Table Saw SWMS

Suits carpenters, joiners, builders and fit-out crews who use a site, contractor or cabinet table saw to rip and crosscut timber and board products. It follows the job in order: checking the guard and blade, setting up and powering the saw, fitting the riving knife and fence, feeding stock, short and narrow cuts, clearing jams, dust and noise, and packing up.

A table saw is not itself high risk construction work, so no high risk item is ticked. A SWMS is legally required under the WHS Regulation s 299 only when the cutting is part of high risk construction work, for example work with a risk of a fall over 2 metres or on or near energised services; otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Table Saw SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Pre-start saw check and guarding” to “Shut down, pack up and store the saw”. The hazards and controls include:

• Kickback of stock from the blade
• Contact with the spinning blade
• Missing or bypassed guard and riving knife
• Offcuts and fragments thrown at the face and eyes
• Hands drawn in during short, narrow and groove cuts
• Electric shock from leads and the saw
• Strains from lifting long boards and full sheets
• Fine wood dust and combustible sawdust
• Noise from the saw
• Cuts and amputations when clearing jams
• Slips and trips around the saw
• Unexpected starts during blade changes

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

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction
• Operator trained and assessed as competent on the particular table saw, covering its guarding, riving knife or splitter, fence, push sticks, kickback and blade changes (no high risk work licence class applies to a table saw)
• Instruction in the saw maker’s isolation and blade-change procedure
• Competent person to inspect, test and tag corded saws and leads; a person holding an electrical licence for any repair to the saw’s wiring or the site’s power points
• Trained first aider available on 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 205 to 213 (plant: guarding s 208, operational controls s 210, emergency stops s 211, maintenance and inspection s 213)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 36 and 44 (hierarchy of control, personal protective equipment)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 56 to 58 (noise)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 60 (hazardous manual tasks)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 49, 344, 346 and 351 (exposure standards, safety data sheets, hazardous chemicals register, managing chemical risks)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 42 and 43 (first aid, emergency plan)
• 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): electrical equipment on construction sites (s 140)
• AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites (named in Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 140)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 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: safety glasses with side shields; hearing protection suited to the noise level
• Emergency arrangements for: blade contact or cut, electric shock and fire in sawdust or at the saw
• 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. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

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