Work Over or Adjacent to Water SWMS

Suits civil and general construction crews working beside rivers, creeks, dams, canals, lagoons, ponds and tanks where a person could drown. It covers planning, access and edge protection, rescue arrangements, lifejackets, plant near the edge, changing conditions, the person-in-the-water response and pack-up. Diving and jetty and pier construction are separate SWMS.

Construction work in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning is high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291(q)), so a SWMS is required before it starts (s 299). That item is pre-ticked. Tick the fall of more than 2 metres item where that height applies, the powered mobile plant item where plant works in the area, and the road item beside a road in use.

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

What Is Covered In Our Work Over or Adjacent to Water SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the work and assess the water hazard” to “Pack up and review each shift”. The hazards and controls include:

• Drowning after a fall into water
• Edge protection and working platforms
• Lifejackets and flotation
• Rescue boat and recovery
• Person-in-the-water response
• Plant near the water edge
• Rising water, flow and tide
• Poor visibility and low light
• Cold, heat and fatigue
• Slips on wet surfaces
• Dropped tools and materials
• Remote and lone work

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 in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for every worker on the site
• Lifejacket fitting and use training for each worker (WHS Regulation s 44(4))
• Rescue boat crew trained and assessed as competent in boat handling and water rescue
• First aider trained in resuscitation
• Plant operators trained and assessed as competent on the plant they use
• Site induction covering the water hazard, stop-work triggers and the emergency plan

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces 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
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: lifejacket suited to the work and water conditions, worn at all times while at risk of falling into the water; safety boots with a non-slip sole; high-visibility clothing; hard hat with chin strap
• Emergency arrangements for: person in the water and recovered person
• 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 November 2026.