EWP (Elevated Work Platform) SWMS

Operation of Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs) — including boom lifts, scissor lifts, cherry pickers and push-around MEWPs — exposes operators and ground crew to fall, crush, electrical and entrapment hazards that account for a significant proportion of construction fatalities each year in Australia. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4, any work involving a risk of falling more than two metres is classified High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) and a Safe Work Method Statement must be prepared, communicated and signed before work commences. Boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or greater additionally require operators to hold a valid High Risk Work Licence (WP class) under Schedule 3 of the Regulation. This SWMS addresses set-up, ground assessment, operation, emergency rescue and shutdown for all common EWP configurations used in maintenance, construction and installation work. It satisfies the PCBU's consultation, documentation and review duties under sections 19, 38 and 47 of the model WHS Act and aligns with AS 2550.10 and the Managing the Risk of Falls Code of Practice.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Elimination — Where reasonably practicable, complete the task at ground level using extension tools, prefabrication or design-for-safety methods so that EWP use and the >2m fall exposure is eliminated entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Reroute work zones to avoid travel beneath or within 6.4m of overhead powerlines per AS/NZS 4576, removing electrocution and arc-flash exposure from the work envelope.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute boom lifts with scissor lifts or vertical mast lifts where the work is purely vertical, reducing entrapment and tip-over risk associated with extended outreach.
4. 4Substitution — Replace diesel EWPs with electric or hybrid units for indoor or enclosed work to substitute the carbon monoxide and noise hazard with a lower-risk power source.
5. 5Engineering — Verify ground bearing capacity, deploy outriggers on engineered spreader plates, and use units fitted with secondary guarding (SkySiren, Sentry) to prevent sustained crush entrapment.
6. 6Engineering — Fit and test active load-sensing, tilt cut-out, anti-entrapment bars and emergency lowering systems in accordance with AS 2550.10 Section 5 pre-operational inspection.
7. 7Administrative — Verify operator HRWL (WP class) for boom lifts ≥11m, complete a documented pre-start inspection, and establish a 3m exclusion zone with hard barricades and signage.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start briefings using this SWMS, nominate a trained ground-based rescue spotter, and rehearse the manufacturer's emergency lowering procedure each shift.
9. 9PPE — Operators must wear a compliant full-body harness (AS/NZS 1891.1) with an adjustable lanyard anchored to the manufacturer-designated platform anchor point at all times within the basket.
10. 10PPE — Mandatory hi-vis clothing (AS/NZS 4602.1), Type 1 hard hat with chin strap (AS/NZS 1801), safety footwear (AS/NZS 2210.3) and impact-rated eye protection for both operator and ground crew.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a four-storey commercial fit-out, a supervisor convenes the daily pre-start at 6:45am beside a 15m diesel boom lift parked adjacent to the loading dock. Using this SWMS as the script, the supervisor walks the two-person crew through the seven listed hazards, pausing on overhead powerlines because a three-phase service crosses the eastern approach. The crew physically inspects the ground, identifies a soft fill zone over a trenched service, and the supervisor selects engineered timber spreader plates from the SWMS control list rather than allowing direct outrigger contact. The HRWL-licensed operator presents a current WP licence — verified and recorded on the sign-on register attached to this SWMS — and dons a harness, anchoring the lanyard to the designated platform point as the PPE clause requires. A ground-based spotter is nominated and briefed on the manufacturer's emergency lowering valve location, satisfying the administrative rescue control. Mid-task, wind speed increases and the operator's anemometer reads 12.2 m/s, exceeding the 12.5 m/s manufacturer limit referenced in the SWMS. The operator returns to ground, the supervisor annotates the SWMS field-review section, suspends work and re-briefs the crew once conditions drop. The signed, annotated SWMS is filed at the site office for two-year retention in line with WHS Reg 2025 r300.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP