SWMS in your crew's languages
Yes, you can give your crew a SWMS in their own language. SafetyDocs translates a SWMS into Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Nepali, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese, keeps the English original as the record, and lets every worker read and sign it on their own phone.
Choose a language
How it works
Start from the English SWMS
Pick a SWMS from the library, convert your own Word or PDF file, or write one. The English original is the version you edit, approve and keep.
Translate it into each language your crew reads
Choose a language and SafetyDocs translates the whole SWMS, keeping its layout, hazard tables and lists. Translating uses AI credits, a monthly allowance on every plan.
Have someone who reads the language check it
AI can get a translation wrong. Ask a bilingual supervisor or worker to check the hazards and controls before the crew relies on it.
Send it by text, link or QR code
Each worker opens the SWMS on their own phone and reads it in their language, in one clean column. No app and no account.
Everyone signs the same SWMS
Workers sign or acknowledge it on their phone, and the register shows who has signed which version. Publish a major change and everyone is asked to sign again.
The English original stays the record
You edit, approve and keep the SWMS in English, so there's one version for the principal contractor, the regulator and your records. Translations are read-only copies of it. Change the English and each translation shows Out of date until you translate it again, so a translation never drifts from the SWMS your crew signed.
What the law asks for
The WHS laws don't name a language. They ask that safety information reaches workers in a way they can understand:
- A business must provide the information, training, instruction and supervision needed to protect people from risks arising from its work. WHS Act, section 19(3)(f)
- That information, training and instruction must be provided, so far as is reasonably practicable, in a way that is readily understandable by any person it's given to. WHS Regulations, regulation 39(3)
- A SWMS must be set out and expressed in a way that is readily accessible and understandable to the people who use it. WHS Regulations, regulation 299(3)(b)
- Workers directly affected by a health and safety matter must be consulted, so far as is reasonably practicable. That means sharing the relevant information with them, giving them a reasonable opportunity to raise issues, and taking their views into account. WHS Act, sections 47 and 48
Victoria's OHS Act 2004 sets its own duties: an employer must provide the information, instruction, training or supervision employees need to work safely, and consult the employees directly affected when identifying hazards and deciding on controls. Section 21(2)(e) · Section 35
A translation helps a worker understand the SWMS. It doesn't replace the consultation, induction and supervision the law also asks for.
How many people use another language
In the 2021 Census, 5.8 million people in Australia (22.8%) used a language other than English at home. The ABS figures include six of the languages SafetyDocs translates into:
| Language used at home | People | Of them, speak English not well or not at all |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | 685,274 | 25.9% |
| Arabic | 367,159 | 15.3% |
| Vietnamese | 320,758 | 30.5% |
| Punjabi | 239,033 | 8.8% |
| Hindi | 195,658 | Not in the ABS summary |
| Korean | 115,531 | 27.0% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Cultural diversity of Australia, 2021 Census, released 20 September 2022.
Common questions
- Is a translated SWMS legally valid?
- The WHS Regulations ask that a SWMS be readily accessible and understandable to the people who use it (regulation 299). They don't name a language. SafetyDocs keeps the English original as the record and gives each worker a translation to read, so you have both.
- Can I rely on an AI translation?
- Check it first. Have someone who reads the language go through the hazards and controls before workers rely on it. If a passage can't be translated, it stays in English and SafetyDocs tells you how many.
- What if a worker doesn't read well in any language?
- Talk them through it. Go through the SWMS at the pre-start or a toolbox talk, use a bilingual supervisor or an interpreter, and check they understand before work starts.
- Does translating cost extra?
- Translating uses AI credits, a monthly allowance on every plan, typically under one credit a page for each language. You can buy more at any time.
- Do workers need an app to read it in their language?
- No. Workers open the SWMS from a text, link or QR code on any phone and sign there, free, with no app or account.
Free tool: the Do I need a SWMS? checker works in all eight languages and English, and you can put it on your own website. Try the checker · Add it to your site
This is a summary for planning, not legal advice. Check the current law with your regulator, especially before relying on a recent change.