Product Overview

This General Manufacturing Cleaning and Maintenance Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for routine and non-routine cleaning and maintenance in manufacturing environments. It is a comprehensive, pre-filled document covering multiple aspects of general manufacturing cleaning and maintenance to support strong WHS compliance and safer operations.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Safe operation and monitoring of automated production lines, including start-up, shutdown, and fault-clearing procedures
• Cleaning and sanitising of manufacturing equipment while minimising exposure to moving parts, hot surfaces, and stored energy
• Cleaning industrial equipment using appropriate tools, isolation procedures, and chemical handling controls
• Inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of industrial dust collection systems to manage combustible dust and air quality risks
• Safe use, cleaning, and maintenance of dip tanks, including controls for fumes, splashes, and chemical immersion hazards
• Fabrication of parts with integrated housekeeping and cleaning procedures to reduce metal swarf, offcut, and slip hazards
• General fabrication tasks with a focus on cleaning work areas, guarding sharp edges, and managing hot work residues
• Application of lean manufacturing principles to cleaning and maintenance tasks, including 5S workplace organisation and visual controls
• Material mixing operations with controls for dust, vapours, spills, and manual handling during preparation and clean-up
• Stock preparation and staging, including cleaning of racking, storage areas, and traffic routes to minimise slips, trips, and falls
• Use of coating baths, including cleaning, maintenance, and control of splashes, chemical exposure, and waste disposal
• Lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) and isolation procedures for plant and equipment prior to cleaning or maintenance activities
• Safe selection, use, and maintenance of personal protective equipment (PPE) for chemical, noise, and mechanical hazards
• Management of hazardous chemicals used for cleaning, including decanting, labelling, storage, and emergency response
• Housekeeping, waste management, and spill response to maintain clean, orderly, and compliant manufacturing work areas

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for general manufacturers, fabrication workshops, production supervisors, maintenance teams, contract cleaners, and WHS managers responsible for cleaning and maintenance in manufacturing facilities.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice: Guidance on safe use, handling, and storage of cleaning and process chemicals
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice: Requirements for clean, safe, and healthy workplace conditions
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice: Framework for identifying hazards and implementing control measures
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice: Controls for noise exposure from plant and equipment during cleaning and maintenance
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice: Guidance where cleaning or maintenance involves entry into tanks, pits, or enclosed plant
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice: Controls for lifting, carrying, and repetitive tasks involved in cleaning and maintenance
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice: Requirements where access to elevated plant or structures is required for cleaning
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use, and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 1716: Respiratory protective devices used during cleaning and chemical handling
• AS/NZS 2161: Occupational protective gloves for handling sharp components and chemicals
• AS 1940: The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids in manufacturing and cleaning operations
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017