Working Near Powered Mobile Plant SWMS

Suits labourers, trades, surveyors, supervisors and visitors who work on foot around excavators, loaders, trucks, forklifts and other powered mobile plant on construction sites, farms and yards. It follows the job in order: separating people from plant, walking the site, contacting operators, working beside machines, reversing areas, power lines, poor visibility, parking and incidents. The duties of a ground person or spotter need their own SWMS.

This SWMS suits construction sites, farms, warehouses and yards, so no item is pre-ticked. A SWMS is required by law only for high risk construction work (s 299). If your job is construction work and it is carried out in an area where there is any movement of powered mobile plant (WHS Regulation s 291(o)), tick that item; also tick any other reg 291 items that apply, such as work near energised services. Otherwise the document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

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 Working Near Powered Mobile Plant SWMS?

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

• Pedestrians struck by moving plant
• Blind spots and reversing plant
• Swing radius and crush points
• Separating pedestrians from plant
• Exclusion zones and crossing points
• Operator contact and signals
• Raised buckets and attachments
• Overhead power lines near plant
• Visitors and deliveries on site
• Poor visibility, dust and noise
• Parked plant rolling or starting
• Near misses and incident response

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

• General construction induction training card (white card) where the work is construction work (WHS Regulation s 317)
• Site induction covering plant routes, exclusion zones, signals and the traffic management plan
• Training and verified competency for any worker who acts as a ground person or spotter (see the Ground Person and Spotter SWMS)
• Operators of the plant hold any licence, ticket or verification of competency the plant needs (for example the relevant Schedule 3 high risk work licence class for a forklift truck or a crane); an excavator, loader or skid steer does not need a high risk work licence
• First aid training for at least one worker on site (WHS Regulation s 42)
• Training in the radio or hand signals used on site

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 214 and 215: powered mobile plant (collision with pedestrians and other plant; warning devices)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 206, 207 and 213: proper use, plant not in use and maintenance of plant
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291: high risk construction work, including work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 299: safe work method statement required for high risk construction work
• 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
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021: section 4.3 powered mobile plant (traffic management to prevent collision with pedestrians and other plant)
• 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): overhead power line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2
• WorkSafe Queensland guidance: Onsite traffic management self-assessment tool (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.