Skip Bin Delivery & Collection SWMS
Skip bin delivery and collection covers hooklift truck operation, hydraulic skip placement, drop-zone clearance verification, traffic management on residential streets, and manual handling for skip cover/lid operations.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Skip bin delivery and collection covers the delivery and collection of skip bins — transporting, placing and retrieving skip bins using a hooklift or marrel truck, often on roads, driveways and public land. The defining hazards are the loading and unloading of the bin on the truck mechanism, overhead powerlines and obstructions, the bin swinging or striking during handling, and the manual handling and placement. This document is written on the basis that skip bin delivery and collection is carried out by a licensed operator with the loading, overhead, bin-handling and placement controls in place.
Skip bin delivery and collection is carried out in connection with the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the plant requirements, with the loading and unloading of the bin on the hooklift or marrel mechanism managed, overhead powerlines and obstructions identified, the bin handling managed, and the placement and manual handling managed. The loading and unloading, the overhead hazards, the bin handling, and the placement are the considerations. This document coordinates the loading, overhead, bin-handling and placement controls so the skip bin delivery and collection is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush and injury loading and unloading the bin on the mechanism
Electrocution and collision from overhead powerlines and obstructions
Crush and injury from the bin swinging or striking
Hazards placing the bin on roads, driveways and public land
Musculoskeletal injury from manual handling around the bin
Instability of the truck during loading and unloading
Collision with traffic and the public during delivery
Instability and load loss from overloaded or uneven bins
Instability from poor ground condition at the placement site
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: manage the loading and unloading of the bin on the hooklift or marrel mechanism with a procedure, keeping clear of the bin and mechanism, and the truck stable.
- 2Engineering: identify overhead powerlines and obstructions before raising the mechanism or bin, and maintain safe clearance, because contact with powerlines is fatal.
- 3Engineering: manage the bin handling so it does not swing or strike, and exclude people from the path of the bin.
- 4Administrative: manage the placement on roads, driveways and public land with assessment of the site, the ground condition and any permits, and the traffic and public.
- 5Engineering: use mechanical aids — trolleys, dollies, stair-climbers, pallet jacks and lifting equipment — and team lifting for the heavy and awkward loads, and manage the manual-handling and awkward-posture hazard with correct technique and the hierarchy of controls for hazardous manual tasks.
- 6Engineering: manage forklift and plant stability and tip-over with the load within the rated capacity, correct travel and load-handling, and no overloading, on firm level ground where practicable.
- 7Engineering: manage the traffic and public during delivery with high-visibility clothing, warning devices and a safe working position.
- 8Administrative: manage overloaded or unevenly loaded bins, and the Chain of Responsibility where the truck is a heavy vehicle.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold the competencies and licences required for the work, including a High Risk Work Licence for forklift operation, a heavy vehicle driver licence for heavy vehicles, and any dangerous goods or other training required.
- 10Administrative: conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, traffic and plant movements, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 11Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 12PPE: high-visibility clothing, eye protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, hearing protection where required, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 13Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The heavy vehicle law, the Chain of Responsibility primary duty, fatigue, mass and load restraint requirements for heavy vehicles.
Controls for the forklifts, conveyors, compactors, lifting and mobile plant used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The separation of pedestrians and powered mobile plant and vehicles, traffic routes and reversing controls.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
The performance standards for restraining loads on vehicles so they cannot move or fall during transport.
Who this is for
- →Operators delivering and collecting skip bins.
- →Skip bin and waste operators.
- →Waste and skip bin businesses and PCBUs.
- →Hooklift and marrel truck operators.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the loading, overhead and bin-handling controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site or depot address, task or route description, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the skip bin delivery and collection hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Skip bin prompts referencing the Heavy Vehicle National Law and plant Code of Practice, a loading-and-unloading section, an overhead-powerline section, and a bin-handling and placement record.
- ✓Licensing and competency prompts for the forklift, heavy vehicle, dangerous goods and other work, and a plant pre-operational and inspection checklist where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria, and the Heavy Vehicle National Law where relevant.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A licensed operator is engaged to deliver and collect skip bins with a hooklift truck. The loading and unloading of the bin on the hooklift mechanism are managed with a procedure, keeping clear of the bin and mechanism, and the truck stable. Overhead powerlines and obstructions are identified before raising the mechanism or bin, and safe clearance maintained, because contact with powerlines is fatal. The bin handling is managed so it does not swing or strike, and people excluded from the path of the bin. The placement on roads, driveways and public land is managed with assessment of the site, the ground condition and any permits, and the traffic and public. The manual handling around the bin is managed. The truck stability is managed during loading. The traffic and public during delivery are managed with high-visibility clothing, warning devices and a safe working position. Overloaded or unevenly loaded bins are managed, and the Chain of Responsibility met. The delivery and collection are carried out safely, and the records retained.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — the plant, hazardous manual tasks, hazardous chemicals and High Risk Work Licence provisions, and the Section 291 high risk construction work and SWMS duties where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Chain of Responsibility, the National Transport Commission Load Restraint Guide 2018, and the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, apply to heavy vehicles and the transport of dangerous goods, alongside the model WHS framework, and are administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and the state and territory dangerous goods regulators.
- Forklift operation requires a High Risk Work Licence (LF or LO class) under each state and territory's licensing scheme, and heavy vehicle driving requires the appropriate heavy vehicle driver licence; dangerous goods drivers require dangerous goods licensing and training.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the plant, manual handling, hazardous chemicals and high risk construction work provisions applying in place of the model instruments, alongside the Dangerous Goods Act 1985.
Frequently asked questions
What is the overhead powerline hazard in skip bin delivery?
Raising the hooklift or marrel mechanism or the bin near overhead powerlines can cause fatal electrocution, so overhead powerlines and obstructions are identified before raising the mechanism or bin, and safe clearance maintained. Identifying overhead powerlines and maintaining clearance is a critical control in skip bin delivery and collection.
How is the bin loaded and unloaded safely?
The loading and unloading of the bin on the hooklift or marrel mechanism are managed with a procedure, keeping clear of the bin and mechanism, with the truck stable, and people excluded from the path of the bin. Managing the loading and unloading and keeping clear of the mechanism prevents crush injury.
What about placing bins on public land?
The placement on roads, driveways and public land is managed with assessment of the site, the ground condition and any permits, and the traffic and public, because bins are often placed in public areas. Managing the placement, ground condition and permits controls the hazards of placing bins on public land.
How is the truck kept stable?
The truck stability is managed during loading and unloading, with the bin within capacity and the ground condition adequate, because loading and unloading a bin can affect the truck stability. Managing the truck stability prevents instability during the loading and unloading of the bin.
Who delivers and collects skip bins?
Skip bin delivery and collection is carried out by a licensed operator in connection with the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the plant requirements, with the loading, overhead, bin-handling and placement controls. The bins are delivered and collected with the loading, overhead powerlines and placement managed.