Safe Work Method Statements, from the legislation up.

A SWMS is legally required before any high-risk construction work (HRCW) starts — one of 18 activities defined in the WHS Regulations (reg 291). It's prepared by the PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) doing the work, in consultation with the workers who'll carry it out, and the work must then be done in accordance with it.

Even where work isn't strictly HRCW, principal contractors on commercial sites almost always require a SWMS before you're allowed on site. If you're a subcontractor working for a Tier-1 or Tier-2 builder, expect your SWMS to be reviewed and accepted before mobilisation.

Under the WHS Regulations a SWMS must do four things:

1. identify the high-risk construction work;
2. specify the hazards and the risks to health and safety;
3. describe the control measures; and
4. describe how the control measures are implemented, monitored and reviewed.

In practice a site-ready SWMS also carries the PCBU/company details, the project and site, an HRCW checklist, the task → hazard → control table with a risk rating before and after controls, PPE mapped to AS/NZS standards, emergency information, a consultation record, and worker sign-on. Keep it specific: generic, copied controls are the single most common reason a SWMS gets sent back.

If your scope touches any of these, the work is high-risk and a SWMS is mandatory before it begins:

1. Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
2. Is carried out on a telecommunication tower
3. Involves demolition of a load-bearing element or element related to the structure's physical integrity
4. Involves, or is likely to involve, the disturbance of asbestos
5. Involves structural alterations or repairs requiring temporary support to prevent collapse
6. Is carried out in or near a confined space
7. Is carried out in or near a shaft or trench deeper than 1.5 m, or a tunnel
8. Involves the use of explosives
9. Is carried out on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
10. Is carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
11. Is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services
12. Is carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
13. Involves tilt-up or precast concrete
14. Is carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
15. Is carried out in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
16. Is carried out in an area with artificial extremes of temperature
17. Is carried out in or near water or other liquid involving a risk of drowning
18. Involves diving work

Australian SWMS rate each task's risk using a matrix aligned to AS/NZS 31000 and the Risk Management Code of Practice: combine how likely harm is with how severe the consequence would be, to get a score. You rate it before controls (RB) and again after controls (RA) — the after rating must never be higher than the before.

Controls are applied in order of the hierarchy of controls: eliminate the hazard first; if you can't, substitute it, isolate it, or engineer it out; then administrative controls; and PPE last or to supplement higher-order controls. A SWMS that relies on PPE alone is a red flag.

Asbestos carries its own regime on top of the SWMS. Confirm the licence class — Class A for friable, Class B for non-friable over 10 m² — and give the regulator (e.g. SafeWork NSW) at least five days' written notice for licensed removal.

Build in: exclusion zones and signage; wet methods/suppression to prevent fibre release; air monitoring (independent for Class A); a decontamination unit for friable work; double-bagged, labelled waste to a licensed EPA facility with tracking; and a clearance certificate before re-occupancy. PPE is non-negotiable — a fit-tested P2 respirator, Type 5/6 coveralls, gloves, eye protection and boots. Cite each control to its source (AS/NZS 1716, AS 4964, the Model Code of Practice, the POEO Act).

Most of Australia runs the harmonised WHS laws — NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT and the Commonwealth — based on the Safe Work Australia model Act and Regulations. Each enacts its own instrument (e.g. NSW's current WHS Regulation 2025), so always cite the in-force regulation for your state.

Western Australia adopted the model laws (commenced 2022) with some variations. Victoria is the exception — it operates under its own OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations administered by WorkSafe Victoria, with Victorian compliance codes rather than the model Codes of Practice. A SWMS for Victorian work should reference the OHS framework, not the model Codes.

A SWMS is a legally-defined document required specifically for high-risk construction work, with the four mandatory elements above. A JSA (Job Safety Analysis) or SWP (Safe Work Procedure) are useful risk-assessment tools but aren't a statutory substitute for a SWMS when HRCW is involved. If the work is HRCW, you need a SWMS — a JSA on its own won't satisfy the obligation or a principal contractor's review.

Only when the AI is grounded and gated. A defensible approach drafts only from a curated knowledge base of real WHS sources, cites every control to the regulation or standard it came from (with the date it was current), blocks any fabricated reference before it reaches you, and never finalises the document — a competent person reviews and authorises before publish.

That's how SWMSBuilder works: the draft is faster than a template and more rigorous than free-form writing, every citation maps to a source, and the compliance gate runs before you can publish. The human stays in control; the AI just removes the blank page.

• HRCW identified and flagged
• Hazards listed per task
• Controls in hierarchy order (eliminate → substitute → isolate → engineer → administer → PPE)
• Residual risk reduced and acceptable (RA ≤ RB)
• PPE mapped to AS/NZS standards
• Emergency contacts and procedures present
• Workers consulted — and the consultation recorded
• Licences and tickets current
• Competent person signed off
• Published, branded, and workers signed on (QR, no login)