BlueSafe
Bus Safety SWMS

Bus Safety SWMS

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Bus Safety SWMS

Product Overview

This Bus Safety SWMS is a comprehensive Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for all key bus-related activities on Australian worksites. It delivers end-to-end coverage of bus operation, inspection and maintenance tasks to support robust WHS compliance and safer daily operations.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

  • Safe procedures for routine school bus maintenance, servicing and inspections
  • Under-bus inspection procedures, including safe vehicle support, isolation and access controls
  • Management of hazards when working beneath raised buses, including jacking, stands and exclusion zones
  • Pre-start checks, walk-around inspections and defect reporting for buses
  • Safe use of pits, hoists and lifting equipment for bus inspection and repair
  • Control of ignition sources, hot surfaces and flammable liquids in bus maintenance areas
  • Manual handling of wheels, tyres, components and tools during bus servicing
  • Traffic management in depots and yards, including pedestrian separation and reversing controls
  • Lock-out/tag-out and isolation of electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems on buses
  • Housekeeping, spill control and waste management in bus workshops and parking areas
  • Use, inspection and maintenance of personal protective equipment (PPE) for bus maintenance tasks
  • Emergency response planning for fire, fuel spills, crush injuries and medical incidents around buses

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for bus operators, school bus contractors, fleet managers, mechanics, maintenance personnel and site supervisors responsible for the safe operation and servicing of buses.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Job Step / Activity Potential Hazards
Pre-operation planning
  • • Inadequate journey planning
  • • Fatigue risk
  • • Adverse weather conditions
  • • Unfamiliar routes
  • • Inadequate emergency preparedness
Driver pre-start checks
  • • Unroadworthy vehicle
  • • Brake system failure
  • • Steering malfunction
  • • Tyre blowout
  • • Inoperative safety systems
School bus boarding
  • • Passenger falls while boarding
  • • Vehicle roll-away during loading
  • • Struck-by passing vehicles
  • • Pedestrian blind spots
  • • Door entrapment
Passenger management
  • • Unrestrained passengers
  • • Disruptive behaviour
  • • Objects thrown inside bus
  • • Distraction to driver
  • • Inadequate supervision of children
Driving and on-road operation
  • • Collision with other vehicles
  • • Pedestrian impact
  • • Loss of vehicle control
  • • Rear-end collision
  • • Level crossing collision
School bus disembarking
  • • Passengers struck by passing traffic
  • • Passengers crossing in front of bus
  • • Falls while alighting
  • • Door entrapment
  • • Unattended young children
Parking and securing bus
  • • Uncontrolled bus movement
  • • Unauthorised access to bus
  • • Fire from hot engine
  • • Contact with nearby vehicles
  • • Slip and trip hazards
Routine school bus maintenance
  • • Contact with moving parts
  • • Crush injuries from raised components
  • • Exposure to automotive chemicals
  • • Burns from hot engine parts
  • • Electric shock from electrical systems
Under-bus inspection setup
  • • Crush injury from bus collapse
  • • Uncontrolled bus movement
  • • Inadequate lighting
  • • Restricted access and egress
  • • Exposure to exhaust fumes
Under-bus inspection tasks
  • • Falling debris and contaminants
  • • Contact with sharp edges
  • • Exposure to oil and grease
  • • Noise from tools and components
  • • Musculoskeletal strain from awkward postures
Working around raised buses
  • • Unexpected descent of hoist
  • • Contact with rotating components
  • • Entanglement with tools or clothing
  • • Falling from height on platforms
  • • Impact from dropped tools
Handling wheels and tyres
  • • Wheel separation
  • • Tyre explosion during inflation
  • • Crush injuries from heavy wheels
  • • Musculoskeletal strain
  • • Flying debris from failures
Cleaning and refuelling buses
  • • Fuel spill and fire
  • • Slip on wet or oily surfaces
  • • Chemical exposure from cleaners
  • • Inhalation of vapours
  • • Static discharge ignition
Emergency response and incident reporting
  • • Delayed emergency response
  • • Uncontrolled evacuation
  • • Inadequate first aid
  • • Secondary collisions
  • • Psychological harm to passengers

Need to add specific site requirements?

Don't worry if a specific job step isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom job steps at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the hazards and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Guidance on identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing controls for bus-related work.
  • Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace: Requirements for managing risks from buses, hoists, jacks and associated equipment.
  • Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks: Controls for manual handling of wheels, components and tools in bus maintenance.
  • Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Standards for safe workshops, depots and maintenance areas.
  • AS/NZS 4024 Safety of Machinery (relevant parts): Principles for guarding, isolation and emergency stop systems associated with plant used in bus maintenance.
  • AS 2550 Cranes, Hoists and Winches – Safe Use (relevant parts): Guidance for safe use of lifting equipment where applicable to bus inspection and maintenance.
  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
Standard SWMS Features (Click to Expand)
  • Operational guidelines, with a step-by-step approach to safe work
  • Possible hazards that may be encountered
  • Step-by-step safety procedures to follow
  • Before work starts – Guidelines and Checks
  • Safety measures and guides
  • Operational Safety Checks
  • Before and After Risk Ratings
  • Risk Assessment Matrix
  • High Risk Work Involved
  • Emergency Evacuation Procedure
  • Plant and Equipment
  • Qualifications and Permits
  • Specific Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Company Personnel Sign-off form

$96.8

Safe Work Australia Aligned