Truck Mounted Attenuator SWMS

Suits traffic management and road maintenance crews who use a truck-mounted attenuator to protect a work area. It covers pre-start checks, positioning, arm operation, holding station, convoy movement, fatigue, night work and what to do after a strike. Traffic control set-up and moving traffic control need separate SWMS.

Work on, in or adjacent to a road in use by traffic, and work where powered mobile plant moves, are high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291(n) and (o)), so those items are ticked. Also tick the energised electrical services item (s 291(k)) if the raised arm or vehicle works near overhead lines, and any other item the job involves.

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 Truck Mounted Attenuator SWMS?

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

• Attenuator vehicle struck by an errant vehicle
• Roll-ahead of the vehicle into workers
• Pinch and crush at the attenuator arm
• Arm contacting overhead power lines
• Joining and leaving the traffic stream
• Reversing near workers or traffic
• Driver injury from a rear impact
• Fatigue and monotony on long shifts
• Heat in the cab while stationary
• Poor visibility at night and in rain
• Second impact at a crash scene
• Damaged attenuator returned to service

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:

• Is carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor that is in use by traffic other than pedestrians
• Is carried out in an area at a workplace in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant

Licences, Training and Competency

• Current driver licence for the class of truck driven
• Driver trained by the supplier or the maker in the attenuator, its arm, arrow board and lighting, with training recorded
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work on or beside a road
• Working in Proximity to Traffic training for all workers on or next to a road, as the Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008 recommends
• Queensland traffic controller accreditation applies to anyone who directs traffic; a TMA driver who does not direct traffic does not need it, and traffic control is covered by a separate SWMS
• Radio communication competence and a briefing on the agreed call signs and signals
• Site induction and a briefing on the approved traffic management plan

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)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): s 315 (principal contractor: traffic in the vicinity of the workplace)
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008
• Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices Part 3 (MUTCD Part 3)
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015 (Qld): traffic controllers, sections 51 to 55
• Traffic Controller Accreditation Scheme Approved Procedure (TCASAP)
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work (guidance only; not approved in Queensland)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 10 to 13 and sch 2 (overhead power line exclusion zones and unsafe distances)

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.