Civil Road Base & Seal SWMS
Road base preparation and bituminous seal application covers DGB-20 sub-base laying, prime coat application, sprayer and roller integration, and traffic management during single/two-coat seal work on rural and urban roads.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Road base and seal covers the construction of a road base and the application of a sprayed bituminous seal — preparing and compacting the base and then applying the hot sprayed bitumen seal and aggregate. It combines road base works with the sprayed sealing: the burns from the hot sprayed bitumen, the powered mobile plant, the road traffic, and the dust. This document is written on the basis that road base and seal is carried out with the hot-bitumen, plant, traffic and dust controls in place.
Road base and seal is carried out as construction work in connection with the construction, plant and traffic requirements, with the burns from the hot sprayed bitumen managed, the base and sealing plant operated safely, the road traffic managed, and the dust 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 hot bitumen, the plant, the traffic, and the dust are the considerations. This document coordinates the hot-bitumen, plant, traffic and dust controls so the road base and seal is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Severe burns from the hot sprayed bitumen seal
Crush and run-over from the plant and bitumen sprayer
Being struck by road traffic on or adjacent to a road
Respiratory harm from the bitumen fumes from spraying
Crush from pedestrian and plant interaction
Respiratory exposure to dust from the base and aggregate
Injury from loose aggregate and flying stone
Burns from the hot equipment and the sprayer
Run-over from reversing plant and trucks
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1PPE: protect against burns from hot bitumen and asphalt, which is applied hot and causes severe burns, with heat-resistant gloves, long protective clothing and face protection, and if hot bitumen contacts the skin flush immediately with water and do not attempt to remove it, seeking immediate medical attention.
- 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: manage the bitumen and asphalt fumes, working in the open air where practicable with respiratory protection where fumes are significant, recognising bitumen emissions during paving are classified as possibly carcinogenic.
- 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 dust from the work and the haul roads with water carts and suppression, with respiratory protection where required.
- 7Engineering: manage the loose aggregate and flying stone, and the hot equipment and sprayer.
- 8Engineering: manage reversing plant and trucks with a procedure, cameras and a spotter.
- 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 general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
The separation of workers and plant from live road traffic, traffic guidance schemes and traffic control.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
Management of the bitumen, paints, solvents and fuels, including safety data sheets and exposure controls.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of 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
- →Road construction and sealing crews.
- →Road construction and surfacing contractors.
- →Civil and road construction businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring road base and seal works.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the hot-bitumen, 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 road base and seal hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Road base and seal prompts referencing the construction and traffic Codes of Practice, a hot-bitumen and spraying section, a powered-mobile-plant section, and a traffic and dust 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 road crew is engaged to construct a road base and apply a sprayed bituminous seal. The burns from the hot sprayed bitumen are managed with heat-resistant gloves, protective clothing and face protection, with the bitumen-burn first aid in place. The base and sealing plant, including the bitumen sprayer, are operated safely, and pedestrians and the plant separated. The road traffic is managed with a traffic management plan and accredited traffic controllers. The bitumen fumes from spraying are managed. The dust from the base and aggregate is controlled with water carts and suppression. The loose aggregate and flying stone, and the hot equipment, are managed. Reversing plant 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 base and seal are 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
What is the main hazard in road base and seal?
The hazards are the burns from the hot sprayed bitumen, the powered mobile plant and sprayer, the road traffic, the bitumen fumes, and the dust. These are managed with the hot-bitumen, plant, traffic and dust controls.
Is road base and seal 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. Road base and seal triggers the traffic-corridor and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories.
How is the hot sprayed bitumen managed?
The hot sprayed bitumen causes severe burns, so it is managed with heat-resistant gloves, protective clothing and face protection, and if hot bitumen contacts the skin it is flushed immediately with water and not removed, seeking immediate medical attention. Managing the burns from the hot sprayed bitumen is a defining control in road sealing.
What about loose aggregate?
The loose aggregate and flying stone from the seal present an injury hazard, so they are managed, and the road traffic managed at reduced speed over the new seal. Managing the loose aggregate controls the injury hazard from flying stone.
Who carries out road base and seal?
Road base and seal is carried out by competent road crews in connection with the construction, plant and traffic requirements, with the hot-bitumen, plant, traffic and dust controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The base and seal are completed with the burns, plant and traffic managed.