SWMS Development & Safe Work Method Statement Reviews
Need a SWMS for an upcoming project or help updating existing documents?
Overwatch develops and reviews practical, task-specific Safe Work Method Statements for contractors undertaking high-risk construction work across Queensland. We work with your team to document the work sequence, hazards and control measures, helping ensure your SWMS reflects how the job will actually be performed.
Typical turnaround: 3 to 5 business days
Once we have the information we need. Urgent requests can be discussed, subject to availability. Complex jobs, multiple SWMS and site inspections are quoted with an agreed timeframe.
Who you'll work with
Director & Founder
Former Queensland Government transport regulatory inspector and investigator, bringing practical regulatory and operational compliance experience.
Operations Manager & Principal Consultant
IMS Lead Auditor and ICAM Lead Incident Investigator with more than 20 years of HSEQ experience.
One SWMS or a complete library
Generic SWMS templates can provide a useful starting point, but they must be reviewed and adapted to reflect the actual work, hazards, risks and control measures. We help businesses develop practical SWMS that are suitable for their activities and work environment.
New SWMS development
Built with your team around your scope, plant, site and work sequence.
SWMS reviews and updates
We check your existing SWMS against the actual work and fix the gaps.
Subcontractor SWMS review
For principal contractors: we review submitted SWMS and flag what needs amending.
SWMS libraries and digital rollout
A version-controlled library for repeat work, with digital signing and storage.
Only need a template to adapt yourself? Our safety template store has editable SWMS templates. If you're not sure whether the job needs a SWMS or a risk assessment, read risk assessment vs SWMS: what's the difference.
What you receive
- A defined scope listing the activities each SWMS covers
- A clear breakdown of work steps, hazards and the controls for each
- A review-ready document for client and worker consultation
- Agreed revisions and a final editable copy, where included in the quote
- Guidance on when to review the SWMS as methods or site conditions change
Why contractors use Overwatch
- Written by practitioners. People who understand the work, not template resellers.
- Regulatory experience. Our team includes a former Queensland Government transport regulatory inspector and investigator, bringing practical regulatory and operational compliance experience to our consulting services.
- Current references. Legislation, codes of practice and standards cited correctly, with no withdrawn codes or expired citations.
- Short enough to read at the toolbox. Detailed enough to control the risk, concise enough that workers actually read it.
How the process works
A SWMS only works if the people doing the job recognise it. That's why steps 1 and 5 are yours, and we build the middle around them.
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Tell us about the job
Work type, location, principal contractor requirements and your deadline.
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Share what you have
Procedures, equipment information, drawings and existing risk assessments.
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Confirm the work sequence
We talk through the method and controls with the people who know the task.
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Draft or review
We prepare or review the SWMS, then work through your feedback.
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Consult and implement
Your team checks it suits the site, consults affected workers and applies the controls.
Outlined steps are led by your team. We can run worker consultation and toolbox rollout with your crew if you'd like support.
Have a job coming up? Tell us the work and we'll scope it with you.
When is a SWMS required?
A SWMS is required for prescribed high-risk construction work under the Queensland WHS Regulation, including the activities and circumstances outlined below. It must be prepared before the work starts and identify the work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed.
Heights and structures
- Risk of a fall of more than 2 metres
- Work on a telecommunication tower
- Demolition of a load-bearing element
- Structural alterations or repairs needing temporary support
- Tilt-up or precast concrete elements
Ground, energy and plant
- Trenches or shafts deeper than 1.5 metres, and tunnels
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Pressurised gas mains or piping
- Chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
- Areas with movement of powered mobile plant
- Next to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
Environment and specialist work
- Confined spaces
- Disturbing or likely disturbing asbestos
- Contaminated or flammable atmospheres
- Artificial extremes of temperature
- In or near water or other liquids with a drowning risk
- Diving work, and the use of explosives
The 2 metre category is a trigger for when a SWMS is required. It is not a threshold for managing fall risks: the risk of a fall from any height must still be managed, regardless of whether a SWMS is needed.
A SWMS alone doesn't make work safe. The controls have to be implemented and the work carried out as the SWMS describes. If work isn't being done in line with the SWMS, it must stop until it can be, or until the SWMS is reviewed and revised. Other work that isn't high risk construction work still needs its risks managed, usually through a risk assessment or safe work procedure.
Source: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), section 291 (high risk construction work) and sections 299 to 302 (safe work method statements). Last reviewed: November 2026.
Request a SWMS quote
Tell us what you're working on. We'll contact you to confirm the scope, timeframe and fee before any work starts. If you're still planning the project, just share what you know so far.
What happens next
- We review your enquiry and contact you to talk through the job.
- You receive a written quote with scope, deliverables and timeframe.
- Once you accept, we start on the SWMS.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 0428 849 992 or email info@overwatchsafety.com.au.
Thanks, your SWMS enquiry has been sent
Our team will contact you within 24 hours to talk through the job.
If it's urgent, call 0428 849 992.
SWMS questions we're often asked
When is a SWMS legally required?
Before high risk construction work starts. The WHS Regulation lists 18 categories of high risk construction work, including work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 metres, trenches or shafts deeper than 1.5 metres, confined spaces, demolition of load-bearing structures, asbestos disturbance, and work near energised electrical installations or traffic corridors.
Is a SWMS required for every job?
No. The statutory SWMS requirement applies to high risk construction work. Other work still needs its risks managed, usually through a risk assessment or safe work procedure, but a SWMS is not automatically required for every task.
What's the difference between a SWMS and a JSA?
A SWMS is a legal requirement for high risk construction work. A JSA (job safety analysis) is a general risk tool for any task and isn't a legal document type. Many businesses use both, but a JSA doesn't replace a required SWMS.
Who has to be consulted on a SWMS?
The workers who will do the work. A SWMS written without them rarely matches what happens on site, and consultation is part of your legal duty. We can run the consultation and toolbox rollout with your crew.
Can I just use a template?
A template is a starting point, not a finished SWMS. It has to reflect your task, your plant, your site and your controls, and principal contractors and inspectors spot generic SWMS quickly. If a template is what you need, our template store has editable SWMS templates.
Who must prepare a SWMS?
The person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) carrying out the high risk construction work must ensure a SWMS is prepared before the work starts. A consultant can prepare it with you, but that doesn't transfer the PCBU's duties.
Can you review a subcontractor's SWMS?
Yes. We review submitted SWMS against an agreed scope and identify anything that needs clarifying or amending. The subcontractor still has to verify and implement suitable controls on site.
How quickly can you prepare a SWMS?
A standard SWMS typically takes 3 to 5 business days once we have all the information we need. Urgent requests can be discussed, subject to availability. Complex or high risk activities, multiple SWMS and jobs needing a site inspection are quoted with an agreed delivery timeframe.
Do you prepare SWMS for projects outside Queensland?
Yes, subject to the work scope and the requirements of the relevant state or territory. We confirm the applicable requirements before we start.
Need a SWMS Developed or Reviewed?
Whether you need one SWMS for an upcoming project or a complete library for ongoing operations, Overwatch can help. Tell us about the work and we'll provide a clear scope, timeframe and quote.