School Safety SWMS

Product Overview

This SWMS covers school activities including planning, access control, recreation, practical learning, medication, incident response and cleaning. It supports planning and management of risks for students, staff, contractors and work areas.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes task-specific risk controls for:

• Plan activities, consult and arrange appropriate supervision
• Set up access controls and manage vehicle or pedestrian interaction
• Conduct outdoor ball games and physical education activities
• Prepare arts activities involving glasswork
• Operate design and technology machinery
• Manage workshop chemicals, power and dust
• Administer prescribed medication
• Respond to illness and injury
• Control contractor activities and student access to work zones
• Clean work areas and manage waste or spills
• Review hazards, records and close-out arrangements

Who is this for?

Suitable for school staff, contractors, supervisors and businesses involved in the listed school activities.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

The template includes references relevant to the documented work, including:

• Applicable Commonwealth, state or territory WHS/OHS legislation and regulations, including duties to provide and maintain a safe workplace, safe plant, safe systems of work, information, training, instruction, supervision, consultation, emergency arrangements and first aid.
• Applicable education, child-safety, medicines and privacy requirements in the state or territory where the school operates; verify local school-sector policies before use.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace (November 2024), including guarding, emergency stops, warning devices, inspection, maintenance and restricted access guidance.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace, including SDS access, secure storage, emergency arrangements and maintenance of controls.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities.
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing electrical risks in the workplace, including isolation, lock-out and prevention of inadvertent re-energisation.
• Guidance only: AS/NZS 1337.1 Personal eye-protection; AS/NZS 1270 Acoustics—hearing protectors; AS/NZS 1715 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment; AS/NZS 1716 Respiratory protective devices; AS/NZS 2210.3 Safety footwear; AS 3745 Planning for emergencies in facilities; AS 1319 Safety signs for the occupational environment and AS 1742.3 Traffic control devices for works on roads.
• Model WHS laws and model Codes of Practice are guidance for adoption and implementation by jurisdictions; confirm the legally applicable Act, regulations, approved codes and school policies for the location before issuing this SWMS.

---

Standard SWMS Features (Click to Expand)

• Task-specific job steps, hazards and control measures
• Initial and residual risk ratings
• Assigned responsible persons for each job step
• Plant, equipment and PPE requirements where applicable
• Permits, qualifications and high-risk construction work details where applicable
• Worker consultation, sign-off and review sections