Forestry Harvesting Operations SWMS

Forestry harvesting operations involve the mechanical and manual felling, processing, extraction and loading of standing timber across plantation and native coupes. The work combines high-energy chainsaw cutting, heavy mobile plant (harvesters, forwarders, skidders, loaders) and the uncontrolled gravitational release of stems weighing several tonnes, often on broken or sloping terrain. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and the equivalent 2025 reforms, tree felling using a chainsaw and operations near energised overhead lines fall squarely within High Risk Construction Work, mandating a Safe Work Method Statement prepared in consultation with workers before the activity commences. The Forestry Industry Safety Code (FISC) and AS 2727 reinforce that no person may fell, snig or process timber without a documented, site-specific SWMS that addresses drop zones, escape routes, plant exclusion zones and hung-up tree protocols. This template provides the controls, sign-on and review structure required to discharge the PCBU duty under sections 19 and 20 of the WHS Act.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Substitute manual felling with fully mechanised harvester head operation wherever stem diameter and terrain permit, removing ground-based chainsaw exposure entirely from the coupe.
2. 2Elimination — Prohibit any worker on foot inside a two-tree-length radius of an active felling face; enforce via GPS geofencing on plant where available.
3. 3Substitution — Replace petrol chainsaws with battery saws for limbing and processing in confined drop zones to reduce kickback energy, noise and ignition risk.
4. 4Substitution — Use long-reach grapple processors instead of hand-trimming hung-up trees, eliminating manual intervention with stored-energy stems.
5. 5Engineering — Operate only ROPS/FOPS/OPS-certified harvesters and forwarders compliant with AS 2294 and ISO 8082, with interlocked door sensors disabling boom function when cab is open.
6. 6Engineering — Establish surveyed drop zones with two 45-degree escape routes per stem, cleared to mineral earth, and a 70-metre minimum exclusion zone marked with high-vis bunting and signage.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct a documented pre-start tailgate using this SWMS, confirming wind speed (cease felling above 40 km/h), fire danger rating, and competency tickets (AC10 / FWPCOT2259) for every operator.
8. 8Administrative — Implement positive radio communication on a dedicated UHF channel between feller, plant operators and snig truck before each stem; no felling proceeds without acknowledgement.
9. 9PPE — Mandatory AS/NZS 4453.3 cut-resistant trousers (Class 1 minimum), AS/NZS 1801 forestry helmet with mesh visor and Class 5 earmuffs, high-vis long sleeves and steel-cap chainsaw boots.
10. 10PPE — Issue personal trauma kit with arterial tourniquet and haemostatic dressing to every chainsaw operator, with documented Provide First Aid (HLTAID011) currency verified on the sign-on register.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a Tuesday morning at a 40-hectare radiata pine clearfell coupe, the harvesting supervisor opens this SWMS at the snib trailer pre-start with a four-person crew: one harvester operator, one forwarder operator, one ground-based feller for oversize stems, and a trainee chainsaw assistant. Working through the hazard register, the supervisor flags that the south-east corner sits within 50 metres of an SWER line — triggering the No Go Zone control — and that overnight rain has saturated the access track, elevating rollover risk on the marked 18-degree pitch. The crew agrees to defer felling the powerline-adjacent strip until the network operator confirms isolation, and to restrict the forwarder to the upslope contour only. Each worker signs the SWMS register, confirming AC10 ticket currency and that they have read the hung-up tree control. Mid-shift, the feller encounters a wind-leaning stem with visible barber-chair potential; he stops, radios the harvester operator on UHF 18, and the team amends the SWMS in the field — adding a bore-cut sequence and a second escape route — initialling the amendment before resuming. At smoko the supervisor records the change, photographs the stump, and files the marked-up SWMS in the project compliance folder for the principal contractor's audit trail.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP

Frequently asked questions