Excavation and earthworks SWMS examples
Trenching, footings, site cuts, pools, drainage and compaction. Pick the job below to see a complete SWMS with every step, hazard and control, download it as a Word template, or make your own in a couple of minutes.
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SWMSTrenching10 steps · 12 hazards coveredSWMSFooting Excavation5 steps · 7 hazards coveredSWMSSite Cut6 steps · 10 hazards coveredSWMSPool Excavation8 steps · 11 hazards coveredSWMSStormwater Drainage Installation5 steps · 11 hazards coveredSWMSPost Hole Boring5 steps · 8 hazards coveredSWMSBackfill and Compaction5 steps · 6 hazards covered
Common excavation and earthworks hazards
Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Trench or excavation collapseThe trench walls cave in and bury or crush a worker. Trenches 1.5 metres deep or more must be shored, benched or battered unless a geotechnical engineer advises in writing that the sides are safe.
Poor housekeeping and wasteRubbish, offcuts and materials left lying around cause trips, cuts and fires, and block exits.
Public entering the work areaMembers of the public, including children, walk into the site and are hit by plant or falling objects, or fall into holes.
Contact with overhead power linesA ladder, EWP, crane, tipper or long length of material touches or gets close to an overhead line and electrocutes people.
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