Transport & Warehousing SWMS Templates

Forklift operation is powered mobile plant work and falls under Schedule 3 Category 13 of the WHS Regulation 2025 when performed on a construction site, requiring a documented SWMS before work begins. Outside construction settings, a SWMS is not legally mandated but is strongly recommended as the primary risk-control document. AS 2359.2 and the Managing Risks of Plant Code of Practice still apply, and most PCBUs maintain a SWMS to demonstrate due diligence and meet client induction requirements.

WHS legislation is harmonised across most Australian jurisdictions, so a single SWMS template generally satisfies requirements in NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania, ACT, NT and the Commonwealth. Victoria and Western Australia operate under their own OHS/WHS frameworks but accept equivalent risk-assessment documentation. Heavy vehicle operations are governed nationally under the HVNL (except WA and NT, which have mirror provisions). Templates should reference the WHS Regulation 2025 and HVNL fatigue and CoR obligations to remain state-neutral.

A SWMS is a worker-level document identifying hazards, risks and controls for specific high-risk tasks such as forklift use or manual handling, signed by the workers performing the work. A Transport Management Plan is a strategic, site-level document covering vehicle movements, routes, exclusion zones and pedestrian segregation across a facility. Both are required for compliant warehousing operations — the SWMS addresses task execution under the WHS Regulation 2025, while the TMP discharges traffic management duties under the Workplace Traffic Management Code of Practice.

Driver fatigue is a high-consequence hazard and should be controlled in the SWMS where the relevant work involves heavy vehicle driving, long-haul courier runs or shift-based warehousing. The HVNL Fatigue Management provisions require accredited fatigue management for regulated heavy vehicles, supported by work diaries and rostering controls. The SWMS should reference the operator's BFM or AFM accreditation, maximum work hours, mandatory rest breaks and the chain-of-responsibility duties of schedulers and consignors.

Repetitive picking, packing and palletising are hazardous manual tasks under the WHS Regulation 2025 (regulation 60) and the Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice. While not classified as HRCW, a SWMS or equivalent risk assessment is the recommended control document, particularly where workers handle loads above 16 kg, perform sustained awkward postures or operate at high pick rates. The SWMS should document load weights, layout controls, mechanical aids such as pallet jacks, rotation schedules and reporting procedures for early discomfort symptoms.