Free working at heights swms template
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Free working at heights SWMS template (PDF-ready). Covers the fall hierarchy, edge protection, EWPs, scaffolds, harness fall-arrest and rescue.
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Key takeaways
- Work with a fall risk over 2 metres is high-risk construction work and needs a SWMS before it starts.
- Apply the fall hierarchy: eliminate, then passive fall prevention, then work positioning, then fall arrest, ladders last.
- Passive controls like guardrails and scaffolds beat harness systems because they do not depend on the worker.
- Every fall-arrest setup needs a rescue plan and clearance check to prevent suspension trauma after a fall.
- Keep the SWMS site-specific: anchor ratings, exclusion zones, EWP licences and equipment inspections all recorded.
Updated 9 June 2026
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What is a working at heights swms template?
A working at heights SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) is the document a PCBU must prepare before construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres is carried out, because that work is high-risk construction work under the WHS Regulations 2011. The statement identifies the heights tasks, the fall hazards they create, the controls applied through the fall hierarchy, and how those controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed on site.
Working at heights is one of the leading causes of construction fatalities in Australia, so a generic statement is not enough. The Managing the risk of falls at workplaces Code of Practice requires you to work through higher-order controls first: do the task from the ground or a solid construction, then use passive fall prevention such as guardrails, scaffolds and covers, before relying on work positioning, then fall-arrest harness systems with a rescue plan. A site-specific SWMS records which control applies to each task, the anchor and equipment standards, the exclusion zones below, and the competencies of the people doing the work.
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Benefits of using this working at heights swms template
- Fall fatality prevention: forces higher-order controls so teams design out the fall before relying on a harness and lanyard.
- Regulatory compliance: meets the SWMS duty for high-risk construction work involving a fall risk of more than 2 metres.
- Hierarchy discipline: documents elimination, passive fall prevention, work positioning and fall arrest in the order the Code requires.
- Rescue readiness: captures the fall-arrest rescue plan so a suspended worker is recovered fast and suspension trauma is avoided.
- Competency assurance: records EWP licences, scaffold tickets and harness training so only authorised people work at height.
- Audit evidence: a signed, site-specific statement shows regulators and principal contractors that fall risks were controlled.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your procedures from paper to MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
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- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
- Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
- Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.
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What to include in a working at heights swms template
This working at heights swms template covers 9 key areas:
- Project and task details: site address, work area, description of each heights task, fall height, surface type, start and finish dates.
- Fall hazard identification: unprotected edges, floor and roof openings, fragile or brittle surfaces, ladders, scaffolds, EWPs, falling objects, weather and wind.
- Hierarchy of control applied per task: elimination, passive fall prevention, work positioning, then fall arrest, with the chosen control justified.
- Edge protection and platforms: guardrail systems, scaffolds, working platforms, covers over openings, and the standard each is built or rated to.
- Elevating work platforms and access: EWP type, rated capacity, operator high-risk work licence, ground assessment, and exclusion zone below.
- Fall-arrest system detail: full body harness, lanyard or inertia reel, anchor point rating and certification, free-fall distance and clearance check.
- Rescue plan: method to retrieve a suspended worker promptly, equipment on site, trained rescuers, and suspension trauma first aid.
- Competency and inspection records: harness and lanyard pre-use inspection, anchor certification, EWP and scaffold tickets, exclusion zone signage.
- Sign-off and review: workers consulted, names and signatures, supervisor approval, and trigger points for revising the SWMS if conditions change.
How to use this working at heights swms template
- Identify every fall hazard across the work area.: Walk the work area and list every fall hazard: unprotected edges, floor and roof penetrations, fragile roof sheeting, ladder and scaffold access, EWP zones, and the height of each potential fall. Note overhead power lines, wind exposure and anything that could fall onto people below.
- Select the highest practicable control through the fall hierarchy.: For each task, decide the highest practicable control. Can the work be done from the ground or prefabricated? If not, can guardrails, a scaffold, a working platform or a cover prevent the fall? Only where a fall cannot be prevented do you move to work positioning, then to a fall-arrest harness system.
- Specify the chosen controls and equipment in detail.: Specify the chosen control in detail. For passive protection, record the platform or guardrail standard and who installs it. For EWPs, record the operator licence, ground assessment and exclusion zone. For fall arrest, record the anchor rating and certification, harness, lanyard or inertia reel, and the clearance and free-fall check.
- Prepare the rescue plan and protect the area below.: Prepare the rescue plan before work starts. Set out how a suspended worker will be retrieved quickly without waiting for emergency services, the rescue equipment kept on site, the trained rescuers, and the suspension trauma first aid. Establish exclusion zones below and confirm dropped-object controls such as toe boards and tool tethers.
- Consult workers, sign off and review when conditions change.: Consult the workers who will do the task, walk them through the hazards and controls, and have them sign the SWMS. The supervisor approves it and keeps it on site. Review and revise the statement whenever conditions change, such as new weather, a different anchor, or a change in access method, and stop work if controls cannot be met.
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A working at heights SWMS is prepared before the high-risk construction work starts and is used for the duration of that work, not on a fixed calendar cycle, because the trigger is the task and its fall risk rather than the passage of time. It must be reviewed and revised whenever the work method changes, a new fall hazard appears, an incident or near miss occurs, or the controls in the statement are not being followed.
Day to day, the SWMS is reinforced through the pre-start or toolbox talk, and the equipment it relies on has its own routine checks: harnesses, lanyards and anchor connectors are inspected before each use and at the intervals set in AS/NZS 1891.4, while EWPs and scaffolds are inspected and handed over by competent people. In MapTrack, attach the SWMS as a required form on each heights job and link the harness, anchor and EWP inspections so the controls stay current.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- WHS Regulations 2011, Regulation 291 - Meaning of high-risk construction work (includes a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres)
- WHS Regulations 2011, Regulation 299 - Safe work method statement required for high-risk construction work
- WHS Regulations 2011, Regulation 79 - Management of risk of fall (fall prevention device, then work positioning, then fall arrest)
- Safe Work Australia - Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls at workplaces
- AS/NZS 1891 - Personal equipment for work at height; AS 1657 - Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders; AS/NZS 1892 - Portable ladders
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