Civil Shoulder Grading SWMS
Road shoulder grading covers grader operation along live traffic corridors, traffic management plan integration, drainage profile maintenance, and rural roadway shoulder maintenance per Austroads guidelines.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Road shoulder grading covers the grading and maintenance of road shoulders — using a grader to shape, trim and maintain the unsealed road shoulder alongside the carriageway. The defining hazards are the powered mobile plant and the grader, the road traffic on the adjacent carriageway, the proximity to the edge and any drop-off, and the dust. This document is written on the basis that road shoulder grading is carried out with the plant, traffic, edge and dust controls in place.
Road shoulder grading is carried out as construction work in connection with the plant and traffic requirements, with the grader operated safely, the road traffic on the adjacent carriageway managed, the proximity to the edge and drop-off 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 plant, the traffic, the edge, and the dust are the considerations. This document coordinates the plant, traffic, edge and dust controls so the road shoulder grading is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush and run-over from the grader
Being struck by traffic on the adjacent carriageway
Grader instability or rollover near the edge and drop-off
Respiratory exposure to dust from grading
Rollover of the grader on the shoulder or batter
Crush from pedestrian and plant interaction
Service strike near the shoulder
Hearing damage from the grader
Collision with other 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: 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.
- 3Engineering: manage the proximity to the edge and drop-off, keeping the grader a safe distance from the edge and managing the grader stability, with the rollover protection in place.
- 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: 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.
- 7Administrative: 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.
- 8Engineering: control the noise from the grader, and manage other plant and trucks on site.
- 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: 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.
- 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
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 risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
The control of the manual handling and awkward postures of the work, including pipes, barriers and materials.
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 work is 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
- →Grader operators and road maintenance crews.
- →Road maintenance and civil contractors.
- →Civil and road maintenance businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring shoulder grading.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the plant, traffic and edge 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 shoulder grading hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Shoulder grading prompts referencing the plant and traffic Codes of Practice, a powered-mobile-plant section, a traffic and edge section, and a dust and rollover 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 grader operator is engaged to grade and maintain a road shoulder. The grader is operated safely to the plant requirements by a competent operator, with the rollover protection in place. The road traffic on the adjacent carriageway is managed with a traffic management plan and accredited traffic controllers. The proximity to the edge and drop-off is managed, keeping the grader a safe distance from the edge and managing the grader stability. The dust from grading is controlled with suppression. The grader stability and rollover are managed on the shoulder and batter. Pedestrians and the plant are separated. Underground and overhead services near the shoulder are located and avoided. The noise is controlled, and other plant and trucks managed. 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 shoulder grading 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 shoulder grading?
The hazards are the powered mobile plant and the grader, the road traffic on the adjacent carriageway, the proximity to the edge and drop-off, and the dust. These are managed with the plant, traffic, edge and dust controls.
Is shoulder grading 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. Shoulder grading triggers the traffic-corridor and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories.
Why is the edge a hazard in shoulder grading?
Grading the shoulder is carried out near the edge and any drop-off, which presents a grader instability and rollover hazard, so the grader is kept a safe distance from the edge, the stability managed and the rollover protection in place. Managing the proximity to the edge and the grader stability controls the rollover hazard.
How is the adjacent traffic managed?
The road traffic on the adjacent carriageway is managed with a traffic management plan, accredited traffic controllers, signage and speed reduction, because grading the shoulder is alongside the live carriageway. Managing the adjacent traffic controls the hazard of being struck during shoulder grading.
Who carries out shoulder grading?
Road shoulder grading is carried out by competent grader operators in connection with the plant and traffic requirements, with the plant, traffic, edge and dust controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The shoulder is graded with the plant, traffic and edge managed.