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Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)
Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)

Learn how to standardise your method statements for your workforce to complete on their tablets and phones, and scan worker digital ID cards

Sam avatar
Written by Sam
Updated over a week ago

Introduction

In heavy industries, method statements (eg, SWMS, RAMS) are a fundamental part of any safety system, ensuring work is conducted safely.

When conducting high-risk work, method statements are used to set out the high risk work activities being undertaken, the hazards associated with those activities, and the control measures put in place to reduce the risks.

Dashpivot helps standardise your method statements across all your projects, accessible via the Dashpivot app and website for your team to view and complete. All these records are then organised online for safekeeping and can be pulled up quickly in an audit to demonstrate compliance across the board.

How it works

Key Features

  • Standardise the way method statements are filled in, signed off, and managed across your entire organisation

  • Scan Sitemate IDs of workers to automatically stamp their name, company, signature onto the SWMS, with the time and location the scan took place

  • Automatically generate a register of all method statements. This helps with demonstrating compliance in an audit.

  • Generate charts (which auto-update in realtime) in the analytics section, for tracking how often method statements are created, who creates them and which projects they're for. This helps with monitoring compliance across the company.

  • Allow your workforce to fill out method statements using the Dashpivot mobile/tablet app, available for iOS and Android devices.

  • Download your method statements as PDF if you need a hard copy on site, or send a soft copy PDF to someone via email directly from Dashpivot.

Best Practices

  • Setup method statements in your company Template library (located in your Home Folder), to standardise the method statements across all projects

  • Use a pre-filled table as the main job step table to pre-fill the standard job steps, hazards, risk rating, controls and responsibilities, which wont change between projects. This will mean your team doesn't need to type out this information every time they fill out a method statement.

  • Use a default table below the main job step table to allow additional table rows to be added, but using the same columns. Watch the video above for a run through.

  • To upload a coloured risk matrix, use a text field set to 'pre-filled' and then click the image icon to upload an image of your matrix.

  • Use list fields set as dropdown menus where applicable (eg. selecting a person's name), to make it easy to find and filter records later via the register view, and filter by the list items on any analytics charts.

  • Set fields to be 'required' if they should be mandatory to complete the method statement

  • In the template settings, make sure the forms are sorted by the date on the form (not the creation date)

  • Be sure to setup a frequency chart in the analytics section to track how often method statement are filled out. This helps monitor compliance.

Note: if you're setting up lots of method statements, which all have a similar layout, you may want to clone your initial template, so you don't need to start from scratch each time you create a new method statement.

Getting Started

You can access many Free Method Statement Templates from Dashpivot's Template Library. Go to Templates > Add Template > Choose from Free Public Template Library

Search for 'SWMS' to see whats available. And remember, you can change the template name, contents and settings once added into your account.

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