Stormwater Drainage Installation SWMS
Stormwater drainage installation — pipe laying in trench, pit and headwall construction, concrete encasement, surface restoration, and diversion of existing flows.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Stormwater drainage covers the construction of stormwater drainage — laying stormwater pipes, installing pits and constructing drainage in trenches as part of civil and road works. The defining hazards are the trench excavation and collapse, the confined space in pits and pipes, the manual handling of heavy pipes, and the powered mobile plant. This document is written on the basis that stormwater drainage is carried out with the trench, confined-space, manual-handling and plant controls in place, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work.
Stormwater drainage is carried out as construction work in connection with the excavation and confined spaces requirements, with the trench collapse prevented, the confined space in pits and pipes managed, the heavy pipes handled safely, and the powered mobile plant operated safely. Because the work is in a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, may involve confined space entry, and is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The trench, the confined space, the manual handling, and the plant are the considerations. This document coordinates the trench, confined-space, manual-handling and plant controls so the stormwater drainage is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal engulfment and crush from trench collapse
Atmospheric and entrapment hazards in pits and pipes
Musculoskeletal and crush injury handling heavy pipes
Crush and run-over from the excavators and plant
Service strike on gas, electrical or water services
Falls of people or plant into the trench
Collapse and drowning from water ingress and flooding
Crush from pipe handling and placement
Collapse from spoil near the edge
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: prevent trench and excavation collapse — the leading cause of fatality in excavation — by shoring, benching or battering the excavation, using trench boxes or shields, to a geotechnical assessment where required, because a collapse occurs quickly and can bury or crush a worker.
- 2Engineering: where the work involves entry into a confined space such as a pit, drain, large pipe or chamber, apply the confined space controls — atmospheric testing, a confined space entry permit, ventilation, a standby person and rescue arrangements.
- 3Engineering: 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.
- 4Engineering: 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.
- 5Administrative: 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.
- 6Engineering: provide safe access and egress to the excavation, secure the excavation from unauthorised access and from people and plant falling in, and keep spoil and plant back from the edge.
- 7Engineering: manage water ingress and flooding with pumping and a procedure, and manage the pipe handling and placement with the excavator and exclusion.
- 8Engineering: keep spoil and materials back from the edge.
- 9Administrative: because the work is in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the ground-support and access controls implemented.
- 10Administrative: because the work involves entry into a confined space, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences, with the confined space entry controls 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 controls for the excavation and trenching, including ground support, services and access.
Atmospheric testing, entry permit, ventilation and rescue controls for entry into pits, drains, pipes and chambers.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
Obtaining the underground and overhead essential services information before excavating or working near services.
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 in or near a trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with ground support against collapse.
The work may involve entry into a confined space such as a pit, drain or pipe, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with confined space entry controls.
The work is carried out in an area in which there is movement of powered mobile plant such as excavators, 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 in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres; in or near a confined space; 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
- →Drainage and civil crews.
- →Civil drainage and stormwater contractors.
- →Civil construction and utilities businesses.
- →Councils and PCBUs requiring stormwater drainage.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the trench, confined-space and plant 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 stormwater drainage hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Stormwater drainage prompts referencing the excavation and confined spaces Codes of Practice, a trench-collapse section, a confined-space section, and a manual-handling and plant 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 drainage crew is engaged to construct stormwater drainage. The trench collapse is prevented by shoring, benching or battering and trench boxes. Where entry into pits or pipes occurs, the confined space controls are applied — atmospheric testing, a confined space entry permit, ventilation, a standby person and rescue arrangements. The heavy pipes are handled with mechanical aids — the excavator and pipe layers — and team lifting. The excavators and plant are operated safely. The underground services are located through Before You Dig Australia, identified and avoided. Safe access and egress are provided, and people and plant falling into the trench prevented. Water ingress and flooding are managed with pumping and a procedure, and the pipe handling and placement managed with the excavator and exclusion. Spoil is kept back from the edge. Because the trench exceeds 1.5 metres and the work may involve confined space entry, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The drainage is constructed, 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 are the main hazards in stormwater drainage?
The hazards are the trench excavation and collapse, the confined space in pits and pipes, the manual handling of heavy pipes, the powered mobile plant, and the underground services. These are managed with the trench, confined-space, manual-handling and plant controls.
Is stormwater drainage high risk construction work?
Yes — it is in a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, may involve confined space entry into pits and pipes, and is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, all of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Stormwater drainage triggers the trench-depth, confined-space and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories.
What is the confined space hazard?
Entering pits and pipes presents a confined space hazard with atmospheric and entrapment risks, so the confined space controls are applied — atmospheric testing, a confined space entry permit, ventilation, a standby person and rescue arrangements. The confined space in pits and pipes is a key hazard in stormwater drainage.
How are the heavy pipes handled?
The heavy stormwater pipes are handled with mechanical aids — the excavator and pipe layers — and team lifting, with the placement managed with exclusion, because the pipes are heavy and present a crush hazard. Managing the manual handling and placement of the pipes controls the musculoskeletal and crush hazard.
Who constructs stormwater drainage?
Stormwater drainage is carried out by competent drainage crews in connection with the excavation and confined spaces requirements, with the trench, confined-space, manual-handling and plant controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The drainage is constructed with the trench, confined space and plant managed.