On-Site Plant Refuelling SWMS

On-site plant refuelling involves transferring diesel, petrol or other hydrocarbon fuels into mobile plant, generators and equipment using either fixed bowsers, IBC tanks, fuel trailers or portable jerry cans. The work introduces simultaneous fire, explosion, environmental contamination and manual handling exposures that escalate sharply when refuelling occurs near ignition sources, in confined yards, or adjacent to stormwater drains and waterways. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and the equivalent 2025 framework, refuelling activities forming part of construction work, or carried out where flammable atmospheres may form, attract a documented Safe Work Method Statement obligation before work commences. The SWMS must identify each hazard, nominate hierarchy-based controls, and be signed by every worker undertaking the task. This template provides a CIH-reviewed, editable structure aligned to AS 1940, the Dangerous Goods Code, and Australian environmental protection duties, allowing PCBUs to demonstrate due diligence across all eight Australian jurisdictions.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Eliminate on-site refuelling where reasonably practicable by scheduling plant returns to depot fixed refuelling facilities with engineered bunding and vapour recovery.
2. 2Elimination — Remove all ignition sources within a 3m radius of the fill point before commencing transfer, including isolating hot work permits in the zone.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute manual jerry can decanting with closed-circuit dry-break couplings on dedicated fuel service trucks compliant with AS 1940 transfer requirements.
4. 4Substitution — Replace petrol-fuelled small plant with diesel or battery alternatives to reduce vapour-phase flammability risk during refuelling operations.
5. 5Engineering — Install bonding cable between fuel container and receiving plant before opening either cap, verifying continuity to dissipate static per AS 1020 requirements.
6. 6Engineering — Deploy portable spill bunding, drip trays of minimum 110% nozzle volume, and stormwater drain covers under and around every refuelling point.
7. 7Administrative — Issue refuelling permit listing plant cool-down period of minimum 15 minutes, exclusion zone, spill kit location, and authorised refueller competency requirements.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct pre-start SWMS sign-on, verify SDS availability, brief emergency response and EPA notification procedure, and log fuel volumes transferred.
9. 9PPE — Wear nitrile chemical-resistant gloves, splash safety glasses or face shield, antistatic FR-rated coveralls, and steel-cap boots throughout the transfer task.
10. 10PPE — Maintain a 9kg dry chemical fire extinguisher and absorbent spill kit within 5m of the refuelling point, inspected monthly and tagged per AS 1851.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a regional highway upgrade project, the site supervisor opens the pre-start brief at 6:30am alongside an excavator operator and a fuel truck driver scheduled to refuel three machines before shift commencement. The supervisor walks the crew through the On-Site Plant Refuelling SWMS, pausing at the hazard register to confirm the excavator parked nearest the open table drain creates an unacceptable spill pathway. Referencing the engineering controls section, the crew agrees to reposition the machine 8m uphill onto the hardstand, deploy a portable bund under the fill point, and cover the nearest stormwater pit with a neoprene drain mat from the spill kit. The fuel truck driver demonstrates bonding cable continuity to the receiving tank using the procedure listed in control item five, and confirms the 9kg extinguisher is within arm's reach. All three workers sign onto the SWMS sign-on register before any cap is opened. Midway through refuelling the second machine, the operator notices the turbo housing radiating heat and pauses the task. The supervisor consults the SWMS cool-down clause, confirms the required 15-minute interval has not elapsed, and the crew waits before resuming. A short toolbox amendment is documented on the SWMS variation page, signed, and filed to the project HSE record for the statutory retention period.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 1940 — Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids

Frequently asked questions