Safe Work Practice Library for Western Canada Trades: 15 Editable SWPs plus Fall Protection Plan, Hot Work Permit, Lock Log and Working-Alone Plan (Word and PDF)

Generic safe work practices read like they were written for someone else's job. This library covers the work small fab shops, post-frame builders and site crews actually do, from ladders and grinders to trenching, truss setting and working alone.

Every SWP follows the same 12-part layout: scope, main hazards, required PPE, required equipment, training and competency, pre-job checks, step-by-step practice, stop-work triggers, emergency response, Alberta OHS Code references (section numbers, plain language), site-specific notes, and review sign-off with a revision log. Each comes as an editable Word file and a matching PDF, with fields for your company name, logo and document control number.

What's in the zip

- 15 safe work practices (about 3 pages each), Word (.docx) and PDF:

 1. Portable Ladders

 2. Fall Protection / Working at Heights

 3. Aerial and Scissor Lifts

 4. Hot Work: Welding, Cutting, Grinding

 5. Excavation, Trenching and Ground Disturbance

 6. Lockout / Hazardous Energy

 7. Powered Mobile Equipment (skid steer, telehandler, forklift, excavator)

 8. Confined Space Awareness (recognize it, don't enter)

 9. Hand and Power Tools (including grinders and powder-actuated tools)

 10. Working Alone

 11. Overhead Power Lines

 12. Manual Lifting and Material Handling

 13. Rigging and Hoisting Basics

 14. Truss and Post-Frame Erection

 15. Cold and Hot Weather Work

- 4 companion templates (about 2 pages each): Fall Protection Plan (SWP-02A), Hot Work Permit (SWP-04A), Personal and Group Lock Log (SWP-06A), Working-Alone Plan and Check-in Log (SWP-10A)

- One-page index (PDF and Word)

- README with how to customize them

Key features

- Trade-specific practices for fab shop, post-frame and site work: hot work with fire watch and cylinders, truss and post-frame erection, skid steer and telehandler work, trenching, and power lines near boom trucks and dump boxes.

- Stop-work triggers in every SWP, tied to the right to refuse dangerous work (OHS Act s.17).

- Alberta OHS Code references by section number and Part (for example ladders Part 8, fall protection Part 9, lockout Part 15, excavation Part 32), paraphrased only and never pasted, with a link to check the current Code.

- Fall protection plan template built around the topics the Code asks a plan to cover (s.140).

- Confined space stays awareness-only. It tells crews how to recognize a confined space and not to enter, and lists what an employer would need before any entry. It isn't an entry program.

- Rigging is basics only, not a crane or lift-planning program.

- Site-specific notes box and revision log on every SWP so a competent person can adapt, sign and date it before it goes to crews.

- Pairs with the Safety Forms & Log Kit (FLHA, inspections, incident report and Safety Log) for the day-to-day records.

Who it's for

Small Alberta and Western Canada contractors and fab shops that need written safe work practices for common tasks without paying for a custom manual.

COR and SECOR

These templates can help you build and keep the day-to-day records a health and safety program needs, the kind of records COR and SECOR evaluations look at. Buying or using them doesn't give you COR or SECOR. Certification comes only through a Certifying Partner's audit or evaluation. In Alberta construction, many employers use the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) as their Certifying Partner. Bid Sheets isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ACSA or the Government of Alberta.

FAQ

Can my crew use these as-is? No. Each SWP needs a competent person to adapt it to your site, equipment and methods, then sign the revision log before it's issued. The site-specific notes box is there for that.

Will these get me COR or SECOR? No. Only a Certifying Partner's audit or evaluation does that.

Does the confined space SWP let us enter confined spaces? No. It's awareness only: recognize, don't enter, stop and call. Entry needs a written code of practice, a competent person and an entry permit system under the OHS Code (Part 5).

Is the legislation text included? No. References are section numbers with plain-language summaries and a link to the official Code. Re-check them each year. The 2027 update does that for you.

Can I change the wording and add my logo? Yes. Edit the Word files. They have company name, logo and document control fields.

Is scaffolding, silica or WHMIS included? Not in this version.

Can I get a refund? It's a digital download, so there are no refunds once it's delivered. Email me if any file gives you trouble.

Disclaimer

These templates are general examples for small Alberta and Western Canada employers. They are not legal advice and are not a substitute for a site-specific health and safety program, a hazard assessment of your own work, manufacturer instructions, or review by a competent person. Every SWP must be reviewed and adapted to your site, equipment and methods by a competent person before use. Your employer, prime contractor and supervisors stay responsible for meeting the OHS Act, Regulation and Code and any other law that applies. Legislation references are plain-language summaries, not the law itself. Check the current legislation before relying on them (alberta.ca/ohs-act-regulation-code).

About the maker

Built by a tradesperson with 35 years in fabrication and construction across Western Canada.

Compatibility (safety documents)

- Fillable PDFs: open in a free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, letter size, print-ready.

- Word files (.docx): edit in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer. Google Docs can open them by upload.

- The Safety Log workbook works the same way as the spreadsheets above.

Licence

One-business licence: use it across your business (all its sites and crews) on as many jobs as you like. Please don't resell, share or publish the blank templates outside your business. Completed job files and filled-in forms can go to your clients, prime contractors, auditors and regulators.

Refund policy

Because these are digital downloads, I don't offer refunds once a file has been delivered. Please check the compatibility list above before you buy, and grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer to test on your computer first. If a file won't open or something isn't working, email me at support@bidsheets.ca and I'll help you sort it out.

Updates

Buyers get the 2027 update free. I'll email you the new version when it's ready. Each January I refresh the payroll rates (CPP, EI, WCB) in the estimating workbook and fab calculator, re-check the Alberta OHS and prompt-payment references in the safety and billing products, and re-check the standards references in the takeoffs.

Support

Questions? Email support@bidsheets.ca. I usually answer within 2 business days.