First Aid Response Team / On-Site Medic SWMS

On-site first aid response and embedded medic services on Australian construction, mining, and major event sites involve immediate clinical care, biological exposure management, and patient transport coordination in environments where definitive medical care may be 30 minutes or more away. The work routinely exposes responders to bloodborne pathogens, sharps, contaminated body fluids, manual handling of incapacitated patients on uneven terrain, psychological trauma from serious injury scenes, and vehicle movement risks during patient evacuation. WHS Regulation 2011 r42 mandates adequate first aid arrangements, while r291 classifies work involving biological exposure and patient handling in high-risk construction settings as High Risk Construction Work requiring a documented SWMS before any task commences. A SWMS is mandatory because the PCBU must demonstrate that biological, ergonomic, and transport hazards have been systematically identified, controlled through the hierarchy, communicated to all responders, and reviewed after each significant incident under WHS Act s19 primary duty of care.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Remove responders from active hazard zones before clinical assessment begins; demand work stoppage and isolation of energy sources prior to entering the patient location.
2. 2Elimination — Eliminate sharps reuse by mandating single-use safety-engineered devices (retractable lancets, shielded cannulae) compliant with AS/NZS 4031 for all invasive procedures.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute manual stretcher carries with wheeled scoop stretchers, vacuum mattresses, or powered evacuation chairs wherever terrain allows to reduce spinal loading.
4. 4Substitution — Replace glass ampoules with plastic pre-filled syringes and substitute latex gloves with nitrile to eliminate sensitisation and breakage risks.
5. 5Engineering — Establish designated medical bay with hands-free taps, sealed sharps containers to AS 4031, biohazard waste bins, and dedicated decontamination sink isolated from amenities.
6. 6Engineering — Deploy designated helicopter landing zones and ambulance access routes with bollards, lighting, and exclusion barriers controlled by trained traffic spotters.
7. 7Administrative — Maintain current Basic/Advanced Life Support certification, drug authority, and annual competency reassessment documented against HLTAID014 or paramedic registration standards.
8. 8Administrative — Implement two-responder rule for manual patient handling above 30kg, mandatory debriefing after Category 1 incidents, and rotation limits to prevent fatigue.
9. 9PPE — Issue Standard Precautions kit: AS/NZS 1716 P2 respirator, AS/NZS 1337 eye protection, fluid-resistant gown, double nitrile gloves, and structured doff sequence per ICEG guidance.
10. 10PPE — Provide high-visibility AS/NZS 4602.1 garments, AS/NZS 2210.3 safety footwear, and hearing protection during helicopter operations for all attending medical personnel.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

At the pre-start briefing for a regional wind farm civil works package, the site medic opens this SWMS on a ruggedised tablet alongside the day's permits. The crew is pouring turbine base concrete in 34°C ambient heat, with a mobile crane operating and concrete pump lines under pressure — conditions flagged in the hazard register as elevating both manual handling and trauma risk. The medic walks the 18-person crew through the bloodborne pathogen control sequence, points to the location of the sharps container and biohazard kit in the demountable medical bay, and confirms the two nominated stretcher-bearers for the day. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on register acknowledging the casualty extraction route and the helicopter landing zone exclusion procedure. Mid-shift, a labourer sustains a deep forearm laceration from exposed reinforcement. The medic refers back to the SWMS control list: dons double nitrile gloves and eye protection before approaching, instructs the crane operator to stand down via radio per the vehicle movement control, manages haemorrhage with single-use trauma dressings, and disposes of contaminated materials directly into the on-site biohazard bin. After the patient is evacuated by road ambulance, the medic annotates the SWMS with a control adjustment — adding mandatory cut-resistant sleeves for steel-fixing tasks — and circulates the revised version for re-sign at the following morning's pre-start.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Code of Practice — Hazardous Manual Tasks

Frequently asked questions