A Safe Work Procedures (SWP) is a legal document that outlines the high-risk work activities carried out within a workplace, the hazards that may arise from these activities and safety measures put in place to control the risks.

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HSE Regulations require organizations to prepare a SWP in consultation with workers for any identified high-risk work in relation to the scope of their operations, irrespective of the cost of that work. Organizations must eliminate or, where it is not reasonably practicable, control the risks associated with the work in accordance with the mandated hierarchy of controls. Organizations must also monitor and, where required, review these risk control measures, especially when workplace specific conditions change.

 

The SWP must document the risk control measures to be implemented for any identified high risk, and is required to be prepared before the work starts. All workers undertaking the task must be trained on the relevant SWP including any control measures to be implemented.

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A generic SWP (or SWP template) can be completed first for a work activity to provide a compliant format of the SWP. The SWP template can then be refined and made site specific in consultation with relevant workers, contractors and health and safety representatives (HSRs) about the tasks, the high risks involved and the associated hazards, risks and controls.