Bridge Construction (General) SWMS
SWMS template for bridge construction (general). Covers Combines crane + steel + concrete + heights.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Bridge construction covers the general construction of bridges — building bridge structures including the substructure, superstructure, deck and the placement of precast elements, often at height and over water or roads. The defining hazards are the work at height with its fall risk, the work over water with its drowning risk, the lifting and placement of precast and heavy elements, and the powered mobile plant and traffic. This document is written on the basis that bridge construction is carried out with the falls, water, lifting and plant controls in place, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work.
Bridge construction is carried out as construction work in connection with the falls and construction requirements and AS 5100, with the work at height controlled against falls, the work over water controlled against drowning, the lifting and placement of precast and heavy elements managed, and the powered mobile plant and traffic managed. Because the work involves a risk of a fall more than 2 metres, is over water with a drowning risk, involves precast concrete, and is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The falls, the water, the lifting, and the plant are the considerations. This document coordinates the falls, water, lifting and plant controls so the bridge construction is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Falls from height on the bridge structure and deck
Drowning from work over water
Crush from lifting and placing precast and heavy elements
Crush and run-over from the plant and cranes
Being struck by road traffic where the bridge is over a road
Impact injury from falling objects from height
Crush and dropped loads from crane lifting and rigging
Injury and burns from the concrete and formwork
Drowning and access hazards over and near water
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: provide fall prevention for work at height — edge protection, work platforms, scaffolds, elevating work platforms or under-bridge access units, with a harness-based system where higher-order controls are not practicable — to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice.
- 2Engineering: where the work is over or near water with a risk of drowning, provide the controls — edge protection, rescue equipment, life jackets and a person overboard procedure.
- 3Engineering: manage the lifting and placement of precast and tilt-up concrete elements with rated lifting equipment, an exclusion zone, a competent crane crew and a lift plan, because precast and tilt-up elements are heavy and can fail or strike workers.
- 4Engineering: use the road and civil plant — pavers, rollers, profilers, graders, rigs and trucks — safely to the plant requirements and the manufacturer's instructions, with guarding, pre-operational checks, competent operators and the plant maintained.
- 5Engineering: where the bridge is over a road, manage the road traffic with a traffic management plan and traffic control, and control falling objects from height with exclusion and protection.
- 6Engineering: carry out the crane lifting and rigging with rated equipment, a lift plan, a competent crew and an exclusion zone.
- 7Administrative: manage the concrete and formwork, including the burns from wet concrete.
- 8Administrative: because the work is carried out where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the fall-prevention controls implemented.
- 9Administrative: because the work is in or near water with a risk of drowning, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the water-safety controls implemented.
- 10Administrative: because the work involves tilt-up or precast concrete elements, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the lifting and placement controls implemented.
- 11Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001), with the plant tickets, traffic control accreditation, confined space, and other competencies required for the work.
- 12Administrative: conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, the traffic and plant movements, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 13Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 14PPE: high-visibility clothing to AS/NZS 4602.1, eye protection, hearing protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 15Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
- 16Administrative: confirm the work is completed safely, the excavation, plant and area are left in a safe condition, and the site is secured.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Fall-prevention controls for work at height, such as on bridges, retaining walls and structures.
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The design and construction requirements for the bridge work.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
The work is carried out where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with fall prevention.
The work is carried out in or near water with a risk of drowning, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with water-safety controls.
The work involves placing precast concrete elements, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with lifting and placement controls.
The work is carried out in an area in which there is movement of powered mobile plant, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is civil construction work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — involving where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres; in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning; involves tilt-up or precast concrete; in an area at a workplace in which there is movement of powered mobile plant — so a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences, kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary, and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. The work is carried out in connection with the relevant construction, excavation, traffic, plant and other requirements, with the controls for the specific hazards applied. A failure in this work can cause a fatal trench collapse, traffic, plant, fall, gas or other serious injury, and breaches of the relevant legislation and the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act are actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct, and the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Bridge construction crews and operators.
- →Bridge and civil structures contractors.
- →Civil construction and infrastructure businesses.
- →Road and transport authorities and PCBUs.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the falls, water and lifting controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site or project address, work description, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the bridge construction (general) hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Bridge construction prompts referencing AS 5100 and the falls Code of Practice, a work-at-height section, a work-over-water section, and a precast-lifting and plant record.
- ✓Licensing and competency prompts for the plant, traffic control, confined space and other work, and a plant pre-operational and inspection checklist where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A bridge crew is engaged to construct a bridge over a watercourse. Fall prevention is provided for the work at height on the structure and deck — edge protection, work platforms, scaffolds and elevating work platforms. The work over water is controlled against drowning with edge protection, rescue equipment and life jackets. The lifting and placement of precast and heavy elements are managed with rated lifting equipment, an exclusion zone, a competent crane crew and a lift plan. The powered mobile plant and cranes are operated safely. Where the bridge is over a road, the road traffic is managed, and falling objects controlled with exclusion and protection. The crane lifting and rigging are carried out with rated equipment, a lift plan and an exclusion zone. The concrete and formwork are managed. Because the work involves a fall risk more than 2 metres, is over water, involves precast concrete, and is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The bridge is constructed, and the records retained.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — the construction work, excavation, plant, traffic, confined spaces and falls provisions, and the Section 291 high risk construction work and SWMS duties, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The construction work, excavation work, confined spaces and falls Codes of Practice, the traffic management guidance, and the relevant standards such as AS 5100 for bridges and AS 4678 for retaining structures, are called up by the relevant safety legislation for the civil road work.
- Essential services information is obtained through Before You Dig Australia for underground assets and the Look Up and Live information for overhead assets before excavating; plant operation, traffic control and confined space work require the relevant licences, accreditations and competencies.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the construction, excavation, plant and high risk construction work provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What makes bridge construction high risk construction work?
Bridge construction involves a risk of a fall more than 2 metres, is over water with a drowning risk, involves precast concrete, and is in an area of powered mobile plant movement — all of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Bridge construction commonly triggers several high risk construction work categories at once.
How is the work at height managed?
Fall prevention is provided for the work at height on the structure and deck — edge protection, work platforms, scaffolds and elevating work platforms — to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice, with higher-order controls where practicable. Managing the work at height is a defining control in bridge construction.
How is the work over water managed?
The work over water is controlled against drowning with edge protection, rescue equipment, life jackets and a person overboard procedure, because work over water presents a drowning hazard. Managing the work over water controls the drowning hazard in bridge construction.
How are precast elements placed safely?
The lifting and placement of precast and heavy elements are managed with rated lifting equipment, an exclusion zone, a competent crane crew and a lift plan, because precast elements are heavy and can fail or strike workers. Managing the lifting and placement of precast elements controls the crush hazard.
Who constructs bridges?
Bridge construction is carried out by competent bridge crews in connection with the falls and construction requirements and AS 5100, with the falls, water, lifting and plant controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The bridge is constructed with the falls, water and lifting managed.