Road Base Preparation & Compaction SWMS
SWMS template for road base preparation & compaction. Covers Subgrade trim, pavement materials, density compliance.. 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.
Road base preparation and compaction covers the preparation and compaction of the road base — placing, spreading, trimming and compacting the road base material with graders, rollers and compaction plant to form the pavement foundation. The defining hazards are the powered mobile plant and its interaction with workers, the road traffic, the dust, and the manual handling. This document is written on the basis that road base preparation and compaction is carried out with the plant, traffic, dust and manual-handling controls in place.
Road base preparation and compaction is carried out as construction work in connection with the plant and traffic requirements, with the graders, rollers and compaction plant operated safely and separated from workers, the road traffic managed, the dust controlled, and the manual handling managed. Because the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement and on or adjacent to a road, it is high risk construction work. The plant, the traffic, the dust, and the manual handling are the considerations. This document coordinates the plant, traffic, dust and manual-handling controls so the road base preparation and compaction is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush and run-over from the graders, rollers and compaction plant
Crush and run-over from pedestrian and plant interaction
Being struck by road traffic on or adjacent to a road
Respiratory exposure to dust from the road base material
Overturning of the plant on the formation or batters
Musculoskeletal injury handling materials and tools
Crush and run-over from the roller and compaction plant
Hearing damage and vibration from the plant
Run-over from reversing plant and trucks
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: 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.
- 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: control dust from the work and the haul roads with water carts and suppression, with respiratory protection where required.
- 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.
- 6Engineering: 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.
- 7Engineering: manage the noise and vibration from the plant, and manage reversing plant and trucks with a procedure, cameras and a spotter.
- 8Administrative: 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.
- 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: 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 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 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
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.
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.
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; on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians — 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 crews and plant operators.
- →Road construction and civil contractors.
- →Civil and road construction businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring road base works.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the plant, traffic and dust 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 preparation and compaction 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 prompts referencing the plant and traffic Codes of Practice, a powered-mobile-plant section, a traffic section, and a dust and manual-handling 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 prepare and compact the road base. The graders, rollers and compaction plant are operated safely to the plant requirements by competent operators, and pedestrians and the plant separated with exclusion zones and spotters. The road traffic is managed with a traffic management plan and accredited traffic controllers. The dust from the road base is controlled with water carts and suppression, with respiratory protection where required. The plant stability and overturning are managed on the formation and batters. The manual handling of materials and tools is managed. The noise and vibration are managed, and reversing plant and trucks managed with a procedure, cameras and a spotter. Because the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement and on or adjacent to a road, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The road base is prepared and compacted, 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 works?
The main hazards are the powered mobile plant — graders, rollers and compactors — and its interaction with workers, the road traffic, the dust, and the manual handling. These are managed with the plant, traffic, dust and manual-handling controls.
Is road base preparation high risk construction work?
Yes — it is carried out in an area of powered mobile plant movement and on or adjacent to a road, both of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Road base preparation and compaction triggers the powered-mobile-plant and traffic-corridor high risk construction work categories.
How is the pedestrian-plant interaction managed?
Pedestrians and the powered mobile plant are separated with designated routes, exclusion zones, spotters and a traffic management plan, because the interaction of workers and plant is a leading cause of serious injury. Separating pedestrians and plant is a defining control in road base works.
How is dust controlled?
The dust from the road base material is controlled with water carts and suppression, with respiratory protection where required. Controlling the dust with water carts and suppression manages the respiratory hazard of road base preparation.
Who carries out road base works?
Road base preparation and compaction is carried out by competent road crews in connection with the plant and traffic requirements, with the plant, traffic, dust and manual-handling controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The road base is prepared and compacted with the plant and traffic managed.