Turf Laying SWMS

Suits turf layers, landscapers, builders and groundskeepers who lay turf rolls and sod on new lawns. It covers site and services checks, receiving pallets, moving and laying rolls, ground preparation, cutting and fitting, watering in, and sun, heat and bites. It does not cover artificial turf or landscaping in general.

Turf laying is construction work only when it is site preparation connected with building work or an excavation (WHS Regulation s 289). A SWMS is legally required under s 299 only for high risk construction work (s 291), and no item is inherent to turf laying, so none is pre-ticked. Where the job needs it, tick items such as energised services or powered mobile plant, or a road in use; otherwise the document 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 Turf Laying SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job, inspect the site and check for services and power lines” to “Clean up, remove waste and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Strains from lifting and carrying heavy wet rolls
• Repetitive laying and kneeling injuries
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Striking underground services
• Delivery truck reversing and pallet unloading
• Cuts from turf knives and trimming blades
• Sod cutter and edger guarding, noise and vibration
• Petrol fire when refuelling
• Fertiliser and soil dust
• Electric shock from pumps and leads in wet conditions
• Heat illness and sunburn
• Snake, spider and ant bites and soil infections

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

• Workers trained in manual handling for lifting, carrying and laying turf rolls, and in the safe use of knives and hand tools
• Operator trained and competent on any sod cutter, edger or roller used, following the manufacturer’s start-up, shut-down and emergency stop procedures (no high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 applies to turf laying or to these machines)
• Workers trained in the label and SDS for fertiliser, wetting agents and any other product they apply
• Licensed electrician for any electrical supply or repair work
• A worker trained in first aid, or access to one, including for heat illness, cuts, snake bite and severe allergic reactions
• General construction induction training card (white card) when the turf work is construction work, such as landscaping as part of site preparation for building work
• Site induction and the client’s or principal contractor’s access and working-hours rules

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021 (outdoor work, UV and heat)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work 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
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (suspected fragments in soil and fill)
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008 (deliveries and work on or beside a road)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead and underground electric lines, exclusion zones in schedule 2, and safety switches (s 139)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (guidance)

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 boots with a non-slip sole; gloves for handling turf, soil and tools; cut-resistant gloves when cutting; knee pads or a kneeling mat
• Emergency arrangements for: heat illness, snake or spider bite or severe allergic reaction and contact with an overhead power line by a tool, truck or load
• 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.