Commercial Fishing Vessel Operations SWMS

Commercial fishing vessel operations expose deck crew, skippers and engineers to a concentrated set of high-consequence marine hazards including powered winch entanglement, falls overboard, gear under tension, fatigue from extended steaming and shooting cycles, and rapidly changing sea state. Trawl, longline and pot operations all involve heavy mechanised gear handling on a moving deck, often at night and in marginal weather, which places the work squarely within the scope of WHS Regulation 2011 r291 high risk work duties and the corresponding marine safety duties under the Navigation Act 2012 and the Marine Order series administered by AMSA. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before commencing each fishing trip because the PCBU must demonstrate hazard identification, risk assessment and control verification under WHS s19 primary duty of care, and crew must be consulted under s47–49. This SWMS template provides the structured, CIH-reviewed framework needed to capture vessel-specific controls, brief crew at pre-departure and adjust controls during the trip as conditions evolve.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Elimination — Eliminate manual handling of pot rope under load by routing all retrieval through powered pot hauler with remote stop, so crew never grip a tensioned line.
2. 2Elimination — Cancel or delay shooting/hauling operations when forecast exceeds vessel-specific weather limits documented in the Safety Management System under Marine Order 504.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute manual net stacking with hydraulic net drum and split-winch configuration to remove crew from the bight of the warp during shooting.
4. 4Engineering — Install fixed guards over winch drums, gypsies and capstan nip points compliant with AS 4024.1 machinery safety, with interlocked emergency stops accessible from each deck station.
5. 5Engineering — Fit deck perimeter rails, non-slip deck coating, scuppers and shooting-door interlocks; provide enclosed wheelhouse watch alarm meeting AMSA Marine Order 21.
6. 6Administrative — Implement watch rota limiting continuous duty to 6 hours with documented 10-hour rest in every 24, recorded in vessel log per Marine Order 28 fatigue management requirements.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct pre-departure SWMS brief and sign-on, daily toolbox talk before each shoot, and stop-work authority for any crew identifying gear under unexpected tension.
8. 8Administrative — Maintain man-overboard drill schedule monthly, log all near-misses and review SWMS controls after each incident under WHS Regulation r38 review of control measures.
9. 9PPE — Issue and enforce SOLAS-approved auto-inflating PFDs with integrated PLB worn at all times on deck, cut-resistant gloves to AS/NZS 2161.3, and non-slip steel-cap sea boots.
10. 10PPE — Provide Class 5 hearing protection in engine room, hi-vis foul weather gear to AS/NZS 4602.1, and thermal immersion suits accessible at each station for cold-water transits.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A skipper of a 22-metre southern trawler is preparing to depart for a four-day trip targeting deepwater flathead. At 0530 the crew of five gathers in the galley for the pre-departure brief. The skipper opens this SWMS on the wheelhouse tablet and walks through each hazard line by line. When the brief reaches winch entanglement, the new deckhand raises that the starboard gypsy guard has a loose bolt — work stops, the engineer torques the fastener and the control is verified before the SWMS sign-on sheet is initialled. Forecast review shows a southerly change building to 25 knots on day two, so the skipper annotates the SWMS to cancel night shooting once wind exceeds 20 knots, applying the documented weather limit control. Each crew member signs on, confirming PFD fit and familiarity with the emergency stop locations. During the first shoot at 1400 the cod-end snags on the bottom and the warp loads heavily; the deckhand exercises the stop-work authority captured in the SWMS, the skipper backs the vessel down, tension is released safely and the incident is logged. At 2200 the fatigue control triggers — the bosun has reached six continuous hours and is rotated below for the mandated rest period before the next haul. The SWMS becomes the live operational document, not a filed form.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS/NZS 2299 — Occupational diving operations

Frequently asked questions