Order Picker (Stock Picker) SWMS
High-level order-picker operations in warehouse and distribution centres — harness and fall-restraint anchoring, platform interlock, aisle navigation, product-dropping prevention and rescue-from-height planning.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Order picker (stock picker) operations involve a worker travelling on an elevated operator platform — typically 3 to 12 metres above the warehouse floor — to retrieve cartons and palletised goods from racking. Because the operator is lifted with the load and works at height, the activity simultaneously triggers powered mobile plant duties under WHS Regulation Chapter 4 Part 4.5 and the fall-prevention duties under Regulation 78. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory because the work is High Risk Construction Work where a person could fall more than 2 metres from the platform, and is reinforced by the Licence to operate an order-picking forklift truck (LO). The SWMS documents harness anchoring, platform interlock verification, aisle traffic management and rescue-from-height arrangements, and must be developed in consultation with operators before any pick cycle begins on site.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal impact injuries, suspension trauma, prosecution under WHS Reg 78 for failure to manage fall risk
Operator ejection during acceleration or braking, severe multi-trauma, plant non-compliance under Reg 213
Crush injuries to pedestrians, rack collapse with stored-energy release, fatalities and major property damage
Head and spinal injuries to ground personnel, breach of Reg 54 falling object management duty
Orthostatic intolerance, loss of consciousness and death within 15-30 minutes without trauma straps and rescue plan
Chemical burns to eyes and skin, explosion risk in unventilated charging bay, hazardous chemical breach
Cumulative lumbar and shoulder injury, lost-time claims, breach of Reg 60 hazardous manual task duties
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where practicable, relocate fast-moving lines to ground-level pick faces or use automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) so manual elevated picking is eliminated entirely.
- 2Elimination — Remove damaged pallets, shrink-wrap tails and protruding strapping from the pick face before any order-picker enters the aisle to eliminate snag and fall hazards.
- 3Substitution — Substitute high-level manual picks with pallet-shuttle or carton-flow systems that present stock at safe working height, reducing the proportion of picks requiring platform elevation.
- 4Engineering — Maintain platform gate interlocks, overload sensors, tilt cut-outs and emergency-lowering valves per manufacturer schedule, with monthly logged inspections under AS 2359.2.
- 5Engineering — Install rack-end protectors, aisle-end mirrors, blue-spot pedestrian warning lights and segregated pedestrian walkways with physical bollards separating MHE traffic from foot traffic.
- 6Engineering — Fit toe boards, mesh infill and product-restraint straps on the platform to prevent cartons falling, and exclude ground personnel from active pick aisles using barrier chains.
- 7Administrative — Verify each operator holds a current LO high-risk work licence and site-specific familiarisation before key issue, with daily pre-start checklists completed and countersigned by the supervisor.
- 8Administrative — Implement a documented rescue-from-height plan with trained rescuers, MEWP or second order-picker available, and maximum 10-minute response time, drilled quarterly.
- 9PPE — Issue full-body harness compliant with AS/NZS 1891.1 with adjustable lanyard set short enough to prevent the operator stepping outside the platform, including suspension trauma relief straps.
- 10PPE — Provide steel-cap safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3, high-visibility vest to AS/NZS 4602.1 day/night class, bump cap, and impact gloves for carton handling at height.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Imposes duties on the PCBU with management or control of plant — covers guarding, operator protection, inspection, and competency for powered mobile plant including order pickers
Mandates lanyard length selection, anchor point rating ≥15kN, inspection regime and exclusion of free-fall conditions on elevated work platforms
Directs hierarchy of fall control and applies to any work where a person could fall more than 2m, including elevated order-picker platforms during stock retrieval
Specifies daily pre-start inspection, traffic management, load stability and operator competency requirements directly governing order-picker use in distribution centres
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Order-picker platforms routinely elevate the operator between 3 and 12 metres while accessing pallet racking, well exceeding the 2-metre threshold for High Risk Construction Work
The order picker is self-propelled powered mobile plant carrying an operator and load through trafficked aisles, requiring traffic management, exclusion zones and licensed operation
The PCBU must prepare and consult workers on this SWMS before work starts, monitor compliance, and retain the document for the duration of the work — with breach penalties substantial and indexed annually under the prevailing WHS schedule
Who this is for
- →Warehouse and distribution centre operations managers
- →Third-party logistics (3PL) site supervisors and team leaders
- →Licensed LO order-picker operators and pick-pack staff
- →WHS coordinators in retail and e-commerce fulfilment
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 regional ambient-temperature distribution centre, a fulfilment supervisor runs the 6:00 am pre-start brief for four order-picker operators heading into Aisles 14-22, where pick faces reach 9 metres. Using this SWMS, the supervisor walks the team through the hazard register, focusing on the previous shift's near-miss where a carton fell from level 4. The team identifies that shrink-wrap tails on inbound pallets are the root cause, and the supervisor applies the engineering control by tasking the inbound team to re-wrap two pallets before pick activity commences. Each operator confirms their AS/NZS 1891.1 harness inspection tag is current, demonstrates the short-lanyard configuration, and signs the SWMS register acknowledging the rescue-from-height plan — a second order picker is parked at Aisle 14 end with a trained rescuer on standby radio channel 2. Mid-shift, an operator notices the platform gate interlock is intermittent on Unit OP-07; following the SWMS administrative control, they lower the platform, tag the unit out, log the defect and transfer to a spare unit rather than continuing. The supervisor records the change on the SWMS variation page, briefs the oncoming shift on the tag-out at handover, and schedules the unit for engineering inspection before re-entry to service, demonstrating the SWMS functioning as a live field document rather than a filed compliance record.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP