Water Main Installation (DICL / PE / PVC) SWMS
SWMS template for water main installation (dicl / pe / pvc). Covers Trench, bedding, jointing. 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.
Water main installation covers the installation of water mains — laying and connecting water distribution mains and pipework in trenches, including the connection to the pressurised water network. The defining hazards are the trench excavation and collapse, the pressurised water and flooding, the underground services, and the powered mobile plant. This document is written on the basis that water main installation is carried out with the trench, pressurised-water, services and plant controls in place, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work.
Water main installation is carried out as construction work in connection with the excavation requirements, with the trench collapse prevented, the pressurised water and flooding managed, the underground services located and avoided, and the powered mobile plant operated safely. Because the work is in a trench deeper than 1.5 metres and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The trench, the pressurised water, the services, and the plant are the considerations. This document coordinates the trench, pressurised-water, services and plant controls so the water main installation is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal engulfment and crush from trench collapse
Injury and flooding from the pressurised water
Service strike on gas, electrical or other services
Crush and run-over from the excavators and plant
Falls of people or plant into the trench
Musculoskeletal and crush injury handling heavy pipe
Atmospheric hazards in pits and confined connections
Collapse from water ingress and unstable ground
Injury from the pressurised connection and testing
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: manage the pressurised water and flooding with isolation, controlled connection and pressure testing to a procedure, keeping clear of a pressurised connection.
- 3Administrative: 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.
- 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.
- 5Engineering: 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.
- 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: where entry into pits or confined connections occurs, apply the confined space controls, and manage water ingress and unstable ground.
- 8Administrative: 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.
- 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: 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
The controls for the excavation and trenching, including ground support, services and access.
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.
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
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 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 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
- →Water and civil crews installing water mains.
- →Water and civil infrastructure contractors.
- →Utilities and civil construction businesses.
- →Water authorities and PCBUs.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the trench, pressurised-water and services 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 water main installation hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Water main prompts referencing the excavation and plant Codes of Practice, a trench-collapse section, a pressurised-water section, and a services 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 water and civil crew is engaged to install a water main. The trench collapse is prevented by shoring, benching or battering and trench boxes. The pressurised water and flooding are managed with isolation, controlled connection and pressure testing to a procedure, keeping clear of a pressurised connection. The underground services are located through Before You Dig Australia, identified and avoided. The excavators and plant are operated safely. Safe access and egress are provided, and people and plant falling into the trench prevented. The heavy pipe is handled with mechanical aids and team lifting. Where entry into pits or confined connections occurs, the confined space controls are applied, and water ingress and unstable ground managed. Because the trench exceeds 1.5 metres and the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The water main is installed, 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
Is water main installation high risk construction work?
Yes — it is in a trench deeper than 1.5 metres and in an area of powered mobile plant movement, both of which are high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. Water main installation triggers the trench-depth and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories.
What is the pressurised water hazard?
The connection to the pressurised water network presents an injury and flooding hazard, so the pressurised water is managed with isolation, controlled connection and pressure testing to a procedure, keeping clear of a pressurised connection. Managing the pressurised water and flooding controls the injury and flooding hazard.
How is trench collapse prevented?
The trench collapse is prevented by shoring, benching or battering the excavation and using trench boxes or shields, because a collapse occurs quickly and can bury or crush a worker. Preventing trench collapse is a defining control in water main installation.
How are underground services protected?
The essential services information is obtained through Before You Dig Australia, and the underground services located, identified and avoided, because striking a service can cause explosion, electrocution or flooding. Locating and avoiding underground services prevents a service strike.
Who installs water mains?
Water main installation is carried out by competent water and civil crews in connection with the excavation requirements, with the trench, pressurised-water, services and plant controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work. The water main is installed with the trench, water and services managed.