Dogging Operations SWMS

Dogging operations involve the selection, inspection and attachment of lifting gear to suspended loads, as well as directing the crane operator using standardised hand signals or radio when the load or its path is not in the operator's line of sight. The work is classified as High Risk Work under WHS Regulation 2025 r.162 and requires a current Class DG (dogging) licence administered by SafeWork. Because dogging routinely involves loads suspended over a workspace and the risk of load drop, sling failure or crush injury during landing, a Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences under r.299 — this is High Risk Construction Work irrespective of project value. The SWMS must be developed in consultation with workers, signed by every person engaged in the task, kept available at the workplace, and reviewed after any incident or control change. This document provides a CIH-authored, audit-defensible template aligned to AS 4991:2004 and the Cranes, Hoists and Winches Code of Practice.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Pre-fabricate and pre-rig modules at ground level wherever possible to eliminate suspended-load work over occupied areas of the structure.
2. 2Elimination — Cancel lifts when wind speed at hook height exceeds the crane chart limit or 36 km/h sustained, verified by anemometer.
3. 3Substitution — Replace synthetic flat slings with engineered round slings or grade 80 chain when lifting loads with sharp edges or hot components above 100°C.
4. 4Substitution — Use engineered lifting beams and spreader bars in lieu of multi-leg slings to reduce sling angle stress and improve load stability.
5. 5Engineering — Install certified lifting points, proof-tested shackles and tagged tag lines; verify WLL stamps and current quarterly inspection tags before each shift.
6. 6Engineering — Establish hard-barricaded exclusion zones with mesh fencing and signage extending the load radius plus 2 metres in accordance with AS 4991:2004.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-lift meeting using this SWMS, lift study and crane chart; confirm DG licence currency and assign a single dedicated dogger per lift.
8. 8Administrative — Apply standardised AS 2550.1 hand signals supplemented by dedicated UHF channel with call-sign protocol and dead-man radio check every 5 minutes.
9. 9PPE — Wear AS/NZS 2210.3 Class 3 safety footwear, AS/NZS 1800 hard hat with chinstrap, cut-level D rigger gloves, and AS/NZS 4602.1 Class D/N hi-vis.
10. 10PPE — Use AS/NZS 1891.1 compliant harness with restraint lanyard where dogging at slab edges or on perimeter steel within 2 m of an unprotected edge.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a six-level reinforced concrete carpark project, a Class DG dogger arrives for the 6:30 am pre-start to coordinate the placement of pre-tied reinforcement cages onto level 3 columns using a 55-tonne city crane. The supervisor opens this SWMS on the site tablet and walks the four-person lift crew through each hazard line by line. The dogger identifies that the cage has sharp tie-wire ends, so under the Substitution control the crew swaps the planned synthetic flat slings for grade 80 chain slings with shortener hooks and confirms WLL tags against the cage weight on the lift study. The Engineering control prompts the team to extend the barricaded exclusion zone an extra two metres because adjacent formworkers are stripping props nearby — those workers are stood down for the lift window. Each crew member signs the SWMS sign-on register, including their DG licence number and expiry. Mid-lift, wind picks up to 38 km/h at hook height; referring back to the Elimination control threshold of 36 km/h, the dogger calls the lift on hold via UHF channel 12, lands the cage on cribbing within the laydown area, and the crew re-convenes. The SWMS is annotated with the wind-hold event and re-signed before resumption — creating the contemporaneous record SafeWork inspectors expect under r.300.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 2550 — Cranes hoists and winches; AS 1418

Frequently asked questions