EWP (Elevated Work Platform) SWMS
Operation of all elevated work platform types (boom lift, scissor lift, cherry picker, push-around MEWP) for maintenance, construction, and installation tasks. HRWL required for boom and scissor lifts >11m.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Operation of Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs) — including boom lifts, scissor lifts, cherry pickers and push-around MEWPs — exposes operators and ground crew to fall, crush, electrical and entrapment hazards that account for a significant proportion of construction fatalities each year in Australia. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4, any work involving a risk of falling more than two metres is classified High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) and a Safe Work Method Statement must be prepared, communicated and signed before work commences. Boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or greater additionally require operators to hold a valid High Risk Work Licence (WP class) under Schedule 3 of the Regulation. This SWMS addresses set-up, ground assessment, operation, emergency rescue and shutdown for all common EWP configurations used in maintenance, construction and installation work. It satisfies the PCBU's consultation, documentation and review duties under sections 19, 38 and 47 of the model WHS Act and aligns with AS 2550.10 and the Managing the Risk of Falls Code of Practice.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Catastrophic blunt-force trauma, spinal injury or fatality; PCBU liable for HRCW non-compliance and Cat 1 prosecution
Operator ejection, crush fatality of ground crew, structural damage; notifiable dangerous incident under s35 WHS Act
Fatal electrocution of operator and ground personnel, arc flash burns; mandatory notification and Energy Safe investigation
Asphyxiation, sternal crush injury or fatality; documented globally as the leading MEWP fatality mechanism
Severe head injury, fractures or fatality to ground workers; breach of s28 worker duty and exclusion-zone controls
Suspension trauma onset within 10-30 minutes, secondary fall during uncontrolled rescue attempts, potential fatality
Loss of control, collision, basket impact; breach of HRWL competency requirements and PCBU training duty under r39
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where reasonably practicable, complete the task at ground level using extension tools, prefabrication or design-for-safety methods so that EWP use and the >2m fall exposure is eliminated entirely.
- 2Elimination — Reroute work zones to avoid travel beneath or within 6.4m of overhead powerlines per AS/NZS 4576, removing electrocution and arc-flash exposure from the work envelope.
- 3Substitution — Substitute boom lifts with scissor lifts or vertical mast lifts where the work is purely vertical, reducing entrapment and tip-over risk associated with extended outreach.
- 4Substitution — Replace diesel EWPs with electric or hybrid units for indoor or enclosed work to substitute the carbon monoxide and noise hazard with a lower-risk power source.
- 5Engineering — Verify ground bearing capacity, deploy outriggers on engineered spreader plates, and use units fitted with secondary guarding (SkySiren, Sentry) to prevent sustained crush entrapment.
- 6Engineering — Fit and test active load-sensing, tilt cut-out, anti-entrapment bars and emergency lowering systems in accordance with AS 2550.10 Section 5 pre-operational inspection.
- 7Administrative — Verify operator HRWL (WP class) for boom lifts ≥11m, complete a documented pre-start inspection, and establish a 3m exclusion zone with hard barricades and signage.
- 8Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start briefings using this SWMS, nominate a trained ground-based rescue spotter, and rehearse the manufacturer's emergency lowering procedure each shift.
- 9PPE — Operators must wear a compliant full-body harness (AS/NZS 1891.1) with an adjustable lanyard anchored to the manufacturer-designated platform anchor point at all times within the basket.
- 10PPE — Mandatory hi-vis clothing (AS/NZS 4602.1), Type 1 hard hat with chin strap (AS/NZS 1801), safety footwear (AS/NZS 2210.3) and impact-rated eye protection for both operator and ground crew.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates SWMS preparation for a high risk construction work category (fall risk >2m) and requires a current WP HRWL for boom-type EWPs with boom length 11m or greater.
Prescribes pre-operational inspection, ground assessment, operator competency verification and rescue planning duties referenced under WHS Reg 2025 r213 plant safe-use.
Establishes the hierarchy of fall controls and harness anchorage duties applied within the EWP basket; admissible evidence under s274 WHS Act.
Specifies harness, lanyard and energy absorber requirements for EWP operators; the platform anchor and lanyard length must restrain rather than arrest.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
All EWP operation places the operator in an elevated basket above 2m, automatically triggering a high risk construction work category SWMS and consultation duties under r299.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain this SWMS for two years after any notifiable incident; failure attracts Category 1 or 2 offences with penalties substantial and indexed — current maximum follows the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Maintenance contractors servicing commercial and industrial facilities
- →Construction supervisors managing fit-out and façade installation
- →Electrical and telecommunications technicians working at height
- →Tree-care arborists and signage installers using boom lifts
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 four-storey commercial fit-out, a supervisor convenes the daily pre-start at 6:45am beside a 15m diesel boom lift parked adjacent to the loading dock. Using this SWMS as the script, the supervisor walks the two-person crew through the seven listed hazards, pausing on overhead powerlines because a three-phase service crosses the eastern approach. The crew physically inspects the ground, identifies a soft fill zone over a trenched service, and the supervisor selects engineered timber spreader plates from the SWMS control list rather than allowing direct outrigger contact. The HRWL-licensed operator presents a current WP licence — verified and recorded on the sign-on register attached to this SWMS — and dons a harness, anchoring the lanyard to the designated platform point as the PPE clause requires. A ground-based spotter is nominated and briefed on the manufacturer's emergency lowering valve location, satisfying the administrative rescue control. Mid-task, wind speed increases and the operator's anemometer reads 12.2 m/s, exceeding the 12.5 m/s manufacturer limit referenced in the SWMS. The operator returns to ground, the supervisor annotates the SWMS field-review section, suspends work and re-briefs the crew once conditions drop. The signed, annotated SWMS is filed at the site office for two-year retention in line with WHS Reg 2025 r300.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP
Frequently asked questions
Is EWP operation high risk construction work?
Yes, wherever it forms part of construction work. Every elevated work platform puts the operator in a basket above two metres, which is a risk of a person falling more than 2 m under WHS Regulation 2025 s291(a), and s299 then requires the SWMS to be prepared before work starts and consulted on with the workers doing the task. Other categories commonly stack on top: s291(k) where the boom works near energised overhead services, and s291(o) where the machine operates in an area with movement of powered mobile plant. Where an EWP is used for non-construction maintenance, s291 does not apply, but the fall and plant duties still require a documented safe system of work.
Do I need a high risk work licence to operate a scissor lift?
Not for a scissor lift. The WP class high risk work licence applies to boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or more. Scissor lifts, vertical mast lifts and boom lifts under 11 metres sit outside the licence — but not outside the competency duty. The PCBU must still verify the operator is trained and instructed on that specific machine, and AS 2550.10 requires familiarisation with its controls, emergency lowering and rated capacity before use. Record that verification on the sign-on register. The 15 m boom lift in the worked example does require a current WP licence, checked and recorded before the operator boards.
What does the SWMS require if an operator is stranded at height?
A rehearsed ground-based plan, not an improvised one. Suspension trauma can begin within 10 to 30 minutes, so the document requires a trained ground spotter nominated at every pre-start who knows where that machine's emergency lowering valve is and has rehearsed the manufacturer's procedure during the shift. Sustained crush between the platform guardrail and an overhead structure is the leading MEWP fatality mechanism worldwide, which is why secondary guarding and anti-entrapment bars sit in the engineering controls rather than an optional list. Calling emergency services is the backup, not the plan — the basket has to be able to come down without the operator's input.
Should the harness in an EWP basket restrain or arrest a fall?
Restrain. In a boom lift the operator wears a full-body harness to AS/NZS 1891.1 with an adjustable lanyard set short and clipped to the manufacturer's designated platform anchor point. The intent is to keep the operator inside the basket during a catapult event, not to arrest a fall over the rail — a long shock-absorbing lanyard defeats that and can make the outcome worse. Guardrails are not anchor points. Setup matters just as much: verified ground bearing capacity and outriggers on engineered spreader plates, because overturn on soft or trenched fill is what tips the basket in the first place.
What do I receive, and what needs to be added before the crew signs on?
A single editable Word document, bought once, containing the hazard register and risk ratings on this page, hierarchy-of-control mapping, a state-specific WHS legislation schedule, a worker sign-on register, a pre-start checklist and an incident escalation flow. It is a template and must be made site-specific first: machine type and boom length, whether a WP licence applies and the operator's licence number and expiry, the ground assessment and spreader plate arrangement, proximity of overhead services and the clearance distance applied, the wind limit stated in that machine's manual, and the nominated rescue spotter. Section 299 requires consultation with the workers doing the task, so brief the crew from it rather than handing it over to sign.
Document details
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