Footpath / Concrete Slab Construction SWMS
SWMS template for footpath / concrete slab construction. Covers Pedestrian path construction, pram ramp, tactiles.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
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Footpath and concrete slab construction covers the construction of concrete footpaths and slabs — forming, pouring, finishing and curing concrete footpaths and slabs as part of civil and road works. The defining hazards are the wet alkaline concrete which burns skin, the manual handling of formwork and concrete, the silica from any cutting, the plant, and the road and pedestrian traffic. This document is written on the basis that footpath and concrete slab construction is carried out with the concrete-burn, manual-handling, silica and traffic controls in place.
Footpath and concrete slab construction is carried out as construction work in connection with the construction and hazardous chemicals requirements, with the wet alkaline concrete managed against burns, the formwork and concrete handled safely, the silica from cutting controlled, and the road and pedestrian traffic managed. Where the work is on or adjacent to a road or involves powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The concrete burns, the manual handling, the silica, and the traffic are the considerations. This document coordinates the concrete-burn, manual-handling, silica and traffic controls so the footpath and concrete slab construction is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Chemical burns and dermatitis from the wet alkaline concrete
Musculoskeletal injury handling formwork and concrete
Silicosis from respirable crystalline silica cutting concrete
Being struck by road traffic and managing pedestrians
Crush from the plant and concrete trucks
Injury from the concrete pump and delivery
Musculoskeletal injury from awkward postures and screeding
Injury from the tools and finishing equipment
Burns from eye and skin contact with concrete
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1PPE: protect skin and eyes against wet alkaline concrete, which causes burns and dermatitis, with waterproof gloves and clothing and prompt washing of any contact.
- 2Engineering: use mechanical aids — excavators, cranes, pipe layers and lifting equipment — and team lifting for the heavy pipes, barriers, panels, rolls and materials, and manage the manual-handling and awkward-posture hazard with the hierarchy of controls for hazardous manual tasks.
- 3Engineering: control the respirable crystalline silica from cutting concrete at the source with water suppression or extraction, never dry-cutting uncontrolled, with respiratory protection, recognising the silica exposure standard reduces on 1 December 2026.
- 4Engineering: manage the road traffic with a traffic management plan and traffic guidance scheme, accredited traffic controllers, signage, barriers and speed reduction, separating the workers and plant from the live traffic, because working on or near a live road is a serious hazard.
- 5Engineering: 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.
- 6Engineering: manage the concrete pump and delivery safely, and avoid eye and skin contact with the concrete.
- 7Administrative: manage the awkward postures and screeding, and use the tools and finishing equipment safely.
- 8Administrative: where the work is on or adjacent to a road or involves powered mobile plant movement, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences.
- 9Administrative: 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.
- 10Administrative: 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.
- 11Administrative: 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.
- 12PPE: 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.
- 13Administrative: 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.
- 14Administrative: 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
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
Management of the bitumen, paints, solvents and fuels, including safety data sheets and exposure controls.
The control of respirable crystalline silica from cutting, profiling and milling asphalt, concrete and rock.
The control of the manual handling and awkward postures of the work, including pipes, barriers and materials.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Footpath and slab construction is often carried out on or adjacent to a road in use by traffic other than pedestrians, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS and a traffic management plan before the work commences.
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 on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians; 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
- →Concreters and civil construction crews.
- →Concrete and civil construction contractors.
- →Civil and road construction businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring footpaths and slabs.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the concrete-burn, manual-handling and silica 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 footpath and concrete slab construction hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Footpath and slab prompts referencing the construction and hazardous chemicals Codes of Practice, a wet-concrete and burns section, a silica section, and a manual-handling and traffic 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 concreting crew is engaged to construct a concrete footpath. The wet alkaline concrete is managed against burns with waterproof gloves and clothing and prompt washing of any contact, and eye and skin contact avoided. The formwork and concrete are handled with mechanical aids and team lifting. The respirable crystalline silica from cutting concrete is controlled at the source with water suppression or extraction, never dry-cutting uncontrolled, with respiratory protection, recognising the silica exposure standard reduces on 1 December 2026. The road and pedestrian traffic are managed with a traffic management plan and accredited traffic controllers, and pedestrians managed around the work. The powered mobile plant and concrete trucks are managed, and the concrete pump and delivery managed safely. The awkward postures and screeding, and the tools, are managed. Because the work is on or adjacent to a road, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The footpath is constructed, 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
Why is wet concrete a burn hazard?
Wet concrete is alkaline and can cause chemical burns and dermatitis on contact with skin, so it is managed with waterproof gloves and clothing and prompt washing of any contact, and eye and skin contact avoided. Protecting the skin and eyes against the wet alkaline concrete prevents burns in footpath and slab construction.
Is there a silica hazard in footpath construction?
Yes, from cutting concrete — cutting the concrete releases respirable crystalline silica, which causes silicosis, so it is controlled at the source with water suppression or extraction, never dry-cutting uncontrolled, recognising the silica exposure standard reduces on 1 December 2026. The silica from cutting concrete is controlled in footpath and slab construction.
Is footpath construction high risk construction work?
Footpath and slab construction is often carried out on or adjacent to a road in use by traffic, and can involve powered mobile plant movement, both of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. The work triggers the traffic-corridor and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories where those conditions apply.
What is the manual-handling hazard?
Footpath and slab construction involves handling heavy formwork and concrete and prolonged awkward postures and screeding, which cause musculoskeletal injury, so the manual handling is managed with mechanical aids and team lifting, and the postures managed. Managing the manual handling and postures is a key consideration in concrete works.
Who constructs footpaths and slabs?
Footpath and concrete slab construction is carried out by competent concreting crews in connection with the construction and hazardous chemicals requirements, with the concrete-burn, manual-handling, silica and traffic controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work where it applies. The footpath is constructed with the concrete, silica and traffic managed.