ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 pre start SWMS sign on form for site crews
This is a ServiceM8 Form for the daily sign on that shows a crew reviewed the safe work method statement for today's high risk construction work before starting. It is not a SWMS itself: it records which SWMS applies, what changed since the last review, and each worker's signature, matching the review and compliance duties in the model WHS Regulations.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Pre start SWMS sign on form for construction (multi-trade)
A dated, per worker sign on record showing the crew reviewed the applicable SWMS, confirmed controls and hazards, before high risk construction work started that day.
The form: 12 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site | Site name or address | Text | Yes | |
| Site | Date and shift | Date | Yes | |
| Site | Supervisor name | Text | Yes | |
| SWMS | SWMS title or reference number that applies today | Text | Yes | Points to the kept copy of the SWMS. This form does not contain the SWMS itself. |
| SWMS | Has anything changed since the SWMS was last reviewed | Choice No, conditions match the SWMS / Yes, see notes below | Yes | A yes here should trigger a formal review under reg 302, not just a note. |
| SWMS | Notes on any change (scope, hazard, control, weather, plant) | Text (Multi-line) | ||
| SWMS | Controls in the SWMS are in place and working | Choice Yes / No, see notes | Yes | |
| SWMS | Photo of controls in place (barricades, signage, PPE station) | Photo | ||
| Crew | Worker name | Text | Yes | Repeat this section once per worker present. |
| Crew | Worker confirms they understand the SWMS and controls for today | Choice Yes | Yes | |
| Crew | Worker signature | Signature | Yes | |
| Sign off | Supervisor signature confirming the sign on was conducted | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Pre start SWMS sign on.
- Add each question above, matching the type (Choice means Multiple Choice) and ticking Mandatory where required is true.
- Repeat the Crew section as a Multiple Choice (Multi-answer) list of names, or duplicate the three worker questions, so each worker present gets their own signature line.
- Link the SWMS title or reference field to wherever your business keeps SWMS documents (a file store, not this form), since reg 303 requires the SWMS itself to stay accessible for the length of the work.
- Run this form as a compulsory badge on any job tagged high risk construction work, so a job cannot be marked in progress without today's sign on attached.
What this form is, and what it deliberately is not
A safe work method statement identifies high risk construction work, the hazards and risks involved, the control measures, and how those controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Under regulation 299 of the model WHS Regulations, a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure a SWMS is prepared, or has already been prepared, before that work commences. Writing that document is a competency and liability matter that belongs with a qualified person, not a template. This page and the form on it do not attempt it.
What the form does is the separate, daily job: showing that on this particular morning, on this particular site, the crew reviewed the SWMS that applies to what they are about to do, confirmed the controls are actually in place, and signed on. That record is what regulation 300 and regulation 302 are really asking a business to be able to produce.
The duties this form is built to evidence
Regulation 300 requires arrangements for ensuring high risk construction work is carried out in accordance with its SWMS, and if it is not, the work must stop immediately or as soon as safe, and only resume in accordance with the statement. Regulation 302 requires the SWMS to be reviewed, and revised if necessary, if relevant control measures are revised. A pre start sign on is where that review happens in practice: the supervisor and crew look at what is different today, whether a new hazard has appeared, a control has degraded, or the scope has shifted, and either confirm the existing SWMS still holds or flag that it needs a formal review. Regulation 303 requires a copy of the SWMS to be kept and readily accessible to any worker engaged to carry out the work, for as long as that work continues, or for at least 2 years after a notifiable incident. The form's reference field just points to that kept copy rather than duplicating its content.
Getting every worker's name against today's date
The point of a daily sign on is that it is dated and it is per worker, not per crew. A single "team briefed" tick does not show who was actually present for which day's review, which matters if a worker turns up late, is swapped onto a different task mid morning, or leaves before the site is made safe again. The form repeats the worker row so each name, each confirmation that they understood the controls, and each signature is its own record rather than one shared line.
What this form will not do
- This form does not write, store or replace a safe work method statement. It only records that the crew reviewed and signed on to the one already prepared.
- ServiceM8 Forms do not natively add rows for an unknown number of workers. The Crew section needs to be duplicated in advance for the largest crew size you expect, or handled as a Multiple Choice (Multi-answer) list.
- If the Has anything changed question is answered Yes, this form does not itself perform the SWMS review required by reg 302. That still needs to happen separately, with the SWMS document updated.
- The regulation numbers on this page are from the model WHS Regulations. States and territories that have adopted the model laws generally use the same numbering, but always check your own jurisdiction's current WHS Regulation before relying on a specific number.
Sources
- A person conducting a business or undertaking that includes carrying out high risk construction work must, before that work commences, ensure a safe work method statement is prepared, or has already been prepared by another person, identifying the work, specifying hazards and risks, describing control measures, and describing how those controls are to be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Safe Work Australia, Model WHS Regulations, reg 299, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A person conducting a business or undertaking that includes carrying out high risk construction work must put in place arrangements for ensuring the work is carried out in accordance with its SWMS; if it is not, the work must be stopped immediately or as soon as safe, and resumed only in accordance with the statement. Safe Work Australia, Model WHS Regulations, reg 300, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure a safe work method statement is reviewed and, as necessary, revised, if relevant control measures are revised. Safe Work Australia, Model WHS Regulations, reg 302, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A person conducting a business or undertaking must keep a copy of a safe work method statement until the high risk construction work it relates to is completed (or for at least 2 years after a notifiable incident connected to that work), and must ensure that for that period a copy is readily accessible to any worker engaged to carry out the work and available for inspection. Safe Work Australia, Model WHS Regulations, reg 303, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 Forms question types are Text, Text (Multi-line), Number, Date, Multiple Choice, Multiple Choice (Multi-answer), Signature and Photo; a question can be made compulsory; completed forms are converted to PDF and saved to the job diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.