Press Brake Operation SWMS (Mechanical / Hydraulic)
Mechanical, hydraulic, and servo-electric press brake operation for sheet metal bending. Covers safe setup and removal of tooling (upper punch / lower die), two-hand anti-tie-down control requirements, light curtain and physical guard inspection, back-gauge finger entrapment zone, operator safe-standing position relative to the die, and LOTO during die changes.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Press brake operation involves bending sheet metal between an upper punch and lower die using mechanical, hydraulic, or servo-electric drives capable of generating 40 to 1000 tonnes of crush force at the closing point. The die closing zone, back-gauge travel path, and tooling change sequence each present catastrophic crush and amputation hazards that have caused multiple Australian fatalities in fabrication workshops. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 3.2 (Plant), press brakes are classified as plant requiring documented risk assessment, guarding compliance with AS 4024.1601, and operator competency verification. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory because the work involves powered mobile plant under Schedule 1 Category 13 of the WHS Regulations, where uncontrolled ram descent can amputate fingers or hands within milliseconds. This SWMS captures the elimination, engineering, and administrative controls required before, during, and after each bending operation, and forms the legal record of consultation with workers under section 47 of the Act.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Traumatic amputation of digits or hand requiring surgical reconstruction; permanent loss of grip function and earning capacity
Severe finger crush or fracture between back-gauge fingers and rear die face requiring orthopaedic intervention
High-velocity punch fragment causing penetrating eye, head or torso injury within a three-metre radius
Unguarded ram descent on operator hand causing crush amputation; constitutes Category 1 WHS breach
Ram completes downstroke despite operator hand presence; severe crush injury or fatality at closing point
Facial fractures, dental trauma, cervical spine injury and loss of balance into the machine envelope
Acute lumbar disc injury, hernia, or crush to feet from dropped tooling weighing 15 to 80 kilograms
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where geometry permits, replace manual bending with robotic press brake cells or pre-formed roll-formed sections to remove the operator from the die closing zone entirely.
- 2Elimination — Eliminate behind-machine retrieval by programming back-gauge to advance offcuts forward to the operator side after each cycle completion.
- 3Substitution — Substitute heavy segmented tooling with lightweight precision-ground tooling under 15 kilograms per segment to reduce manual handling load during die changes.
- 4Engineering — Install and verify Type 4 light curtains compliant with AS 4024.1601 with muting only during the non-hazardous mute zone phase of the bending cycle.
- 5Engineering — Maintain certified two-hand anti-tie-down control with maximum 0.5 second concurrent activation window and dedicated dual-channel safety relay monitoring.
- 6Engineering — Fit mechanical scotch blocks or hydraulic safety blocks rated to full ram weight before any tooling change, inspection, or reach into the die area.
- 7Administrative — Lockout-tagout the main isolator and pneumatic supply during all tooling changes following the site LOTO procedure with personal danger tags applied by each worker.
- 8Administrative — Operators must hold documented competency on the specific press brake model; pre-start checks of guards, e-stops, and light curtains recorded on the daily inspection log.
- 9Administrative — Position operators in the safe-standing zone forward of the die centreline with a minimum 600 mm clearance, and use bend-followers or material supports for sheets exceeding 1.5 metres.
- 10PPE — Wear AS/NZS 1337.1 medium-impact safety eyewear, AS/NZS 2210.3 steel-cap footwear, snug-fitting cotton drill sleeves (no gloves at the point of operation), and AS/NZS 1270 Class 4 hearing protection.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Specifies mandatory two-hand control timing, light curtain Type 4 requirements, and stopping performance verification for press brake operation and guarding.
Triggers PCBU duty to identify plant hazards, implement hierarchy controls, maintain plant in safe condition, and ensure operator competency under regulations 203–209.
Provides the approved guidance for plant risk assessment, guarding selection, isolation procedures and inspection regimes directly applicable to press brake operation.
Governs electrical isolation and verification during servo-electric press brake maintenance, including capacitor discharge waiting periods before accessing drive enclosures.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Press brake rams exert 40 to 1000 tonnes of powered crush force at the die closing zone, creating amputation and fatality risk classed as high-risk construction work.
PCBUs must prepare and consult workers on this SWMS before work commences and retain it for the duration of the work plus two years following any notifiable incident; penalties for non-compliance are substantial and indexed, with current maximums following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Sheet metal fabricators in light and heavy engineering shops
- →Press brake operators and setters in manufacturing facilities
- →Workshop supervisors managing fabrication production lines
- →WHS coordinators overseeing metal-trade apprenticeships and competency
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 steel fabrication workshop producing structural brackets, the leading hand runs a pre-start brief at 06:50 before a four-hour run of 6 mm plate bending on a 250-tonne hydraulic press brake. The SWMS is laid open at the operator station. Working through the hazard register, the team confirms the die closing zone, back-gauge entrapment, and tooling ejection hazards apply to today's job. The operator demonstrates the light curtain function test — a test rod broken at three points across the curtain stops a dry-cycle ram within the verified 14 mm stopping distance recorded on yesterday's log. The two-hand control timing is checked against the AS 4024.1601 0.5-second window. Because today's part requires a 1.8-metre fold, a second worker is rostered as a bend-follower and both sign on to the SWMS, noting the whip-up hazard control. Mid-shift, the operator identifies that an offcut has lodged behind the back-gauge. Rather than reach in, they refer to the SWMS administrative control, apply their personal lockout tag to the isolator, insert the hydraulic safety block, and only then retrieve the offcut. The supervisor countersigns the LOTO entry. The signed SWMS becomes the legal record of consultation and control verification for that shift.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2550 — Cranes, hoists and winches; AS 1418 series