Side-by-Side Vehicle Operation SWMS

For farms, rural contractors, land managers and work-site crews whose workers use side-by-side vehicles to carry people, tools and loads. It follows the work from driver and passenger checks and pre-start through terrain, loads and towing to road crossings and parking.

Operating a side-by-side vehicle on a farm or work site is not construction work by itself. A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 only for high risk construction work, so otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. If the work is high risk construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, for example movement of powered mobile plant.

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 Side-by-Side Vehicle Operation SWMS?

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

• Side-by-side rollover on slopes and rough ground
• Seatbelts and roll-over protection not used or damaged
• Underage drivers and passengers who cannot be restrained
• Overloaded cargo beds and liquid spray tanks
• Towing trailers and implements
• Loss of control on wet, muddy or loose ground
• Collision with vehicles at gates and road crossings
• Contact with overhead power lines and low wires
• Hidden holes, rocks and soft ground
• Heat, fatigue and working alone
• Fire from debris around the engine and exhaust
• Vehicle used by untrained people or children

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

• Drivers trained in the operation of side-by-side vehicles and inducted on the specific vehicle; the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 gives nationally approved training for side-by-side vehicles as an example
• No driver under 16, as the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 sets out
• Driver licence and registration as Queensland road rules require for any use on a public road or road-related area
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers a side-by-side vehicle
• Site or property induction covering terrain, no-go areas and emergency arrangements
• First aid provided as WHS Regulation s 42 requires, suited to the property or site

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 214 and 215 (powered mobile plant: general control of risk and specific control measures)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 213 (maintenance and inspection of plant)
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024
• 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 (when carrying chemicals)
• Children and Young Workers Code of Practice 2006
• 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): overhead power line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (model code, not approved in Queensland; guidance only)

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.