Bulk Excavations (Large-Scale Earthworks) SWMS

Bulk excavations covers large-scale bulk earthworks and excavation — excavating and moving large volumes of earth and rock with excavators, loaders and trucks for civil and road projects. The defining hazards are the powered mobile plant and its interaction with workers, the excavation collapse and edges, the underground services, and the dust. This document is written on the basis that bulk excavations are carried out with the plant, collapse, services and dust controls in place, and a SWMS where the excavation exceeds 1.5 metres or involves powered mobile plant.

Bulk excavations are carried out as construction work in connection with the excavation and plant requirements, with the powered mobile plant operated safely and separated from workers, the excavation collapse and edges managed, the underground services located and avoided, and the dust controlled. Because the work is in or near an excavation deeper than 1.5 metres and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The plant, the collapse and edges, the services, and the dust are the considerations. This document coordinates the plant, collapse, services and dust controls so the bulk excavations are carried out safely.

Hazards identified

9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Engineering: 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.
2. 2Engineering: prevent trench and excavation collapse — the leading cause of fatality in excavation — by shoring, benching or battering the excavation, using trench boxes or shields, to a geotechnical assessment where required, because a collapse occurs quickly and can bury or crush a worker.
3. 3Administrative: obtain the essential services information before excavating — through Before You Dig Australia for underground assets and the Look Up and Live information for overhead assets — and locate, identify and avoid or isolate the services, because striking a gas, electrical or water service can cause explosion, electrocution or flooding.
4. 4Engineering: separate pedestrians and powered mobile plant with designated routes, exclusion zones, spotters and a traffic management plan, because pedestrian and plant interaction is a leading cause of serious injury on civil sites.
5. 5Engineering: manage plant stability and tip-over with the plant on firm level ground where practicable, within its rated limits, and away from excavation edges and batters.
6. 6Engineering: control dust from the work and the haul roads with water carts and suppression, with respiratory protection where required.
7. 7Engineering: provide safe access and egress to the excavation, secure the excavation from unauthorised access and from people and plant falling in, and keep spoil and plant back from the edge.
8. 8Engineering: manage reversing plant and trucks with a procedure, cameras and a spotter, and manage spoil and stockpiles for stability.
9. 9Administrative: because the work is in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the ground-support and access controls implemented.
10. 10Administrative: because the work is carried out in an area in which there is movement of powered mobile plant, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the pedestrian and plant separation implemented.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A civil crew is engaged to carry out bulk excavation. The excavators, loaders and trucks are operated safely to the plant requirements, and pedestrians and the plant separated with exclusion zones and spotters. The excavation collapse and edges are managed by battering, benching or supporting the excavation, with safe access and the edges protected. The underground services are located through Before You Dig Australia, identified and avoided. The plant stability and overturning are managed on unstable ground and batters. The dust is controlled with water carts and suppression. People and plant falling into the excavation are prevented with edge protection. Reversing plant and trucks are managed with a procedure, cameras and a spotter, and spoil and stockpiles managed for stability. Because the excavation exceeds 1.5 metres and the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The excavation is completed, the area secured, 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