Home / Trades / Builders

Gate Ready for builders

Write your building SWMS on your phone.

Start from a job you do every week, check the fall, propping and asbestos controls, add photos of the site and get your crew to sign. Your first SWMS is free.

  • Suggested controls for falls, temporary props and demolition
  • Asks about asbestos on older houses
  • Draft, sign on and save your PDF when the signal drops

Open the sample PDF (9 pages)

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. Built for patchy reception.

Gate Ready is a drafting tool. It doesn't certify or check compliance, and you review every SWMS.

First page of a sample Gate Ready SWMS PDF for a two-storey house extension in New South Wales

Sample SWMS, page 1 of 9

Plan, photos and sign-on, all in one PDF

Page 1 is above. Here are the site plan and a marked-up photo page. The sample is for a two-storey extension on an occupied 1960s house in New South Wales, with temporary props, scaffold and an asbestos check. It is for a fictional business and not for use on site. The photos are illustrations.

Open the sample PDF (9 pages) or see more samples

Appendix A of the sample SWMS: a site plan with a new extension, scaffold, an exclusion zone, a power pole and service line, a skip bin and three numbered photo pinsAppendix B of the sample SWMS: a marked-up photo of the front of a house with the power service line, scaffold position, site gate and skip bin labelled

Start from a job you actually do

Pick Builder when you set up the app and the common tasks match your work. Each one comes with the steps and hazards already suggested. You check and change them.

Build a new single-storey house

Build a new single-storey house: footings and slab, timber frame, roof and lock-up, with an excavator for site works.

  1. Set up site fencing, amenities and signage
  2. Locate underground services before digging
  3. Excavate and pour the footings and slab
  4. Erect the frame with temporary bracing
  5. Install the roof with edge protection
  6. Close in to lock-up, keeping the site tidy and secure each day

Build a two-storey extension

Build a two-storey extension on an existing house, removing part of a load-bearing wall with temporary propping, from scaffold.

  1. Check the asbestos register or the age of the house before disturbing existing materials
  2. Set up scaffold and edge protection
  3. Prop the existing structure before forming the wall opening
  4. Build the extension frame, floor and roof
  5. Join the extension to the house and remove the props once the new structure carries the load

Renovate the inside of a house

Internal renovation of an existing house: strip out, new linings, fit-off and painting.

  1. Check the asbestos register or the age of the house before the strip-out
  2. Isolate services in the work area (licensed trades)
  3. Strip out old linings and fittings
  4. Install new linings and fit-off
  5. Clean up and remove waste as you go

Do carpentry, concreting or roofing too?

Pick every trade you do when you set up. Common tasks, hazards and ticket suggestions for each one show up together.

  • Carpentry
  • Concreting
  • Bricklaying
  • Formwork
  • Roofing
  • Plastering

Building hazards and controls, ready to check

When the job involves props, scaffold or an old house, Gate Ready adds the hazards (a fall from an edge, collapse during alterations, and asbestos) and controls like these. Each one shows its type.

  • IsolateEdge protection (guardrail, mid-rail and toe-board) installed on all open edges before work starts
  • AdminTemporary works designed by an engineer; the design is on site
  • EngineerProps and bracing installed to the design before cutting or removing members
  • AdminProps inspected daily and after any impact or change; not removed until the engineer approves
  • IsolateExclusion zone under and around the supported area
  • AdminAsbestos register checked, or suspect material sampled and tested, before work starts
  • AdminHandover certificate kept on site until the scaffold is taken down (a scaff tag alone is not enough)

A fall of more than 2 m, structural alterations that need temporary support, demolishing a load-bearing element and work that is likely to disturb asbestos are all on the model national list of high risk construction work. Some states add their own items, so check your regulator. Scaffold, an elevating work platform and rescue lines are in the list too. You choose the ones that fit your job. Gate Ready suggests, you review.

Gate Ready hazards and controls screen with a list of controls to tick

Old house? Check for asbestos first.

Houses built before 1990 can contain asbestos, and houses renovated up to 2004 may too. Gate Ready asks when the building was built and whether you’ll cut, drill or remove existing materials. Asbestos was banned in Australia from 31 December 2003, so anything built or renovated before 2004 may contain it.

Photograph the house, the side access and the back yard

Take photos of the front, the side access and the back of the job before you start. Mark up the power lines, scaffold, propped openings and exclusion zones, and pin each photo to a site plan. They print with your SWMS. Photos stay on your phone. We can’t see them.

See all the features

Gate Ready site plan with three numbered photo pins and a list of the symbols used

Keep your licences and tickets in one place

Gate Ready suggests a builder licence or registration for your state. Add the dates and it reminds you before they run out. Add your White Card, working at heights training and insurance too.

  • Builder licence or registration
  • White Card
  • Working at heights training
  • CPR
  • Insurance
Gate Ready reminders screen for licences, insurance and unfinished SWMS

How much does it cost?

Your first SWMS is free. Then you get a one-month free trial. After that it's $24.99 a month, GST included.

The App Store or Google Play bills you. You can cancel any time in your store account. Try the sample jobs first. They don't use your free SWMS.

Common questions from builders

What does Gate Ready suggest for extensions and alterations?

It shows which items on the high risk construction work list your job may trigger, such as falls, temporary props, demolition and asbestos, and suggests controls for each one. You tick the ones that fit the job and add your own.

Can I mark propped openings, scaffold and power lines on my photos?

Yes. Add symbols such as exclusion zone, scaffold, edge protection and overhead power lines, then pin each photo to a site plan. Photos stay on your phone.

Does it cover extensions, new homes and renovations?

Common tasks cover a new single-storey house, a two-storey extension and an internal renovation. Pick Carpentry, Concreting and other trades too if your crew does that work.

Does it work on site with no signal?

Yes, for most of the job. Gate Ready is built for patchy reception. You can draft, sign on and save your PDF without a signal. It checks your subscription when it’s online. If it can’t check for 14 days, you can keep working on SWMS you’ve already started, but you can’t start a new one until it reconnects. Sending a copy needs a connection.

Where are my signed SWMS kept?

They stay on your phone. You export a PDF, and that exported copy is your record.

Does it cover my state?

Yes. It covers all eight Australian states and territories. Always check the result against your job, your site and your regulator.

What does it cost?

Your first SWMS is free. Then you get a one-month free trial. After that it’s $24.99 a month, GST included. The App Store or Google Play bills you, and you can cancel any time in your store account. Try the sample jobs first. They don’t use your free SWMS.

More answers on the FAQ page. Not a builder? Gate Ready covers more than 70 trades. See the full list.

Samples for other trades

Get Gate Ready for building work

Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. Your first SWMS is free.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Your first SWMS is freeGet the app