Trestles & Planks (Bricklayers / Worker Platform) SWMS
Trestles and planks (bricklayers' platform) use covers AS/NZS 1576-compliant trestle setup, span and span-loading limits, plank inspection, three-step access, and fall arrest where height exceeds 2 metres.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Trestles and planks form a temporary worker platform commonly used by bricklayers, renderers, and finishing trades for low-rise wall construction between 1 and 4 metres in height. The system comprises paired adjustable steel or aluminium trestles supporting timber or aluminium planks, providing a working deck for material handling and bricklaying operations. Under WHS Regulation 2025, any work performed at a height where a person could fall more than 2 metres is classified as High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) under Schedule 1, mandating a Safe Work Method Statement before work commences. Trestle platforms are governed by AS/NZS 1576.1 (scaffolding general requirements) and AS/NZS 1892 (portable ladders) for access components, with strict limits on span length, plank overhang, deck width, and concurrent loading. A SWMS is mandatory because trestle collapses, plank failure, and edge falls remain leading causes of serious construction injuries, and the PCBU must demonstrate that workers were consulted on controls and that the platform is fit for the imposed live load.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fractures, spinal injury, traumatic brain injury or fatality; PCBU prosecution for failure to manage HRCW
Sudden deck collapse causing worker fall, crush injuries to persons below, and material strike injuries
Complete platform collapse with falls from height and crush injuries to workers and bystanders below
Structural deck failure, plank deflection beyond limits, and progressive collapse causing serious crush and fall injuries
Slips and falls during mount and dismount causing fractures, sprains and head strikes against masonry
Acute lumbar strain, chronic musculoskeletal disorder, and shoulder rotator cuff injuries from repetitive overhead lifting
Head injury, lacerations, eye injury to ground workers; breach of Reg 2025 falling object duty
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where wall height permits, complete the work from ground level using extended-handle tools or stage the build to ground course before any platform is erected.
- 2Elimination — Eliminate the need for trestle platforms above 4 metres by specifying mobile scaffold or modular system scaffold in the construction program.
- 3Substitution — Substitute timber planks with AS/NZS 1577-compliant aluminium scaffold planks of known duty rating, eliminating hidden timber defects and reducing weight.
- 4Substitution — Replace single-trestle platforms with paired modular aluminium kwikstage bays for spans exceeding 2.4 metres or where two or more workers occupy the deck.
- 5Engineering — Erect platforms strictly to AS/NZS 1576.1 with maximum plank span 2.4 m, deck width minimum two planks (450 mm), and baseplates on firm level ground or sole boards.
- 6Engineering — Install edge protection guardrail and midrail systems on all open edges where the platform exceeds 2 metres fall height, per WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4.
- 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-use inspection of trestles, planks and access ladders by a competent person each shift, recording defects on the SWMS inspection register.
- 8Administrative — Enforce a maximum 2-worker, 1-brick-pack live load per bay and brief all workers on the trestle duty rating during pre-start using this SWMS.
- 9Administrative — Restrict access beneath the working deck using bunting and signage, and schedule overhead work to avoid trades passing below the load zone.
- 10PPE — Supply hard hat to AS/NZS 1801, safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3, hi-vis to AS/NZS 4602.1, and harness with lanyard to AS/NZS 1891 for fall arrest above 2 m where edge protection is not feasible.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets minimum design loads, deck width, span limits and edge protection thresholds for trestle and plank platforms used by bricklayers.
Specifies plank grading, duty ratings, marking and inspection criteria; mandates rejection of split, warped or unidentified planks before erection.
Establishes the hierarchy of fall controls and the 2-metre HRCW trigger requiring SWMS, edge protection or fall arrest systems.
Defines HRCW categories, SWMS content requirements, consultation duties and review obligations applicable to all trestle platform work above 2 metres.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Trestle platforms used for second-course and gable-end bricklaying routinely position workers 2.0 to 4.0 metres above the substrate, directly engaging this Schedule 1 criterion.
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain this SWMS for the duration of the work plus 2 years after any notifiable incident; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Bricklaying subcontractors on residential and commercial builds
- →Site supervisors managing low-rise masonry trades
- →Scaffolders erecting trestle platforms for finishing trades
- →Principal contractors coordinating multi-trade HRCW work
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 two-storey residential project, a bricklaying crew is laying the upper external course on a 7-metre gable wall, working 2.6 metres above the slab. At the pre-start brief, the leading hand opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the three-person crew through the hazard register, focusing on the fall-from-edge and plank overload entries. They confirm the aluminium trestles are set at 2.4 metre spacing — the maximum span permitted under AS/NZS 1576.1 — and that two planks side-by-side give the required 450 mm deck width. The crew inspects each plank against the SWMS checklist, rejecting one with a visible end-grain split, and signs the daily inspection register on the back page. Because the working height exceeds 2 metres and guardrail bracketry cannot be fitted to the trestle frame, the SWMS directs workers to don AS/NZS 1891 harnesses anchored to a temporary roof anchor. Mid-task, the labourer attempts to load a second brick pack onto the bay; the leading hand stops work, references the SWMS live-load limit of one pack plus two workers, and directs that the second pack be staged on the adjacent bay. The adjustment is noted in the SWMS variation log and re-briefed before work resumes.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP