EWP-Based Tree Work SWMS
SWMS template for ewp-based tree work. Covers Tree work from boom lift, chainsaw at heights.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
EWP-based tree work combines two of the highest-risk construction activities on Australian sites: operating a boom-type elevating work platform at height and running a chainsaw from the basket while removing limbs or sectional-felling stems. The work routinely occurs in or near urban infrastructure, residential property, traffic corridors, and energised overhead powerlines, exposing the operator and ground crew to fall, struck-by, laceration, and electrical hazards simultaneously. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and harmonised state equivalents, this work meets multiple High Risk Construction Work criteria, mandating a written SWMS prepared in consultation with workers before the task commences. The SWMS must identify hazards, document control measures against the hierarchy of control, and be available on site for the duration of the work. This template provides a CIH-reviewed, editable framework aligned to the Amenity Tree Industry Code of Practice and AS 2550.10, ready for project-specific completion and worker sign-on.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal impact injury, multiple fractures, traumatic brain injury where harness or lanyard fails or is incorrectly anchored
Electrocution, severe burns, cardiac arrest, secondary fall from platform following loss of consciousness
Severe laceration to face, neck, femoral artery, or hand causing exsanguination or permanent disability
Crush injuries, skull fractures, fatal blunt force trauma to spotters, climbers' assistants, or bystanders
Catastrophic platform collapse, ejection of operator, crush injury to ground crew under falling boom structure
Whip injuries, fractures, eye loss, ejection from basket where line snags platform during dynamic load
Hand-arm vibration syndrome, noise-induced hearing loss, carbon monoxide headache and impaired judgement at height
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Remove tree from ground using mobile crane and rigger where stem geometry, decay, or powerline proximity makes aerial dismantling unjustifiable under SFAIRP test.
- 2Elimination — Eliminate work beneath the basket by establishing exclusion zones with hard barriers and redirecting pedestrian and vehicle traffic before mobilisation.
- 3Substitution — Substitute petrol chainsaw with battery top-handle saw rated to AS/NZS 2727 to reduce exhaust, noise, and vibration exposure in the basket.
- 4Substitution — Substitute freehand cuts with rigged sectional dismantling using lowering devices, friction blocks, and pre-rigged speedlines for controlled limb descent.
- 5Engineering — Use EWP compliant with AS 2550.10 fitted with dual-point harness anchorages, basket interlocks, emergency descent, and tested annually by competent person.
- 6Engineering — Maintain minimum approach distances to live conductors per AS 5804 and energy authority guidelines; install tiger tails or arrange isolation permit before encroachment.
- 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start with all crew, confirm HRWL WP licence for operator, AQF Level 3 arborist competency, spotter brief, and signed SWMS sign-on.
- 8Administrative — Implement drop-zone protocol with dedicated ground spotter, two-way radio communication, verbal cut-call confirmation, and stop-work authority for any crew member.
- 9PPE — Wear AS/NZS 1801 climbing helmet with chin strap, AS/NZS 1337 mesh visor, AS/NZS 1270 Class 5 hearing protection, and AS/NZS 4453 cut-resistant chainsaw trousers.
- 10PPE — Wear full body harness to AS/NZS 1891.1 with twin-tail energy-absorbing lanyard anchored to basket manufacturer point, plus cut-resistant gloves and lace-up chainsaw boots.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates written SWMS before HRCW commences, worker consultation, on-site availability, and review when controls change or incident occurs.
Sets industry benchmark for aerial tree work, rigging, drop-zone management, and crew competency that PCBUs must apply or exceed.
Specifies pre-operational inspection, ground assessment, rated capacity, harness anchorage use, and emergency rescue planning for boom-type EWPs.
Defines minimum approach distances, vegetation clearance permits, and tiger-tail or isolation requirements when tree work occurs near energised lines.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Operator performs chainsaw cutting from an EWP basket routinely elevated 6 to 25 metres above ground or hard landscaping.
Urban and roadside tree work frequently occurs within vicinity of low and high voltage overhead conductors and service drops.
EWP is mobile plant operating on site alongside chippers, stump grinders, and ground crew within active operational footprint.
PCBU must prepare SWMS, consult workers, retain records for duration of work plus two years after notifiable incident; non-compliance penalties are substantial and indexed annually under the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Commercial arborist contractors on local government tree works
- →Vegetation management crews servicing electricity network operators
- →Civil contractors clearing sites for subdivision and infrastructure
- →Facilities and grounds teams at universities, schools, and councils
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
On a Tuesday pre-start at a suburban arterial road verge, the crew leader gathers the EWP operator, ground arborist, traffic controller, and apprentice at the truck for a fifteen-minute brief using this SWMS. The job is sectional removal of a senescent eucalypt with a leader leaning across a 22 kV distribution line. Working through the hazards page, the operator identifies powerline proximity as the controlling risk and confirms an isolation permit was arranged with the network operator the previous week; tiger tails are already fitted. The ground arborist reviews the drop-zone control and walks the exclusion radius, placing cones and a spotter station with radio. The operator confirms her HRWL WP licence and signs the harness anchorage entry, noting twin-tail lanyard attached to the manufacturer's basket ring. Mid-task, a southerly gust picks up and a section swings unexpectedly during a lowering cut. The ground arborist invokes the stop-work clause printed on page three of the SWMS, the crew pauses, and they amend the rigging plan to use a smaller bight and a redirect block before resuming. At smoko the leader annotates the SWMS with the revised rigging method and re-signs the crew on, ensuring the document reflects actual field conditions and remains the live control record for any inspector or incident review.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 4373 — Pruning of amenity trees; AS 2727 — Chainsaw safety