Pavement Profiling / Milling SWMS
SWMS template for pavement profiling / milling. Covers Cold planer milling, conveyor, truck loading.. 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.
Pavement profiling and milling covers the profiling and cold milling of road pavement — removing the deteriorated road surface with a profiler or cold planer using a rotating cutter drum, in preparation for resurfacing. The defining hazard is the respirable crystalline silica generated by milling the asphalt and concrete pavement, which is a carcinogen, alongside the powered mobile plant, the road traffic, and the noise. This document is written on the basis that pavement profiling and milling is carried out with the silica, plant, traffic and noise controls in place.
Pavement profiling and milling is carried out as construction work in connection with the silica, plant and traffic requirements, with the respirable crystalline silica controlled at the source on the milling machine, the profiler operated safely, the road traffic managed, and the noise controlled. Because the work is on or adjacent to a road and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The silica, the plant, the traffic, and the noise are the considerations. This document coordinates the silica, plant, traffic and noise controls so the pavement profiling and milling is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Silicosis and cancer from respirable crystalline silica milling the pavement
Crush and run-over from the profiler and trucks
Being struck by road traffic on or adjacent to a road
Entanglement and injury from the cutter drum and teeth
Crush from pedestrian and plant interaction
Hearing damage from the profiling plant
Respiratory exposure to dust and milled material
Burns from hot bitumen and surfaces in the pavement
Run-over from the reversing profiler and trucks
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: control respirable crystalline silica from cutting, profiling, milling or grinding asphalt, concrete or rock at the source — exhaust ventilation on the cutter or drum enclosure and water sprays for cuts of any depth, never dry-cutting or dry-sweeping — with respiratory protection, recognising the workplace exposure standard for silica reduces on 1 December 2026.
- 2Engineering: 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.
- 3Engineering: 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.
- 4Engineering: guard the cutter drum and its rotating teeth, and keep workers clear of the drum, with isolation before any access.
- 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: control the noise from the plant and equipment with hearing protection and, where practicable, lower-noise plant and methods.
- 7Engineering: control the dust and milled material with the exhaust ventilation and water sprays on the machine, with respiratory protection.
- 8Engineering: manage the reversing profiler and trucks with a procedure, cameras and a spotter, and any hot bitumen and surfaces.
- 9Administrative: because the work is on, in or adjacent to a road or traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the traffic management implemented.
- 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.
- 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
The control of respirable crystalline silica from cutting, profiling and milling asphalt, concrete and rock.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The separation of workers and plant from live road traffic, traffic guidance schemes and traffic control.
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
The control of noise from the plant and equipment used in the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Roadworks are 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 such as pavers, rollers and profilers, 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
- →Profiling and milling machine crews and operators.
- →Road construction and surfacing contractors.
- →Civil and road construction businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring pavement profiling.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the silica, plant and traffic 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 pavement profiling and milling hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Pavement profiling prompts referencing the silica and plant Codes of Practice, a respirable-crystalline-silica section, a powered-mobile-plant section, and a traffic and noise 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 profiling crew is engaged to cold mill a road pavement before resurfacing. The respirable crystalline silica from milling the asphalt and concrete is controlled at the source with the exhaust ventilation on the drum enclosure and water sprays for cuts of any depth, never dry-cutting or dry-sweeping, with respiratory protection, recognising the silica exposure standard reduces on 1 December 2026. The profiler and trucks are operated safely, and the cutter drum and teeth guarded with workers kept clear and isolation before any access. The road traffic is managed with a traffic management plan and accredited traffic controllers, and pedestrians and the plant separated. The noise is controlled. The dust and milled material are controlled with the machine's ventilation and water sprays. The reversing profiler and trucks are managed with a procedure, cameras and a spotter. Because the work is on a road and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The profiling 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
Why is silica the defining hazard in pavement milling?
Milling the asphalt and concrete pavement with the rotating cutter drum generates respirable crystalline silica, which is a carcinogen that causes silicosis, so it is controlled at the source with exhaust ventilation on the drum enclosure and water sprays for cuts of any depth, never dry-cutting or dry-sweeping, recognising the silica exposure standard reduces on 1 December 2026. The respirable crystalline silica from milling is the defining hazard of pavement profiling.
Is pavement profiling high risk construction work?
Yes — it is carried out on or adjacent to a road and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, both of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Pavement profiling triggers the traffic-corridor and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories.
How is the silica controlled on the milling machine?
The silica is controlled at the source with the exhaust ventilation on the drum enclosure and water sprays designed to suppress dust, for cuts of any depth, with respiratory protection, never dry-cutting or dry-sweeping. Controlling the silica at the source on the machine, with ventilation and water sprays, manages the carcinogenic dust.
What are the cutter drum hazards?
The cutter drum and its rotating teeth present an entanglement and injury hazard, so the drum is guarded, workers kept clear, and the machine isolated before any access. Guarding the cutter drum and keeping workers clear prevents entanglement and injury from the drum.
Who carries out pavement profiling?
Pavement profiling and milling is carried out by competent crews in connection with the silica, plant and traffic requirements, with the silica, plant, traffic and noise controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The pavement is milled with the silica, plant and traffic managed.