Hoist (Personnel & Materials) Operations SWMS

Construction personnel and materials hoists — typically Alimak, Geda, or Stros mast-climbing units — provide vertical transport on multi-storey projects, moving workers, tools, and palletised materials up external mast structures tied progressively to the permanent building frame. This work falls squarely within WHS Regulation 2025 section 291 as High Risk Construction Work because operations occur above two metres, involve risk of falls, and depend on registrable plant whose failure can be catastrophic. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before any erection, jumping, tying, daily pre-start, passenger movement, or dismantling sequence commences, and must be available at the landing for every shift. The SWMS coordinates the duties of the PCBU, the hoist operator, the dogger/rigger crew, landing controllers, and passengers under AS/NZS 1418.7 and the Code of Practice for Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces. Without it, the principal contractor cannot demonstrate consultation, control selection, or competency verification if an incident triggers regulator notification under WHS Act s38.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Where the building permanent lift can be commissioned early and used under temporary-use protocol, eliminate the external construction hoist entirely from the upper-floor program.
2. 2Elimination — Sequence materials delivery via crane and loading bay so personnel hoist carries people only, eliminating combined load failure modes and overloading risk.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute manual rack lubrication tasks with sealed self-lubricating pinion systems and replace timber landing decks with engineered steel landing platforms rated to AS/NZS 1418.7.
4. 4Engineering — Install and verify landing gate electrical interlocks, overspeed governor, final limit switches, and slack-rope detection per AS/NZS 1418.7 Section 6, drop-tested at commissioning and three-monthly.
5. 5Engineering — Erect mast ties to engineer-certified design drawings at maximum 6m vertical spacing, torque-verified, recorded on tie register signed by competent rigger before jumping next mast section.
6. 6Administrative — Conduct documented daily pre-start inspection using manufacturer checklist covering brakes, limits, gates, anemometer, and emergency stop; defects lock out hoist via danger tag before operation.
7. 7Administrative — Restrict operation to hoist drivers holding HRW licence class where required and competency-verified operators with manufacturer-specific training; maintain training matrix and refresher schedule.
8. 8Administrative — Enforce wind shutdown protocol when calibrated mast-top anemometer reads above manufacturer limit; operator records reading hourly and ceases passenger movement immediately at threshold.
9. 9PPE — All passengers and crew wear AS/NZS 1801 hard hats, AS/NZS 2210.3 safety footwear, hi-vis to AS/NZS 4602.1, and gloves when handling materials inside the car.
10. 10PPE — Erection, tying, and dismantling crews wear AS/NZS 1891.1 full-body harness with twin-tail energy-absorbing lanyards anchored to certified mast anchor points above the work position.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a 28-level residential tower in a capital-city CBD, the site supervisor opens the morning pre-start brief at the ground landing where the twin-cage personnel and materials hoist is parked. The hoist driver retrieves the SWMS from the document station beside the landing gate and walks the eight-person crew through the hazard register, focusing on today's planned mast jump from level 18 to level 22. Using the SWMS hazard table, the supervisor confirms mast tie failure and falling objects as the day's critical risks and points to the controls requiring twin-tail harness anchorage above the working platform and an exclusion zone below. Each worker signs the daily sign-on sheet, acknowledging they have read the controls relevant to their task. Mid-morning, the mast-top anemometer logs a sustained gust of 19 m/s — one metre under the manufacturer limit. The driver pauses passenger movement, refers to the wind shutdown control in the SWMS, and records the reading in the logbook. When wind drops, operations resume. Before the jump itself, the rigger consults the SWMS tie register requirement, torque-verifies the new tie bracket against the engineer's drawing, and signs the register. The SWMS is then updated with a field amendment noting the actual tie elevation, countersigned by the supervisor, and refiled at the landing for the afternoon shift.

Related legislation

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

Frequently asked questions