Scaffolding · Australia

SWMS for scaffold alteration

By SiteSortedBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated 9 November 2026

Yes. Scaffold alteration usually includes high risk construction work (risk of a person falling more than 2 metres), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

It must list the hazards, the controls and how they will be put in place, monitored and reviewed, and the workers must be consulted and sign before starting. The main hazards are falling from height, scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold, falling tools and materials and public entering the work area.

Make this SWMS now Word template PDF

SWMS example: scaffold alteration

This is a complete SWMS for scaffold alteration, with 5 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)

Scaffold alteration · Scaffolding · Example

Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres

Job steps, hazards and controls

#	Job step	Hazards	Risk before	Controls	Risk after
1	Only licensed or carded scaffolders alter scaffold; tag it out first	Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold	Extreme	Scaffold is built, altered and taken down only by a competent scaffolder, on a firm base with sole boards and ties. Engineering Fit guardrails, mid rails and toe boards on every working platform. Engineering Use mobile scaffolds only on firm, level ground with castors locked and outriggers fitted. Never move one with anyone on it. Engineering Scaffold where a person or object could fall more than 4 metres is built by a licensed scaffolder (High Risk Work Licence). Administrative Do not use a scaffold over 4 metres until the scaffolder gives a written handover certificate. Administrative Inspect the scaffold before first use, after any change or bad weather, and at least every 30 days. Record it on the scaffold tag. Administrative Do not overload platforms. Know the duty rating and keep material stacks over the standards. Administrative Never remove ties, braces, guardrails or boards. Only the scaffolder alters the scaffold. Administrative Wear a hard hat and safety boots on and around the scaffold. PPE	Medium
2	Clear other workers from the area	Falling tools and materials Public entering the work area	High	Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Isolate Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Engineering Falling tools and materials: see step 4 for the full controls Administrative Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Engineering Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Administrative Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Administrative	Medium
3	Make the change, keeping ties and bracing in place	Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold Falling from height	Extreme	Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate Falling from height: see step 4 for the full controls Administrative	Medium
4	Reinstate guardrails and toe boards	Falling from height Falling tools and materials	Extreme	Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate Use a scaffold, mobile work platform or EWP instead of working off a ladder. Engineering Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Engineering Everyone working at height holds a White Card and has been briefed on this SWMS before going up. Administrative Have a written emergency and rescue plan, tested before work starts, so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes (WHS Regulations r.80). Administrative Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Isolate Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Engineering Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Engineering Tether hand tools when working at height. Engineering Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Administrative Lower materials with a hoist, chute or rope. Never throw or drop anything down. Administrative Wear a hard hat anywhere objects could fall. PPE	Medium
5	Re-inspect and re-tag	Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold	Extreme	Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative	Medium

PPE

Steel cap bootsHard hatSafety harness and lanyardWork glovesHi-vis shirt or vestSafety glasses

Plant and equipment

Fixed scaffold: Scaffolding HRWL (SB, SI or SA) to erect, alter or dismantle where a fall of more than 4 m is possibleHand tools

Permits and plans

Working at heights permit

Emergency

Call 000. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS.

Free SWMS template for scaffold alteration

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this SWMS

Pre-start checklist for scaffold alteration

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

SWMS read, explained and signed by everyone on the job
Edge protection installed and checked before anyone works above 2 m
Scaffold tagged, with a handover certificate if over 4 m
Exclusion zone below the work and public kept out
First aider, first aid kit and emergency number (000) confirmed
PPE checked and worn: steel cap boots, hard hat, safety harness and lanyard, work gloves

The safe sequence of work

Only licensed or carded scaffolders alter scaffold; tag it out first
Clear other workers from the area
Make the change, keeping ties and bracing in place
Reinstate guardrails and toe boards
Re-inspect and re-tag

Hazards to watch on scaffold alteration

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 1, 3, 5Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldA scaffold that is badly built, overloaded or altered collapses or tips, or a worker falls from an unguarded platform.

Step 3, 4Falling from heightA worker falls more than 2 metres from an edge, platform or opening and is badly hurt or killed.

Step 2, 4Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.

Step 2Public entering the work areaMembers of the public, including children, walk into the site and are hit by plant or falling objects, or fall into holes.

Highest risk on scaffold alteration: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and catastrophic becomes unlikely and major).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
Will anyone work on a roof?
Is there a skylight, clear sheet, fibro or other fragile roofing?
Will you use an EWP (scissor lift or boom lift)?
Was the building built before 2004?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

This task can involve these high risk construction work categories under the WHS Regulations:

Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

Fixed scaffold: Scaffolding HRWL (SB, SI or SA) to erect, alter or dismantle where a fall of more than 4 m is possible

A SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. It must list the high risk work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be easy for the workers to read and understand.

Rules that apply: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 Falls, Part 5.1 Plant and r.225 (scaffolds); WHS Regulation 2011, Part 3.2 (falling objects); WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 Falls.

Each state has its own regulator and some extra rules: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

Why SWMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

It is generic: another site address, tasks that are not on this job, or no sign it was reviewed for this site. WorkSafe WA says a generic SWMS may not meet the regulations unless it is reviewed and amended for the workplace.
The HRCW boxes are not ticked, or the ticks do not match the tasks (for example a roof job with no falls box ticked).
Falls are controlled only by "be careful", training or a harness, with no edge protection or scaffold and no reason why higher controls are not reasonably practicable.
Workers will clip on to a harness but there is no rescue plan for someone left hanging.
The "how controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed" part is missing, or it says the same thing on every row.
No worker sign-on, no person responsible for compliance, or a date given to the principal contractor that is before they actually received it.
Licence or White Card details are missing for workers operating plant or doing licensed high risk work.

Questions

Do I need a SWMS for scaffold alteration?

Yes. Scaffold alteration usually includes high risk construction work (risk of a person falling more than 2 metres), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

Who signs the SWMS?

The person conducting the business (PCBU) or their supervisor prepares it with the workers, and every worker doing the high risk work signs to show they were consulted and understand it. Give a copy to the principal contractor before work starts.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this SWMS, and every revised version, until the high risk construction work is finished, where workers and inspectors can see it on site. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident.

What PPE is needed for scaffold alteration?

Usually Steel cap boots, Hard hat, Safety harness and lanyard, Work gloves, Hi-vis shirt or vest, Safety glasses. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More scaffolding SWMS

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Blank SWMS template: free SWMS templates. Also for other countries: United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)