Stump Grinding SWMS
Mechanical stump grinding using self-propelled and tow-behind grinders. Covers projectile debris, underground services, vibration, and exclusion zones.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Mechanical stump grinding involves operating high-speed rotating cutter wheels — fitted with tungsten-carbide teeth — to reduce tree stumps below ground level using self-propelled, tow-behind, or remote-controlled grinders. The work generates high-velocity wood chip and stone projectiles, exposes operators to hand-arm and whole-body vibration, and frequently encroaches on buried electrical, gas, water, and telecommunications services. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 5.1 (Plant) and Part 4.1 (Managing Risks of Work), persons conducting a business or undertaking must identify reasonably foreseeable hazards, eliminate or minimise risk so far as is reasonably practicable, and document the safe method before work commences. Stump grinding triggers powered mobile plant duties under Schedule 3 and engages Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice for Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace, making a Safe Work Method Statement mandatory before the cutter wheel is energised on any commercial, council, or residential site.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Penetrating eye injury, facial laceration, or fatal blunt-force trauma to operators or bystanders within strike zone
Electrocution, gas explosion, asphyxiation, or service disruption causing serious harm and infrastructure damage
Severe laceration, amputation, or fatal crush injury to hands, feet, or torso
Vibration white finger, peripheral nerve damage, and chronic musculoskeletal injury after sustained exposure
Permanent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus from unprotected exposure during repeated grinding cycles
Rollover or uncontrolled movement causing crush injury to operator and damage to surrounding property
Occupational asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and long-term respiratory disease from repeated exposure
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where stump location conflicts with known services or unstable ground, remove stump by excavation with service locator clearance rather than grinding (WHS Reg 2025 cl 35).
- 2Elimination — Decommission grinder and isolate energy sources via lockout-tagout before any cutter wheel inspection, tooth replacement, or debris clearing (AS 4024.1603).
- 3Substitution — Substitute petrol units with remote-controlled or electric-drive grinders in confined residential settings to reduce noise, fumes, and operator exposure zones (AS/NZS 60204.1).
- 4Substitution — Replace worn carbide teeth with manufacturer-approved equivalents to reduce projectile fragmentation risk and cutting inefficiency (AS 2727 plant maintenance).
- 5Engineering — Install and maintain manufacturer-supplied projectile shrouds, chip deflectors, and curtain guards on cutter wheel housing per WHS Reg 2025 cl 208 (guarding).
- 6Engineering — Deploy ground-penetrating radar or accredited Dial Before You Dig service location and hand-expose services to 500 mm clearance before grinding commences (AS 5488).
- 7Administrative — Establish and physically barricade a minimum 15 m exclusion zone with high-visibility barrier mesh and signage during operation (Managing Risks of Plant CoP).
- 8Administrative — Limit continuous trigger time and rotate operators to keep daily vibration exposure below A(8) action value of 2.5 m/s² per AS 2670.1.
- 9PPE — Issue impact-rated face shield over safety glasses to AS/NZS 1337.1, Class 5 hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270, and cut-resistant gloves for tooth handling.
- 10PPE — Provide P2 respiratory protection to AS/NZS 1716, high-visibility long-sleeve clothing to AS/NZS 4602.1, and steel-cap boots to AS/NZS 2210.3 for all operators and spotters.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates guarding, isolation, maintenance, and operator competency for powered mobile plant including stump grinders used in commercial arboriculture.
Provides admissible guidance on plant risk assessment, exclusion zones, and guarding directly applicable to rotating cutter wheel hazards.
Referenced industry standard for arboricultural cutting plant covering operator training, PPE selection, and safe maintenance procedures adopted for grinders.
Specifies impact-rated eye and face protection performance required where projectile wood chip and stone debris is reasonably foreseeable.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Self-propelled and tow-behind stump grinders are powered mobile plant under Schedule 3, requiring documented SWMS before mobilisation on any workplace.
Commencing high-risk construction work without a compliant SWMS is a Category 2 offence under the WHS Act, exposing the PCBU and officers to significant penalties, prohibition notices, and personal liability.
Who this is for
- →Commercial arborist and tree care contractors
- →Council parks and grounds maintenance teams
- →Civil site clearing and landscape contractors
- →Property developers engaging stump removal subcontractors
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
At a suburban subdivision pre-start brief, the crew leader unpacks the Stump Grinding SWMS on the tailgate beside a 600 mm diameter eucalyptus stump scheduled for grinding. The leader walks the two-person crew through the site map showing a Dial Before You Dig response with a Telstra copper service running 1.2 m east of the stump and a Jemena gas main 3 m to the north. Hand-excavation has already exposed the gas service to confirm clearance. The leader marks a 15 m exclusion zone with orange barrier mesh, positions the spotter at the only pedestrian access point, and confirms the cutter wheel curtain guard and side deflectors are intact and tensioned. Operator vibration exposure is calculated against the daily limit, and the team agrees on a 20-minute rotation between grinding and chip cleanup to stay below the A(8) action value. PPE is checked at the brief — Class 5 earmuffs, impact face shield, P2 respirator, gloves, and steel-cap boots — and the lockout key for tooth inspection is allocated to the operator. The leader records the residual risk rating, both workers sign the SWMS register, and the document is left on the truck dashboard for the duration of the task. When a curious resident later approaches the mesh, the spotter halts the grinder via emergency stop before any conversation occurs, demonstrating the exclusion-zone control working as documented.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 4373 — Pruning of amenity trees; AS 2727 — Chainsaw safety