need a separate SWMS.

A press brake in a workshop is not high risk construction work, so WHS Regulation s 299 requires a SWMS only if the work is part of high risk construction work (for example a fall of more than 2 metres). Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment, and no high risk construction work item is pre-ticked.

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 Press Brake SWMS?

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

• Hands crushed at the point of operation
• Missing or bypassed guards and light curtains
• Sheet whip and swing during the bend
• Unexpected ram movement during tool changes
• Heavy punches, dies and sheets dropped on feet
• Cuts from sheet edges and burrs
• Strains from lifting and turning sheets
• Hydraulic oil leaks and injection injuries
• Stored energy during maintenance
• Hearing loss from machine noise
• Slips on oil and trips over offcuts
• Unsafe foot pedal and two-person operation

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

• Operator trained and assessed as competent on the make and model of press brake, its controls, guarding and the tooling used (no high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 applies to press brakes)
• Setter or tool changer trained in tool fitting, clamping, back gauge setting and the machine’s isolation and lock-out points
• Competent person to inspect, test and maintain the machine, its guards, light curtain and emergency stop (WHS Regulation s 213)
• Training in the workplace’s isolation and lock-out procedure for everyone who cleans, adjusts or maintains the machine
• Training in manual handling of sheet metal and in the lifting aids provided
• First aider on site, briefed on crush injuries, deep cuts and hydraulic fluid injection injuries
• General construction induction training card (white card) only when the work is construction work
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing Risks of Plant 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 Risks of Hazardous Chemicals 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
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): safety switches and portable equipment
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• AS 4024 (series) Safety of machinery (as named in the Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021)

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.