Printing Industry SWMS Templates

No. Printing press operation is not listed as High-Risk Construction Work under Schedule 3 of WHS Regulation 2025, so a SWMS is not strictly mandated by that pathway. However, the PCBU still has a duty under Part 3.1 to identify hazards and document controls for plant with in-running nips, stored energy and hazardous chemical exposure. A SWMS or equivalent safe operating procedure is the standard industry control and is expected by regulators during inspections.

Best practice is separate SWMS because the hazard profiles differ. Ink mixing involves pigment dust, dermal contact and manual handling under the Hazardous Chemicals Code, while solvent handling triggers Class 3 dangerous goods controls under AS 1940 including bunding, ventilation and ignition control. Separate documents allow targeted controls, simpler training sign-off and clearer evidence of the chemical risk assessment required under WHS Regulation 2025 Chapter 7.

Press cleaning is a recognised high-injury task because operators contact rotating cylinders and in-running nips. AS/NZS 4024.1603 requires energy isolation before any guard is bypassed or hands enter the danger zone. Inching modes must be controlled by hold-to-run devices with reduced speed. The SWMS must document the isolation point, lockout device, verification step and individual padlock control — group lockout is acceptable for crew cleaning provided each worker applies their own lock.

If workers are reasonably likely to be exposed above the workplace exposure standard for any solvent — commonly toluene, MEK, isopropyl alcohol or hydrocarbon blends — then air monitoring is required under WHS Regulation 2025 Chapter 7 Part 7.1 Division 6. Health monitoring is mandatory where Schedule 14 lists the substance (for example, certain isocyanates in some inks). The SWMS should reference the chemical register, latest air monitoring results and trigger thresholds for medical review.

A SWMS is a hazard-and-control document focused on a specific task such as press wash-up, web threading or guillotine blade change, and is the format regulators expect for high-risk activities. A Safe Operating Procedure (SOP) is typically a step-by-step machine operating instruction supplied by the manufacturer or developed in-house. The SWMS sits above the SOP, references it, and adds the risk assessment, PPE, isolation and emergency response detail required under WHS Regulation 2025.