Jetty / Pontoon Maintenance SWMS
SWMS template for jetty / pontoon maintenance. Covers Pile inspection, deck repair, pontoon refloat.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Jetty and pontoon maintenance covers structural inspection of piles, replacement of deteriorated deck timbers or steel components, and the refloating or re-securing of pontoons that have shifted, listed, or partially submerged. The work is performed over tidal or open water, frequently involves diver support for sub-surface pile assessment, and exposes workers to drowning, structural collapse, manual handling injuries, and biological hazards from marine growth and contaminated water. Because the task is construction work performed over water at a height where a person could fall and be injured, it is classified as High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and the equivalent 2025 amendments. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is therefore mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with the workers who will perform the task, and must be available at the workplace for the duration of the activity. This SWMS template provides the structured hazard identification, control hierarchy, and sign-on framework required to discharge the PCBU's primary duty of care under s19 of the WHS Act.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Drowning, hypothermia, secondary impact injury from struck-by floating debris or vessels in tidal current
Drowning, decompression injury, severance of umbilical air supply, prosecution under WHS Reg Part 4.8 diving work
Multiple workers ejected into water, crush injury between pontoon and pile, plant submersion and loss
Fall to water or substrate, crush injury, fatal head trauma from collapsing deck section above worker
Ignition of surface hydrocarbons, burns, explosion of sealed pile voids containing flammable gas accumulation
Leptospirosis, Vibrio infection, hepatitis A, cellulitis from open wound contact with sewage-affected estuarine water
Acute lumbar injury, crush to extremities, musculoskeletal disorder from sustained awkward postures on unstable platform
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where feasible, remove and tow the pontoon to a hardstand or slipway facility so maintenance is performed on dry land, eliminating fall-to-water and diver exposure entirely.
- 2Elimination — Schedule pile inspections during low tide and daylight slack water to remove the need for diver entry whenever above-water visual or ROV inspection is sufficient under AS 2187.
- 3Substitution — Replace oxy-fuel cutting of corroded steel piles with cold-cutting hydraulic shears or abrasive wire saws to remove ignition source over fuel-contaminated water surfaces.
- 4Substitution — Specify composite FRP or recycled plastic deck members in lieu of treated timber to reduce CCA preservative exposure and lower per-board manual handling weight.
- 5Engineering — Install continuous edge protection or temporary guardrail systems to AS/NZS 4994.1 along all deck openings created during board removal, with toe boards to prevent dropped tools.
- 6Engineering — Deploy a rescue-ready workboat with trained coxswain stationed within 30 metres of the work face for the duration of all over-water tasks, equipped with throw bag and recovery ladder.
- 7Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start brief using this SWMS, confirm tide and weather windows from BOM, verify diver dive plan complies with AS/NZS 2299.1, and complete sign-on register before any worker steps onto the structure.
- 8Administrative — Implement a permit-to-work system for all hot work over water, including atmospheric testing of sealed pile voids and fire watch maintained for 30 minutes post-task per AS 1674.1.
- 9PPE — Issue and require Level 150 inflatable PFDs to AS 4758 for every person on the deck or pontoon, with annual servicing records held on site and visual inspection logged each shift.
- 10PPE — Provide cut-resistant gloves, P2 respirators when cutting treated timber, full-face splash protection during pressure washing of marine growth, and waterproof first-aid covering for any pre-existing skin breaks.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Establishes the SWMS preparation, consultation and review duties for High Risk Construction Work including work over water under r291(g).
Governs diver competency, dive plan, supervisor presence and emergency procedures for sub-surface pile inspection, referenced through WHS Reg Part 4.8.
Specifies anchor, harness and rescue system requirements when edge protection is not reasonably practicable during isolated deck repair tasks.
Defines the hierarchy for fall prevention over water, mandating consultation and written justification where lower-order controls are selected.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
All deck repair, pile inspection and pontoon refloat occurs directly over or within tidal water where a worker can fall and drown.
Sub-surface pile inspection below the waterline requires occupational divers operating under AS/NZS 2299.1, meeting the Schedule 1 diving criterion.
Deck level on most commercial jetties sits more than two metres above low-tide substrate, exposing workers to a fall hazard during board removal.
PCBUs must prepare, consult workers on, and retain the SWMS for at least two years after notifiable incident; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Marine construction contractors on commercial wharves
- →Local council asset maintenance supervisors managing public jetties
- →Marina operators undertaking in-house pontoon refurbishment
- →Commercial diving contractors supporting structural inspections
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 coastal council jetty replacement program, the site supervisor opens this SWMS at the 6:45am pre-start brief held on the boat ramp adjacent to the structure. The crew of four — two carpenters, one rigger and one commercial diver — gather around the tailgate. The supervisor reads aloud the seven identified hazards, pausing on pontoon refloat instability because the day's task is releasing a partially swamped floating pontoon section. The crew confirms the tide is on the make with a 0.4m rise expected by 10am, and the supervisor cross-references the engineering control requiring a rescue workboat within 30 metres; the coxswain confirms the workboat is fuelled and the throw bag is rigged. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on register, ticking the PFD column after the supervisor visually inspects each Level 150 inflator. During the task at 9:20am, an unexpected southerly swell builds and the diver reports reduced underwater visibility. The supervisor halts work, retrieves the SWMS from the site box, and uses the documented review trigger to record an amendment: dive work suspended, refloat deferred to next slack tide, deck repair continues with revised edge-protection layout. All workers re-sign the amended SWMS before resuming, demonstrating the live consultation duty under s47 of the WHS Act.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 4997 — Guidelines for the design of maritime structures