This Steel Fixing and Reinforcement Placement SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) is pre-filled and covers receiving, lifting, placing, cutting and tying reinforcing bar and mesh for slabs, footings, columns and walls. It covers 34 activities, from the pre-start briefing and bar schedules to standing by during the pour and emergency response, with the hazards, control measures and risk ratings before and after controls for each. It's written by WHS specialists, aligned to Australian WHS legislation, and fully editable in Microsoft Word.
Who it's for
Steel fixers and reinforcement placement contractors
Concreters and formwork contractors
Builders and civil contractors pouring slabs, footings and walls
Reinforcement suppliers who deliver and place steel
Bridge and road construction crews
Use it to
Hand clients and principal contractors the SWMS they ask for
Apply for tenders and new jobs with your safety paperwork ready
Get through prequalification with Avetta, Cm3 and other contractor portals
Induct new workers and run toolbox talks on the task
What this SWMS covers
Drawings, bar schedules and engineering hold points before placing steel
Lay-down areas, exclusion zones and overhead powerlines
Unloading, stacking and storing reinforcement, including banding under tension
Crane and telehandler lifts, dogging and slinging of bundles and cages
Manual handling of bar and mesh, and kneeling to place chairs and spacers
Tying with wire and powered tie guns, including repetitive strain and wire tails
Capping starter bars to prevent impalement, and safe access over placed mats
Erecting column, wall and beam cages, and access equipment for high cages
Fixing in footings and trenches, on suspended decks and around voids
Cutting, bending, oxy-fuel work and drilling concrete with silica dust controls
Chemical anchors, noise, mobile plant, live road corridors and heat
Pre-pour inspection, housekeeping and emergency response to impalement, crush or falls
What's included
Hazards and control measures for 34 work activities
Risk ratings before and after controls, with a 5x5 risk matrix and the hierarchy of controls
PPE requirements checklist and high risk construction work checklist
Plant and equipment list, materials and inspection of tools, discs and lifting gear
Relevant Australian Standards, including AS/NZS 4671 for reinforcing steel and AS/NZS 1554.3 for welding reinforcement
Licence requirements for dogging and telehandler crane work, plus accredited crystalline silica training
Site specific hazards section for anything unique to your job
Worker sign-off sheet and worker consultation record
Why use this template
Saves hours compared with writing a SWMS from a blank page
Covers the most common hazards and control measures for this work, ready to use out of the box
Fully editable, so you can add, remove or change anything to suit your site and how your team works
Helps your business stay compliant, with risk ratings, worker sign-off and consultation records already set up
How it works
Buy online and download straight away. You'll also get an email with your link.
Add your logo, ABN, project and site details.
Check it suits your site and task, edit anything you need to, and consult your workers before you finalise it.
Brief your team and collect signatures.
Common questions
Do I need a SWMS for steel fixing?
A SWMS is legally required when the job is high risk construction work, for example fixing steel on a deck where someone could fall more than 2 metres, in a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, or where trucks, cranes and other powered mobile plant are moving. Outside those situations a SWMS isn't mandatory, but you still have to manage the risks, and a SWMS is a sound way to record how. Head contractors and prequalification portals often ask for one either way.
Does it cover exposed starter bars?
Yes. It covers the impalement risk from uncapped vertical starter bars and protruding reinforcement, and the emergency response to a worker impaled on a starter bar.
Can I change it?
Yes. It's a Microsoft Word file, so you can add, remove or change any hazard, control or rating, and add your own logo and details.
Does it suit my state?
Yes. It's written to the model WHS laws and suits all states and territories, including Victoria under the OHS Act and Regulations.
What if it doesn't suit my work?
You're covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee if it isn't fit for purpose.
