Retractable and Folding Arm Awning Installation SWMS

For awning installers and builders who fit retractable and folding arm awnings to houses and small buildings. It covers heavy awning handling, work at height, drilling and fixing to structures, and motor and electrical connection.

Falls of more than 2 m is pre-ticked. A SWMS is required by law for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). Also tick any that apply to your job: work on or near energised electrical installations or services (for example fixing near the service line or wiring the motor), disturbance of asbestos in old walls or eaves, and an area that may have a contaminated atmosphere if drilling masonry could raise a lot of silica dust.

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 Retractable and Folding Arm Awning Installation 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 ladders and platforms at wall height
• Heavy awning drops or strains during lifting
• Drilling into hidden cables and pipes
• Silica dust from drilling masonry
• Asbestos in old walls and eaves
• Arms and springs releasing suddenly
• Crush and pinch injuries at hinges
• Electric shock from motor and mains connection
• Overhead service lines near the wall
• Wind and sun exposure at height

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction
• Licensed electrical worker for mains-voltage wiring and new circuits (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55)
• High risk work licence in the scaffolding class that matches the work (Schedule 3 items 1 to 3) for anyone erecting scaffolding from which a person or thing could fall more than 4 m
• High risk work licence for a boom-type elevating work platform where the boom length is 11 m or more (Schedule 3 item 21); no licence is needed for scissor lifts or other EWPs under that length
• Manufacturer-trained installer, or competency for the awning model installed
• Crystalline silica training where drilling is high risk (chapter 8A), and asbestos training (WHS Regulation s 445) for workers who may be involved in asbestos-related work

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace 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): s 55 electrical work licence
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead power line exclusion zones in schedule 2

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.