SafetyPaperwork
Excavation and earthworks · Australia

SWMS for site cut

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

Yes. Site cut usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

It must list the hazards, the controls and how they will be put in place, monitored and reviewed, and the workers must be consulted and sign before starting. The main hazards are silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles, hitting underground services, road traffic and being hit by mobile plant.

Make this SWMS nowWord templatePDF

SWMS example: site cut

This is a complete SWMS for site cut, with 6 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
Site cut and levelling · Excavation and earthworks · Example
Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get BYDA plans, check for overhead power lines and plan truck movements
  • Hitting underground services
  • Contact with overhead power lines
  • Road traffic
Extreme
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Scan the area with a cable locator before digging and mark services on the ground. Engineering
  • Hand dig or vacuum excavate to expose services before using a machine near them. Engineering
  • Lodge a free BYDA (Before You Dig Australia) request and get the plans before any digging. Administrative
  • Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Administrative
  • Ask the network operator to turn off, move or insulate the lines before work starts. Eliminate
  • Use non-conductive (fibreglass) ladders near any power lines. Substitute
  • Mark the safe distance with flags, tape or goal posts and keep all plant and people outside it. Isolate
  • Keep out of the No Go Zone set by your state and the network operator, or get written approval and a safety observer. In NSW and Qld, untrained people and plant stay at least 3 m from lines on poles up to 132 kV, 6 m up to 330 kV and 8 m above 330 kV. In Victoria the limits differ, and work within 8 m of tower lines needs a spotter and the network operator's permission. Administrative
  • Use a dedicated spotter whenever plant moves or raises anything near lines. Administrative
  • Treat all lines as live. If plant touches a line, stay in the cab and keep everyone well away. Administrative
  • Do the work at low-traffic times, or close the road or lane with approval. Eliminate
  • Put solid barriers between the work and traffic where speeds are high, not just cones. Isolate
  • Use a truck-mounted attenuator or buffer vehicle on high speed roads. Engineering
  • Have a Traffic Management Plan. Signs and cones are set out by accredited traffic controllers to your state's rules. Administrative
  • Get a road occupancy or street works permit from the road authority before you start. Administrative
Medium
2Set up a spotter and exclusion zones for machines
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Extreme
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Engineering
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Administrative
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Administrative
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Administrative
  • Operators hold a High Risk Work Licence where needed (for example forklift) and are trained and assessed on other plant. Administrative
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Administrative
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
Medium
3Cut the site, battering or retaining cut faces
  • Trench or excavation collapse
  • Structural collapse during alterations
Extreme
  • Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Eliminate
  • Barricade or cover the excavation so people and plant cannot fall in. Isolate
  • Shore, bench or batter the walls of any trench 1.5 metres deep or more before anyone goes in, unless a geotechnical engineer advises in writing that the sides are safe. Engineering
  • Keep spoil, materials and plant at least 1 metre back from the edge. Engineering
  • Provide a safe way in and out, such as a ladder near where people work. Engineering
  • Inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after rain or anything that could weaken it. Record it. Administrative
  • Never work alone in a trench. Watch for water, cracks and bulging walls, and get out if you see them. Administrative
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis and safety boots. PPE
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Engineering
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Administrative
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Administrative
  • Install temporary support to the engineer's or temporary works design before any load bearing element is altered. Administrative
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots. PPE
Medium
4Watch neighbouring fences and footings near the cut
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Public entering the work area
High
  • Structural collapse during alterations: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Engineering
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Administrative
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative
  • Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Administrative
Medium
5Control dust with water
  • General dust
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
Extreme
  • Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Substitute
  • Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Isolate
  • Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Engineering
  • Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Engineering
  • Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Administrative
  • Wear a dust mask and safety glasses. PPE
  • If the job involves engineered stone: do not supply, fabricate or install engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs (banned since 1 July 2024). Removing, repairing or making minor changes to existing engineered stone is only allowed with water suppression or on-tool extraction, a fitted respirator, and written notice to the regulator before the work starts. Eliminate
  • Order materials cut to size, or use low-dust methods such as score and snap or a block splitter. Substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a separate area, with other people well away and upwind. Isolate
  • Use water on the blade or on-tool dust extraction connected to an H-class vacuum. Engineering
  • Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Administrative
  • If the cutting, grinding or drilling is high risk, prepare a silica risk control plan (or include the r.529CA assessment in this SWMS), train workers in silica risks and give them the plan before work starts. Administrative
  • Wear a fit-tested P2 (or better) respirator. PPE
Medium
6Load trucks and clean the street
  • Road traffic
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Extreme
  • Park work vehicles to shield the work zone, with beacons on. Administrative
  • Wear day and night hi-vis clothing (AS/NZS 4602.1). PPE
  • Road traffic: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skip bins and waste chutes close to the work. Engineering
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Medium

PPE

Steel cap bootsHi-vis shirt or vestHard hatHearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)P2 dust maskSafety glassesHalf-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters)Work gloves

Plant and equipment

Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machineSkid steer (Bobcat): Verification of competency (VOC) for the machineTipper or site dumper: Driver licence for the vehicle class, VOC for site dumpersWacker plate

Permits and plans

Excavation / dig permit

Emergency

Call 000. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS.

Free SWMS template for site cut

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this SWMS

Pre-start checklist for site cut

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Get BYDA plans, check for overhead power lines and plan truck movements
  2. Set up a spotter and exclusion zones for machines
  3. Cut the site, battering or retaining cut faces
  4. Watch neighbouring fences and footings near the cut
  5. Control dust with water
  6. Load trucks and clean the street

Hazards to watch on site cut

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 1, 6Road trafficPassing cars and trucks hit workers or plant working on or next to a road.
Step 3Trench 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.
Step 1Contact with overhead power linesA ladder, EWP, crane, tipper or long length of material touches or gets close to an overhead line and electrocutes people.
Step 3, 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Step 2Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: Insignificant to CatastrophicBA
Highest risk on site cut: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and catastrophic becomes rare and catastrophic).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work more than 2 metres off the ground?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, clear sheet, fibro or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

This task can involve these high risk construction work categories under the WHS Regulations:

  • Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine
  • Skid steer (Bobcat): Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine
  • Tipper or site dumper: Driver licence for the vehicle class, VOC for site dumpers

A SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. It must list the high risk work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be easy for the workers to read and understand.

Rules that apply: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 5.1 Plant; WHS Regulations, Part 6.3 Division 3 (Excavation work, r.304 to 306); WHS Regulations, Chapter 8A (Crystalline silica substances and engineered stone).

Each state has its own regulator and some extra rules: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

Why SWMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • It is generic: another site address, tasks that are not on this job, or no sign it was reviewed for this site. WorkSafe WA says a generic SWMS may not meet the regulations unless it is reviewed and amended for the workplace.
  • The HRCW boxes are not ticked, or the ticks do not match the tasks (for example a roof job with no falls box ticked).
  • Falls are controlled only by "be careful", training or a harness, with no edge protection or scaffold and no reason why higher controls are not reasonably practicable.
  • Workers will clip on to a harness but there is no rescue plan for someone left hanging.
  • The "how controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed" part is missing, or it says the same thing on every row.
  • No worker sign-on, no person responsible for compliance, or a date given to the principal contractor that is before they actually received it.
  • Licence or White Card details are missing for workers operating plant or doing licensed high risk work.

Questions

Do I need a SWMS for site cut?

Yes. Site cut usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

Who signs the SWMS?

The person conducting the business (PCBU) or their supervisor prepares it with the workers, and every worker doing the high risk work signs to show they were consulted and understand it. Give a copy to the principal contractor before work starts.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this SWMS, and every revised version, until the high risk construction work is finished, where workers and inspectors can see it on site. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident.

What PPE is needed for site cut?

Usually Steel cap boots, Hi-vis shirt or vest, Hard hat, Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), P2 dust mask, Safety glasses, Half-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters), Work gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More excavation and earthworks SWMS

SWMSTrenching10 stepsSWMSFooting Excavation5 stepsSWMSPool Excavation8 stepsSWMSStormwater Drainage Installation5 stepsSWMSPost Hole Boring5 stepsSWMSBackfill and Compaction5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

ConcretingConcrete Slab PourAlso involves contact with overhead power linesConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingAlso involves hitting underground servicesRoofingRoof Tile ReplacementAlso involves contact with overhead power linesDemolitionInternal Strip OutAlso involves general dustScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves contact with overhead power linesLandscapingTree RemovalAlso involves contact with overhead power lines

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkExcavation and Trench Safety

Blank SWMS template: free SWMS templates. Also for other countries: United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources