Free working at heights swms
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Free working at heights SWMS template (PDF-ready). Fall prevention, edge protection, harness, anchor and rescue controls for any fall risk.
Commercial Director
Updated 5 July 2026
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What is a working at heights swms?
A working at heights Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is the high-risk construction work document that sets out how work with a risk of a fall will be carried out safely. It records the job and site, the workers and their tickets, the plant and fall-protection equipment used, and a row for every work step showing the hazard, the risk rating, the controls and how each control is implemented, monitored and reviewed. For work at height it focuses on the fall-prevention hierarchy: working from the ground where possible, then passive protection such as edge protection and platforms, then fall-arrest systems with harnesses and anchors as a last line.
A working at heights SWMS matters because a fall is one of the most common causes of serious injury and death on Australian sites. Under the model WHS Regulations you must manage the risk of any fall that is reasonably likely to cause injury, regardless of height, so there is no general two-metre rule for the duty to control falls. Separately, construction work with a risk of a person falling more than two metres is named in the high-risk construction work categories, and that is the trigger that requires a SWMS before the work starts (in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017). This template keeps the fall-prevention hierarchy explicit so a crew reaches for edge protection and platforms before harnesses, ties the controls to the specific structure or asset, and gives you the dated, signed evidence a regulator or principal contractor expects.
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Benefits of using this working at heights swms
- Hierarchy first: the fall-prevention hierarchy is built into the steps so the crew reaches for edge protection and platforms before defaulting to harnesses.
- Edge and anchor detail: recording anchor points, rated capacities and edge protection removes guesswork about what a harness is actually clipped to.
- Exclusion zones: dedicated steps for exclusion and drop zones protect the people working below from falling tools and materials.
- Rescue planning: a required rescue plan means a worker in suspension is recovered fast, not left hanging while the crew improvises.
- Regulatory fit: construction work with a risk of falling more than 2m needs a SWMS, and this template captures the hazard, control and review detail the regulation requires.
- Ticket assurance: recording tickets and training for scaffold, EWP and fall-arrest confirms only competent workers carry out the height work.
- Crew sign-on: every worker signs on, so the whole crew shares the same understanding of anchor points, edges and rescue arrangements.
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What to include in a working at heights swms
This working at heights swms covers 10 key areas:
- Job description, site or project, principal contractor and the structure or asset worked on
- SWMS number, date prepared and revision, with the person responsible for the SWMS
- Workers and roles, plus tickets and training for scaffold, EWP and fall-arrest use
- Fall-protection equipment: harnesses, lanyards, anchors, edge protection and platforms
- Access method: scaffold, EWP, ladder or fixed platform, with its inspection status
- Anchor points and their rated capacity, and how the system limits free-fall distance
- Work steps in order, one row per step, covering access, the task and egress
- Hazard, risk rating, controls and residual risk for each step
- Exclusion or drop zones below the work, and how tools and materials are secured
- Rescue plan for a fallen or suspended worker, emergency arrangements and worker sign-on
How to use this working at heights swms
- Plan the job and confirm access and tickets: Define the work, the structure and the site, decide how the crew will reach the height safely, and confirm every worker holds the ticket or training for the access method and fall-arrest use. Construction work with a risk of falling more than two metres is high-risk construction work, so the SWMS must be ready and understood before anyone goes up.
- Apply the fall-prevention hierarchy: Work down the hierarchy: do the task from the ground or a solid platform where you can, then use passive protection such as edge protection, guardrails and elevating work platforms, and only rely on fall-arrest harnesses and anchors as a last line. Record which level applies to each step so the crew is not defaulting to a harness when a platform would remove the risk.
- Confirm anchors, edges and exclusion zones: Identify and record every anchor point and its rated capacity, confirm edge protection is in place, and set exclusion or drop zones below the work so no one stands under falling tools or materials. Check the free-fall distance and clearance so an arrested fall does not let the worker hit the ground or a lower level.
- Rate hazards, apply controls and set the rescue plan: For each work step, score the risk and apply the controls, noting who implements each and how it is monitored. Write a rescue plan for a fallen or suspended worker before work starts, because a worker left hanging in a harness needs recovery within minutes, and improvising a rescue on the day costs the time you do not have.
- Sign on, monitor and review: Every worker reads and signs on to the SWMS, and the supervisor authorises the job. Keep it at the work front, stop and revise it if the weather, the structure or the method changes, and review it after the job or any incident so the fall-protection controls stay current for the next crew.
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Prepare a working at heights SWMS before the work starts, and review it whenever the access method, the structure, the weather or the crew changes. Wind and wet conditions in particular can turn a controlled task into a fall risk, so reassess at the start of each shift and when conditions shift.
Stop work and revise the SWMS if a control is not being followed or is not working, then re-communicate it and have the crew sign on again. Formally review the master SWMS after any incident or near miss, after a change to the structure or method, or when a relevant standard or regulation changes.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- Model Work Health and Safety Act (enacted in each state and territory; in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004)
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations, fall management (reg 78) and specific fall controls (reg 79), plus high-risk construction work and SWMS duties (regs 291 and 299; in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017)
- Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls at workplaces
- AS/NZS 1891.4:2025 Personal equipment for work at height, Part 4: Selection, use and maintenance
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<p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#0E7490;margin:0;">Free template</p>
<p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Working at Heights SWMS</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Job description, site or project, principal contractor and the structure or asset worked on</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">SWMS number, date prepared and revision, with the person responsible for the SWMS</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Workers and roles, plus tickets and training for scaffold, EWP and fall-arrest use</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Fall-protection equipment: harnesses, lanyards, anchors, edge protection and platforms</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Access method: scaffold, EWP, ladder or fixed platform, with its inspection status</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Anchor points and their rated capacity, and how the system limits free-fall distance</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/working-at-heights-swms-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Working at Heights SWMS</a> by MapTrack</p>
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