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Ladder SWMS — Safe Work Method Statement for Ladder Use on Construction Sites

A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for ladder use is a mandatory safety planning document required under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation 2025 whenever a ladder places a worker at risk of falling more than 2 metres. Portable ladders are the most common — and most misused — means of access on Australian construction sites. Safe Work Australia injury data consistently identifies ladder falls as a leading cause of lost-time injury in construction, and the pattern is stubbornly consistent across every jurisdiction: the ladder was the wrong tool for the task, the setup was incorrect, the base was unsecured, or the worker over-reached from the side rails. In almost every serious ladder incident the root cause is not a defective ladder — it is a selection and use decision made before the ladder left the vehicle.

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SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.

Legal Requirements

regulation

WHS Regulation 2025 Part 6.1 Division 3 — High Risk Construction Work; clause 79 — Management of Risk of Fall

hrcw category

Work involving a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres (WHS Regulation 2025 Schedule 1)

code of practice

Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces (2021); Code of Practice: Construction Work (2019); AS 1892.1:2018; AS 1892.5:2020

section 26a binding

true

Hazards

HazardConsequenceLikelihood
Fall from ladder due to over-reaching beyond the side railsOver-reaching shifts the worker's centre of gravity outside the base of support of the ladder and induces a lateral tipping failure.Likely (B)
Ladder base slip or slide on smooth, wet, polished, or contaminated surfacesExtension ladders are inherently unstable if the base moves.Possible (C)
Fall due to incorrect ladder setup angle outside the 4:1 ratio specified in AS 1892.5:2020An extension ladder set too steep (angle greater than 75 degrees from horizontal) places the worker's weight directly above the base and can induce a backward tipping failure when the worker shifts body position.Possible (C)
Ladder structural failure during use — rung collapse, side rail fracture, locking catch failure, foot detachmentLadder structural failure during active use produces a sudden uncontrolled fall from the height at which the failure occurred.Unlikely (D) for an inspected industrial-rated ladder
Workers below struck by tools, fasteners, or materials dropped from a ladder userA dropped tool or component from as little as 3 metres carries enough kinetic energy to cause skull fracture and traumatic brain injury to a worker below.Possible (C)
Electrical contact between a metal ladder and an overhead power line, live electrical service, or exposed conductorContact between a metal or wet timber ladder and an energised conductor is almost always fatal.Unlikely (D)
Manual handling injury from lifting, carrying, repositioning, and raising extension laddersIndustrial extension ladders exceeding 6 metres in length can weigh 20 to 30 kilograms and are awkward for a single worker to raise and lower vertically.Likely (B)
Falls during transition from ladder to an adjacent working surface such as a roof, scaffold, or platformThe transition from a ladder to a roof or platform is the single most hazardous moment of the climb.Possible (C)
Slips on ladder rungs from contaminated boot soles, wet rungs, or mudMud, oil, paint, or water on the rungs or on the worker's footwear reduces the friction at the foot-rung contact and can initiate a slip.Possible (C)

Controls (Hierarchy of Controls)

[Elimination] Eliminate the need for ladder access where practicable — complete work at ground level, prefabricate assemblies off-site, use extension poles and long-handled tools, or schedule the work for a stage when no height access is required
[Substitution] Substitute an elevating work platform (scissor lift or boom lift) for ladder use on any task exceeding 30 minutes or requiring two hands free — the platform provides a full working surface with guardrails
[Substitution] Substitute a mobile scaffold for ladder use on any task requiring sustained work at the same position — the scaffold provides a stable working platform and is the preferred control under the Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces
[Substitution] Substitute a platform ladder (with top platform and handrail) for a step ladder on any light task exceeding five minutes at height
[Isolation] Establish and maintain an exclusion zone below the ladder using cones, barricades, or signage to prevent any worker from entering the drop zone during ladder work
[Isolation] Isolate the ladder from adjacent vehicular traffic and from areas where other trades could disturb the ladder base — position ladders away from doorways, access routes, and plant movement paths
[Engineering] Select only industrial-rated ladders to AS 1892.1:2018 with a minimum duty rating of 120 kg — domestic-rated ladders are prohibited on construction and industrial sites
[Engineering] Use fibreglass or non-conductive ladders for any work near overhead power lines, exposed electrical services, or inside electrical switchrooms — metal ladders are prohibited in these applications
[Engineering] Secure the top of every extension ladder by tying it to the structure or by using a proprietary ladder stabiliser device; secure the base against lateral and forward slip using a ladder-foot brace or by staking where the surface allows
[Engineering] Fit a ladder grip or ladder safety boot to ladders used on smooth concrete, tiles, or polished surfaces to increase base friction
+ 12 more controls included in the full template

Recent Prosecutions

SafeWork NSW Falls from Heights Enforcement Programme (2023-2024)$972,000 across 352 penalty notices plus multiple prohibition notices

SafeWork NSW inspectors visited 1,218 construction worksites as part of a targeted falls-from-heights enforcement programme, with a particular focus on ladder use, scaffold integrity, and edge protection. The programme issued 1,499 improvement notices, 727 prohibition notices, and 352 penalty notices totalling $972,000 in fines. Common ladder-related findings included untagged and unmaintained ladders, domestic-rated ladders used in commercial settings, ladders used as work platforms for sustained tasks, and absence of a site-specific SWMS for work at height.

2024 — SafeWork NSW Falls from Heights Enforcement Programme Media Release 2024

SafeWork NSW v Maintenance Contractor (2023)$33,000

A maintenance company was fined $33,000 following a SafeWork NSW prosecution in relation to a fall-from-height incident involving a worker who fell from a ladder while performing routine building maintenance. The court accepted that the PCBU failed to provide a safe system of work, did not prepare a SWMS for the high-risk construction work, and had not ensured the ladder was secured or the fall hazard was otherwise controlled. The prosecution followed a compliance review triggered by the injured worker's workers compensation claim.

2023 — SafeWork NSW Prosecution Register

What Your SWMS Must Include

✓Description of the high-risk construction work including the specific task, location, and expected duration
✓Justification for selecting a ladder over higher-order controls (EWP, scaffold, ground-level work) with documented reasons why alternatives are not reasonably practicable
✓Identification of all hazards associated with ladder use including falls, electrical contact, manual handling, dropped objects, and slips
✓Risk assessment of each hazard using a consequence-by-likelihood matrix
✓Control measures documented in hierarchy-of-controls order
✓Ladder selection criteria — duty rating, material (aluminium, fibreglass, timber), ladder type, and suitability for the specific task
✓Setup procedure including the 4:1 angle rule, base condition, securing method at top and bottom, and extension above the landing point
✓Three-points-of-contact requirement and overreach prevention — how workers are trained and monitored
✓Transition procedure where the ladder is used to access a roof, scaffold, or platform, including handhold and extension requirements
✓Tool management method — tool belt, lanyard, or bucket hoist — to prevent dropped objects
+ 8 more requirements covered in the full template

Build Your Ladder SWMS in Minutes

This SWMS template pre-loads ladder-specific hazards, setup controls, and AS 1892.5:2020 compliance references. Select the ladder type and activity, review the controls, and download a site-ready SWMS.

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