Product Overview

This Custom Furniture Making and Cabinet Assembly SWMS is a comprehensive Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for bespoke joinery and cabinetry work. It provides end-to-end coverage of multiple activities involved in custom furniture fabrication and cabinet assembly to support strong WHS compliance on Australian worksites and in workshops.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Building decorative panels, feature fronts, and detailed joinery components safely in a workshop environment
• Construction and assembly of custom desks and tables, including handling of heavy benchtops and frames
• Cabinet assembly processes, including squaring, fixing, and securing carcasses and doors
• Construction of custom cabinets to client specifications, including safe use of hand and power tools
• Crafting timber cabinets with appropriate guarding, dust extraction, and manual handling controls
• Fabrication and fitting of wooden drawers, runners, and hardware to prevent pinch and crush injuries
• Creating and installing custom mouldings, trims, and profiles with safe cutting and finishing techniques
• Dry assembly processes prior to gluing, including trial fitting, clamping, and alignment checks
• Gluing and clamping operations, including safe use of adhesives, clamps, and curing areas
• Use of mitre guillotines for precision cutting of mouldings with guarding and kick-back controls
• Construction of wooden bookshelves and storage units, including safe fixing and anchoring methods
• Selection, handling, and storage of sheet materials, solid timber, and hardware to minimise manual handling risks
• Use of common woodworking machinery (e.g. saws, planers, sanders) with appropriate PPE and isolation procedures
• Housekeeping, dust control, and noise management in furniture-making workshops

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for cabinet makers, joiners, shopfitters, custom furniture makers, carpenters, and site supervisors overseeing workshop or on-site cabinet assembly activities.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace – guidance on the safe use of woodworking machinery and powered tools
• Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks – controls for lifting, carrying, and handling timber, panels, and assembled units
• Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work – management of noise from saws, sanders, and other plant
• Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks – risk management framework applied to custom furniture and cabinet assembly tasks
• Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities – requirements for safe, well-ventilated, and adequately equipped workshops
• AS/NZS 4801 Occupational health and safety management systems – principles for systematic WHS management in furniture manufacturing
• AS/NZS 4386 Domestic kitchen assemblies – relevant guidance for construction and installation of cabinet assemblies
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017