Winch and Snatch Strap Vehicle Recovery SWMS

Suits tow and roadside assist operators, four-wheel drive recovery crews, rural and civil workers who recover bogged cars, utes and light trucks. It follows the job in order: assessing the site, keeping people clear, checking the gear, setting anchors, winching, snatch strap recovery, slopes and soft ground, releasing tension and packing up. Heavy vehicle recovery and crash scenes need their own SWMS.

Vehicle recovery with winches and snatch straps is not high risk construction work by itself, so no item is pre-ticked and a SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). If the recovery is part of construction work, tick the reg 291 items that apply, such as movement of powered mobile plant in the area or work near energised electrical services. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment that you tailor to your vehicles and recovery gear.

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 Winch and Snatch Strap Vehicle Recovery SWMS?

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

• Rope, strap, shackle and hook failure
• Whiplash of a broken rope or strap
• Bystanders in the line of a pull
• Weak recovery points and anchors
• Hands caught at the drum and fairlead
• Vehicle roll on slopes and soft ground
• Recovery vehicle also becoming bogged
• Overhead power lines near the pull
• Traffic at the roadside
• Stored energy when releasing tension
• Water crossings and wet ground
• Heat and fatigue in remote areas

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

• Driver licence for the class of the recovery vehicle
• Training and verified competency in winch use, snatch strap recovery, rigging and safe recovery methods (WHS Regulation s 39)
• No Schedule 3 high risk work licence class covers vehicle recovery with winches or snatch straps; a dogging licence is needed only if a worker slings a load for a crane (use a separate SWMS)
• Four-wheel drive training is recommended for remote or off-road recoveries
• Traffic controller accreditation only for a person who directs traffic; this SWMS does not cover that work
• First aid training for at least one worker on the crew (WHS Regulation s 42)
• General construction induction training card (white card) only if the recovery is part of construction work on a construction site
• Site induction where the recovery is on a worksite

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 34 to 36: identifying hazards, managing risk and the hierarchy of control measures
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 205 to 213: plant (proper use s 206, operational controls s 210, maintenance and inspection s 213)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 214 and 215: powered mobile plant (collision with pedestrians and other plant)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 39: information, training and instruction
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 42 and 44: first aid and personal protective equipment
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities 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.