WAH — Roof Trusses SWMS
Roof truss erection, bracing, and tie-down on residential and commercial framing.
SWMS variants reference your state's WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
This SWMS covers the erection, temporary bracing, plumb-and-line, and tie-down of prefabricated timber and steel roof trusses on Class 1, Class 2, and light-commercial Class 5-10 construction. It is written for carpenters, framers, crane-lift riggers, and dogmen working as a sequenced crew — the roof-truss erection sequence is a three-role task involving a lift operator, a dogman, and the on-roof crew securing and bracing trusses as each lands. The dominant hazard is the progressive-collapse or domino failure of erected-but-unbraced trusses — a well-documented Australian fatality mode where a crew finishes a run of trusses without installing the designed permanent bracing before end-of-day, and wind or incidental loading tips the whole run into the work area. The work triggers HRCW Category 3 (fall above 2 m) and Category 15 (lifting with a crane) under Schedule 1 of the WHS Regulation 2025. Section 299 of the Regulation requires this SWMS before work commences. The document is CIH-authored against the current regulatory baseline and aligns with AS 1720.1 for timber structures and AS 4440 for the temporary bracing of timber roof trusses.
Hazards identified
11 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Multiple fatal crush injuries when a partially-erected run of trusses collapses inwards on the crew below; a single unbraced truss toppling initiates the entire run.
Fatal fall from top-plate height (4.5-6 m typical) onto ground-floor concrete slab or internal wall framing below during fix of truss to top plate.
Crush or strike injury to the on-roof crew as a 9 m truss swings through the landing arc; the truss centre of gravity shifts during the lift making control unpredictable.
Truss fracture mid-lift with the load dropping onto the landing area; typical cause is picking at a single point rather than at the two-point spreader pick per manufacturer instruction.
Crane contact with structure or overhead service because the dogman loses line-of-sight or radio signal to the operator during the swing-in.
Electrocution of crew on the truss as the conductor arcs through the load and lifting chain; entire crew in direct contact with the truss is at risk.
Acute back and shoulder injury from single-worker nudging a 200 kg truss into line; crush injury if the truss slips off the top plate during adjustment.
Puncture wound from framing nailer recoil; contact injury from sympathetic discharge or a bounce fire through the top-plate laminate.
Entire truss run tips in gust above 40 km/h because permanent bracing per AS 4440 has not yet been installed.
Worker steps through the opening left in the truss run for a chimney or skylight while walking the top plate; 4-6 m fall to slab below.
Follow-on trades walking through the lifting zone during the lift sequence; strike injury from swinging load or dropped component.
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Eliminate the fall risk by pre-assembling truss clusters at ground level where feasible and lifting as a braced panel — the Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces (SafeWork Australia, 2011) identifies pre-assembly as the preferred elimination control for roof structures.
- 2Before any truss is lifted, the temporary-bracing design to AS 4440 must be prepared by a competent person and kept on site — this specifies the longitudinal brace, end brace, and internal brace locations and must be followed progressively as each truss lands, not deferred to end-of-day.
- 3The first three trusses are braced back to the internal wall or a dedicated temporary deadman within 30 minutes of landing; no further trusses are lifted until this initial braced assembly is in place per AS 4440 Section 4.
- 4Perimeter scaffold with guardrail to the top-plate height, or a catch-platform at eave, is erected before truss erection commences — compliant with AS/NZS 1576.1 and the Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces.
- 5Internal fall protection — harness with restraint lanyard anchored to a purpose-designed internal anchor or to the braced first three trusses once confirmed. Anchor certification per AS/NZS 1891.4.
- 6Crane lifts performed by a licensed operator holding the correct HRWL class for the crane configuration — C2 for non-slewing truck crane, C6 for slewing up to 60t, C1 for slewing up to 100t, or CO for over-100t operations per WHS Regulation 2025 r. 309.
- 7Dogging of the lift by a DG-licensed dogman only; rigging by an RB/RI-licensed rigger where the lift requires rigging practice beyond simple choke and basket hitches.
- 8Tag lines on every truss lift — 4 m minimum, one on each end. Crew controls the truss from outside the landing swing arc until the truss is above the top plate, then guides it down into position.
- 9Pick-point set to the manufacturer's designated lifting points, with a spreader bar sized to maintain the truss verticality during the lift. No single-point picks on trusses over 6 m chord length.
- 10Overhead power-line exclusion zone established before the crane sets up — 3 m from LV, 6.4 m from transmission, or de-energised via the network operator. The crane configuration plan maps all overhead services.
- 11Lift-zone exclusion barricade with signage; all follow-on trades clear the zone during the lift. The dogman or a dedicated spotter controls the barricade.
- 12Radio check between crane operator, dogman, and on-roof crew before each lift; spare radio on site. Visual hand signals per AS 2550.1 as the backup where radio fails.
- 13Wind-speed work stop — suspend truss lifts when sustained wind at the pick height exceeds 40 km/h; full stop at 50 km/h per AS 1418.5 Section 7.3 for crane lifts with sail-area loads.
- 14PPE baseline: safety footwear (AS/NZS 2210.3), cut-5 gloves for handling trusses with exposed connector plates (AS/NZS 2161.3), Grade II eyewear, hard hat with chin strap at height (AS/NZS 1801), long-sleeve high-visibility shirt.
- 15Daily pre-start verifies the previous day's bracing against the AS 4440 bracing plan; any un-braced truss run is rectified before any further lift commences. Recorded on the SWMS bracing-progress check.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Governs the fall-protection hierarchy applied to all work at the top-plate elevation during truss erection.
Establishes the SWMS preparation and HRCW categorisation baseline satisfied by this document.
Binding guidance for crane and lifting-equipment operation during truss lifts.
Applies to truss adjustment, bracing-timber placement, and nail-gun operation during the erection sequence.
Technical standard for the temporary bracing design and sequence that forms the primary domino-collapse control in this SWMS.
Governs the design loads applied to the truss structure and referenced in bracing calculations.
Safe-use standard for the crane operation, dogging, and signal protocols during truss lifts.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Truss erection is performed at top-plate elevation which for Class 1a single-storey is typically 2.7 m and for Class 2 two-storey is 5-6 m above ground-floor slab — the on-roof crew is continuously exposed to fall risk during the placement and fix of each truss.
Trusses longer than 6 m are routinely lifted by truck-mounted or mobile crane; the lift operation itself, with an accompanying dogman and rigger, is an HRCW Category 15 activity regardless of the number of lifts per day.
Framing nailers, impact drivers, and circular saws are in continuous use during truss fix and bracing nail-off.
Because truss erection triggers three HRCW categories (3, 13, 15), Section 299 of the WHS Regulation 2025 requires the SWMS to be prepared before work commences and made available to the Principal Contractor on request. Section 300 maximum penalty for failure is $36,000 for a body corporate and $7,200 for an individual. Where a crane lift or truss-run collapse causes a fatality, Category 1 reckless-conduct prosecution under Section 31 of the WHS Act carries 5 years imprisonment and penalties to $3.46 million for a corporation.
Who this is for
- →Licensed carpenters and framers engaged on roof-truss erection.
- →Crane operators, dogmen, and riggers supporting the truss lift sequence.
- →Contracting PCBUs tendering for residential and light-commercial framing packages.
- →Building supervisors coordinating the truss delivery, lift, and braced sequence.
- →Self-employed framers operating as a PCBU with their own HRCW SWMS obligation.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx, Word 2016 or newer compatible).
- ✓Title page with PCBU, ABN, site address, project, and revision date fields.
- ✓Signed approval block for PCBU, Principal Contractor, and nominated supervisor.
- ✓Hazard register with the 11 truss-erection hazards above, each with inherent risk, controls, and residual risk on a 5x5 matrix.
- ✓AS 4440 temporary-bracing progress checklist for daily sign-off.
- ✓Crane lift checklist including HRWL verification, rigging plan, and exclusion-zone map.
- ✓Worker sign-on register and consultation record per Section 47 of the WHS Act.
- ✓Applicable legislation schedule pre-populated for NSW with a state-variance table.
- ✓Review-and-update log for tracking revisions across the erection sequence.
Worked example
A five-person framing crew — one lead carpenter, two framers, one dogman, and a sub-contracted mobile crane operator — is engaged to erect 32 standard trusses and 4 hip-ended girder trusses on a new two-storey Class 1a dwelling in Camden. The chord length is 9.2 m, the top plate is 5.8 m above slab. Before work commences the lead carpenter completes this SWMS: the AS 4440 bracing plan is pinned to the site shed; perimeter scaffold is erected to catch-platform height; the crane operator (C6 HRWL) and the dogman (DG HRWL) produce their tickets at pre-start; 4 m tag lines are prepared for each lift. The first three trusses are braced back to the internal wall within 22 minutes of landing. On day 2 wind gusts to 44 km/h at pick height; the lead carpenter invokes the wind-speed hold and all further lifts stop for 90 minutes. Total erection: 6 working days, no incidents.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — Section 19 primary duty of care; Section 27 officer due diligence.
- WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) — r. 78-80 (fall protection), r. 213-215 (plant and crane safety), r. 298-300 (SWMS for HRCW), r. 309 (high-risk work licences).
- Electricity Supply Act 1995 (NSW) — Section 44 approach distances to overhead conductors.
- Building Code of Australia (National Construction Code, Volume 2) — Class 1 and Class 10 roof structure requirements.
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) — building-work provisions applying to structural modifications.
Frequently asked questions
Is a HRWL dogman required for every truss lift?
Yes — any load lifted by a crane where the load is out of the operator's direct line of sight, or where rigging judgement is required, must be supervised by a dogman holding a valid DG High Risk Work Licence under WHS Regulation 2025 r. 309. This applies to every truss lift in a standard residential or commercial build.
How many unbraced trusses can stand overnight?
Zero — AS 4440 requires that at the end of each shift every erected truss is either permanently braced in accordance with the manufacturer's bracing plan or safely de-erected. Leaving an un-braced run overnight is a leading cause of truss-collapse fatalities in Australia. The SWMS makes the bracing progress a daily sign-off item.
Does this SWMS cover steel-framed trusses?
Yes — the erection and bracing principles apply to both nailplated timber trusses (AS 4440) and light-gauge steel trusses. For steel trusses, substitute the manufacturer's specific bracing and connector requirements for the AS 4440 references, and note that cut-5 gloves are still required due to exposed connector edges.
What minimum crane capacity is needed?
Capacity depends on truss weight and lift radius, not a single rule. A 9 m girder truss can weigh 350-500 kg; the crane must have rated capacity at the lift radius with a minimum 25% margin per AS 2550.1. The rigging plan should be prepared by the rigger or crane operator before arrival on site.
Can I use this SWMS in Victoria?
Yes with an amendment. Victoria operates under the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017 and the Compliance Code for Prevention of Falls in General Construction. Update the legislation schedule accordingly; the technical AS 4440 and AS 2550 references remain valid nationally.
Document details
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