Ways to get a SWMS: templates, software or consultant?

There's no single best way to get a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS). Even for a one-off job, you don't have to go back to paper: a free SafetyDocs account gets any SWMS, including a regulator's template or your own Word file, signed on the crew's phones and kept on record. If you do high-risk work every week, starting from expert-written SWMS in software saves the most time. For complex or unusual work, pay a safety consultant to assess the site.

Whichever way you choose, the SWMS has to describe the actual job, and it has to be ready before the work starts. This guide compares the five options so you can pick the one that fits your work.

First, check you need one

A SWMS is required for high-risk construction work, such as work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 metres, work in or near a trench or confined space, and work near energised electrical installations. The list is set out in the model Work Health and Safety Regulations, and Victoria has similar rules under its own regulations. If you're not sure your job is on the list, use the Do I need a SWMS? checker.

The five options compared

1. Write your own from scratch

You open a blank document and write the work steps, hazards and controls yourself.

• Cost: free, apart from your time.
• Time: hours for a simple task, days for a larger job, especially the first time.
• Fit: it can fit the job perfectly if you know the hazards well. It's easy to miss a required element or a hazard you haven't met before.
• Sign-off and updates: you set up your own sign-on sheet and keep track of which version the crew signed.
• Suits: experienced operators who know the work and the law, and have time to write.

If you go this way, check your draft against our guide to what a SWMS must include.

2. Free templates from regulators

Several regulators publish free SWMS templates and guidance:

• Safe Work Australia's interactive SWMS tool walks you through preparing one, with examples and templates.
• WorkSafe Victoria has a SWMS template you can fill in online or print.
• SafeWork NSW's page on preparing a SWMS links its template and sample SWMS.
• SafeWork SA's SWMS page has a sample template and a self-assessment checklist.
• NT WorkSafe has a downloadable SWMS template.

How they compare:

• Cost: free.
• Time: a few hours. The template gives you the layout and prompts, but you write the hazards and controls.
• Fit: the structure matches what regulators expect. The content is only as specific as what you put in.
• Sign-off and updates: print and sign on paper, or fill in a form. Updates mean editing and reprinting.
• Suits: a small business with an occasional, simple high-risk task, or anyone who wants to learn how a SWMS is built.

3. Paid Word or PDF template packs

You buy a pre-written SWMS for your trade or task and edit it.

• Cost: low, usually a one-off purchase per document or pack.
• Time: an hour or two to tailor it to the site.
• Fit: good starting content written for the task. The risk is using it as is, with hazards that don't apply or site conditions left out.
• Sign-off and updates: usually printed and signed on paper. Copies multiply across folders and email, so it can be hard to tell which version the crew signed.
• Suits: trades doing similar work week to week who are comfortable editing documents.

Our guide to using a SWMS template covers how to tailor one properly.

4. SWMS apps and software

You start from a library of templates, tailor them to the job in the browser or an app, then share them with the crew to read and sign digitally.

• Cost: usually a subscription.
• Time: minutes to tailor a template to a job.
• Fit: good starting content, as with a template pack. You still need to add the site's conditions and check every control.
• Sign-off and updates: workers read and sign on their phones, and the signed record stays with the job. When the SWMS changes, there's one current version for the crew to sign again.
• Suits: businesses running several jobs or crews, and principal contractors who need to collect and check sign-offs.

SafetyDocs is built for this, and goes further than a typical SWMS app. You start from 600+ SWMS and SOPs written by safety experts since 2004, or upload your own Word or PDF and convert it. The job, client and site fill themselves in. The builder comments on the exact line and you fix it in the same document, so it's right before you reach the gate. Workers sign from a text, link or QR code with no app or account, in their own language if they need it. Change it once and everyone who signed is asked to sign again. Browse the SWMS template library or a trade such as SWMS for working at height.

5. A safety consultant writes it for you

You engage a consultant to assess the work and prepare the SWMS.

• Cost: professional fees, which rise with the size and complexity of the job.
• Time: days to weeks, depending on their availability and whether they visit the site.
• Fit: the closest fit, because it's written for your site and your methods.
• Sign-off and updates: usually delivered as a document, so sign-off works like a template, unless the consultant works with you in SWMS software. Changes on site may need another visit or more fees.
• Suits: complex or unusual work, high-consequence tasks, or a business without anyone confident in safety planning.

Whoever writes it, the business doing the work is still responsible for the SWMS. You must consult the workers who'll use it and make sure they understand it.

Bring your consultant in

If the work is complex or unusual, such as a large demolition, an unfamiliar method or a site with conditions no template anticipates, have a consultant assess the site in person. Then bring them into SafetyDocs rather than swapping Word files by email. Add them to the job, and they can write the SWMS from an expert template or your own document, comment on the exact lines that need changing, and approve it before it goes out. You fix it in the same document, the crew signs the current version on their phones, and the record stays with the job. Consultants can look after every client from one login, with each client keeping its own records.

For everything else, including the occasional simple SWMS, a free SafetyDocs account is worth having. Bring your own SWMS or a regulator's template and convert it, or buy a single expert-written SWMS when you need one. Then share it by text, link or QR code, see who's signed, and keep the record, at no cost.

How to choose

• How often do you need a SWMS? Once a year still benefits from a free account, so the crew signs on their phones and the record is kept. Every week points to software with expert-written SWMS.
• How standard is the work? Common tasks suit an expert-written template. Unusual methods or sites suit a consultant, working with you on the same document.
• Who will tailor it? Someone has to adapt any template to the site. Make sure they have the time and know the work.
• How will the crew sign? Paper works for one small crew. Several crews or sites are easier with digital sign-on.
• How will you handle changes? Work out how you'll revise the SWMS and get it signed again when conditions change.
• What does the principal contractor expect? Ask what format and sign-off records they'll accept before you start.

Common questions

Is a free regulator template good enough? Yes, if you fill it in properly for the actual job. The law cares about what the SWMS says and whether it's followed, not where the template came from. Upload it to a free SafetyDocs account and the crew can sign it on their phones, with the record kept for you.

Is SWMS software better than templates? It depends on your volume. Software mostly saves time on tailoring, sharing and collecting signatures, so it pays off when you run several jobs or crews.

Can I reuse the same SWMS on every job? Only if it still fits. A SWMS must reflect the conditions on each site, so review it before every job and revise it when anything changes.

Do I need a consultant for every SWMS? No. Most routine high-risk work can be covered by a well-tailored template. Bring in a consultant for complex, unusual or high-consequence work.