Civil Drilling & Piling Operations SWMS
Civil drilling and piling covers CFA pile installation, bored pier construction, screw pile install, drilling rig setup, spoil management, and HRCW compliance for foundation work on civil and infrastructure projects.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Drilling and piling covers the drilling and installation of piles — boring or driving piles for foundations, retaining and civil structures with a piling rig, including the spoil and concrete. The defining hazards are the piling rig and powered mobile plant, the bored holes and falls into them, the underground and overhead services, and the augers and rotating parts. This document is written on the basis that drilling and piling is carried out with the plant, bored-hole, services and auger controls in place, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work.
Drilling and piling is carried out as construction work in connection with the plant and excavation requirements, with the piling rig operated safely, the bored holes managed against falls, the underground and overhead services located and avoided, and the augers and rotating parts guarded. Because the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, may involve a shaft deeper than 1.5 metres, and may be near overhead services, it is high risk construction work. The plant, the bored holes, the services, and the augers are the considerations. This document coordinates the plant, bored-hole, services and auger controls so the drilling and piling is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush and run-over from the piling rig and plant
Falls into the bored holes and open shafts
Service strike and contact with underground and overhead services
Entanglement in the augers and rotating parts
Overturning of the piling rig on unstable ground
Slips and exposure from the spoil and drilling fluid
Injury placing concrete and reinforcement in the pile
Crush from pedestrian and plant interaction
Crush from lifting reinforcement cages and casings
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 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.
- 2Engineering: manage the bored holes and open shafts against falls with covers, barriers and edge protection, because an open bored hole is a fall hazard.
- 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.
- 4Engineering: guard the augers and rotating parts on the rig, and keep workers clear with isolation before any access.
- 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.
- 6Administrative: manage the spoil and drilling fluid, and the concrete and reinforcement placement.
- 7Engineering: 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.
- 8Engineering: manage the lifting of reinforcement cages and casings with rated equipment and exclusion.
- 9Administrative: 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.
- 10Administrative: 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.
- 11Administrative: 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.
- 12Administrative: 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.
- 13PPE: 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.
- 14Administrative: 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.
- 15Administrative: 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
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The controls for the excavation and trenching, including ground support, services and access.
Obtaining the underground and overhead essential services information before excavating or working near services.
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
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 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.
The bored piles and shafts may have a depth greater than 1.5 metres, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with fall and ground controls.
This is civil construction work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — involving in an area at a workplace in which there is movement of powered mobile plant; in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres — 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
- →Piling and drilling crews and rig operators.
- →Piling and civil foundation contractors.
- →Civil construction and foundation businesses.
- →PCBUs requiring drilling and piling.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the plant, bored-hole and services 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 drilling and piling hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Drilling and piling prompts referencing the plant and excavation Codes of Practice, a piling-rig section, a bored-hole and falls section, and a services and auger 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 piling crew is engaged to drill and install bored piles. The piling rig and plant are operated safely to the plant requirements by competent operators. The bored holes and open shafts are managed against falls with covers, barriers and edge protection. The underground and overhead services are located through Before You Dig Australia and the Look Up and Live information, identified and avoided. The augers and rotating parts are guarded, with workers kept clear and isolation before any access. The rig stability and overturning are managed on unstable ground. The spoil and drilling fluid, and the concrete and reinforcement placement, are managed. Pedestrians and the plant are separated. The lifting of reinforcement cages and casings is managed with rated equipment and exclusion. Because the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement and the bored shafts may exceed 1.5 metres, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The piling is completed, 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 is the main hazard in drilling and piling?
The hazards are the piling rig and powered mobile plant, the bored holes and falls into them, the underground and overhead services, and the augers and rotating parts. These are managed with the plant, bored-hole, services and auger controls.
Is drilling and piling high risk construction work?
Yes — it is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, the bored shafts may exceed 1.5 metres, and it may be near overhead services, all of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Drilling and piling triggers the powered-mobile-plant and shaft-depth high risk construction work categories.
Why are bored holes a hazard?
An open bored hole or shaft is a fall hazard, so the bored holes are managed against falls with covers, barriers and edge protection. Managing the bored holes against falls prevents a worker falling into an open shaft.
What are the auger hazards?
The augers and rotating parts on the piling rig present an entanglement hazard, so they are guarded, workers kept clear, and the rig isolated before any access. Guarding the augers and keeping workers clear prevents entanglement in the rotating parts.
Who carries out drilling and piling?
Drilling and piling is carried out by competent piling crews in connection with the plant and excavation requirements, with the plant, bored-hole, services and auger controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The piling is carried out with the plant, bored holes and services managed.