Who signs a SWMS? Preparation, sign-off, and the daily re-sign myth
Current at 28 September 2026 — reviewed against Safe Work Australia's SWMS information sheet, WorkSafe Victoria's SWMS guidance (WSV1672), SafeWork NSW's Form 05 and the OFSC SWMS fact sheet (16 Jan 2020).
As at September 2026: the contractor doing the high risk construction work prepares the SWMS, in consultation with the workers who will do it. The workers doing the work sign it after that consultation. The principal contractor receives and reviews it but does not have to "approve" it — the OFSC says so in as many words. And no regulation requires daily re-signing: workers re-sign after the SWMS is revised, not every morning.
Who prepares the SWMS
The duty sits with the PCBU carrying out the HRCW (in Victoria, the employer or self-employed person). Safe Work Australia's information sheet puts it practically: the person responsible for carrying out the work is best placed to prepare the SWMS — the builder for their workers, the subcontractor for theirs. For electrical work, that means the electrical contractor prepares it, not the builder and not a consultant who has never seen the job. Consultation with the workers who will be directly engaged in the work is part of the duty, and if the workplace has a health and safety representative, the HSR should be consulted too (in Victoria, HSR consultation is mandatory).
Who signs it — and what the signature means
The regulations prescribe what a SWMS must contain, not who must sign it. But every regulator template carries sign-off fields, because a signature table is how you evidence the consultation the law does require. WorkSafe Victoria's template is the most explicit about what a worker's signature is supposed to mean — a pattern worth copying in any state:
| # | A worker signs the SWMS after they… |
|---|---|
| 1 | have been consulted in the development, or content, of the SWMS |
| 2 | have read (and completed) the SWMS |
| 3 | understand the hazards that have been identified and the controls in place |
| 4 | know what they must do to safely complete the HRCW tasks |
Alongside the worker table, regulator templates also carry signatures and dates for the person responsible for ensuring compliance, the reviewer (with a review date), and a date the SWMS was provided to the principal contractor — SafeWork NSW's Form 05 and Safe Work Australia's template both follow this shape.
Does the principal contractor "approve" the SWMS? No.
A persistent site myth. The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner's SWMS fact sheet lists it under "what is NOT required": "Principal Contractor 'approval' of SWMS is not required (though review and correction of issues prior to commencement of work is required)." The legal shape is:
- On construction projects of $250,000 or more, the PC must take all reasonable steps to obtain your SWMS before the HRCW starts, and you must give them a copy.
- The PC reviews it against their own criteria — site rules, project risk controls, legal minimums — and can require issues fixed before you start.
- But the SWMS remains your document. The PC doesn't countersign it into force, doesn't have to be an expert in your trade to review it, and their review doesn't transfer your duty to work in accordance with it.
Do workers have to re-sign the SWMS every day? No.
Honest answer, because plenty of paperwork sellers imply otherwise: there is no blanket daily re-sign requirement anywhere in the model WHS Regulations or Safe Work Australia's SWMS guidance. What the law actually requires is that the SWMS be reviewed and revised when things change — the controls are revised (model reg 302), the work changes, or (in Victoria) after any incident or any indication risks aren't controlled. After a revision, workers should sign the revised SWMS, because it's materially a new document they need to understand — and all versions should be kept.
Daily sign-on sheets are a different thing: a site attendance and briefing record, commonly required by a principal contractor's own system, and good practice on active sites — just not a regulation. The Electrician SWMS Kit ships a daily sign-on sheet for sites that want one, kept deliberately separate from the SWMS sign-off table so the two records don't get conflated.
Get the Electrician SWMS Kit — A$59
21 documents with regulator-shaped sign-off tables built in — consultation record, worker sign-off, reviewer and PC-date fields. Or start with the free pre-start SWMS checklist.
SWMS signing questions
Who signs a SWMS?
The workers who will do the high risk construction work, after consultation — plus the person responsible for compliance and the reviewer in their own fields. See the four Victorian sign-off conditions above.
Who is responsible for the SWMS?
The PCBU (VIC: employer/self-employed person) carrying out the HRCW — they must prepare it, ensure work follows it, review it, and keep it. Signing by workers doesn't move that duty.
Does the principal contractor sign or approve it?
No approval is required (OFSC fact sheet). The PC obtains a copy before work starts on $250k+ projects, reviews it, and can require fixes — that's the extent of it.
Do SWMS need to be signed daily?
No. Re-sign after the SWMS is revised. Daily sign-on sheets are site practice, not a SWMS regulation.