Concrete Pouring & Placement SWMS

Concrete pouring and placement is the delivery, conveyance and placement of cast-in-place structural and non-structural concrete. It is high risk construction work under the WHS Regulation because it is carried out in an area in which there is movement of powered mobile plant — concrete boom pumps, line pumps, agitators and kibbles — and, where placement is at height on suspended slabs, formdeck or walls, it involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 m (s291), so a SWMS is mandatory (s299). The central hazard is the pump and mobile-plant envelope: a pump line can burst and release concrete under high pressure, a boom pump can tip over from outrigger failure or soft ground, and the concrete agitators and pumps move through a congested pour zone. Running alongside are the material hazards — wet concrete is strongly alkaline (pH 12-13) and causes chemical burns that are often not felt at the time of contact, and spatter causes corneal burns — plus manual-handling and hand-arm vibration from screeding and vibrating, and environmental extremes in hot or cold weather. The SWMS controls the pump set-up and ground bearing, the burst-radius exclusion zone, concrete-contact PPE, edge protection where the pour is at height, and the pre-pour coordination between supplier, pump contractor, formwork, reinforcement and finishing crews. It supports the engineered work to AS 3600 and AS 1379 and does not replace the engineer's mix design or formwork certification. It is supplied in eight jurisdiction editions, each citing its own Act, Regulation and regulator.

Hazards identified

8 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Elimination — Use self-compacting or precast elements, or place directly from an agitator chute, so pumping and manual vibration are eliminated where the design allows
2. 2Substitution — Substitute a line pump for a boom pump on ground-level pours, and mechanical screeds for manual bull-floating, to reduce plant and manual-handling exposure
3. 3Engineering — Pressure-test the pump line before the pour, with secure couplings, line clamps and whip-stop restraints at joints
4. 4Engineering — Assess and prove ground bearing, set outrigger pads/mats sized for the boom pump, and keep the pump set back from excavation edges
5. 5Engineering — Establish a burst-radius exclusion zone (typically 3 m) keeping workers outside the whip line, and edge protection where placement is above 2 m
6. 6Administrative — Pre-pour inspection signed by the Site Supervisor (or Engineer for S-class mixes) and a pre-pour meeting with supplier, pump, formwork, reinforcement and finishing crews
7. 7Administrative — Spotter and positive-communication protocol for plant movement, and a hot/cold-weather concreting plan with hydration and set controls
8. 8Administrative — Hand-arm vibration exposure management and task rotation for vibrator and screed operators
9. 9PPE — Waterproof alkali-resistant gloves and steel-toe gum boots for the pour crew to prevent concrete contact burns
10. 10PPE — Eye/face protection against spatter, Type 1 hard hat with chin strap, and high-visibility clothing around plant

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

At 6:00 am a pour crew from Meridian Concrete sets up to place a suspended slab from a boom pump. The supervisor confirms the ground under the pump is proven and the outrigger pads are sized and fully deployed, with the pump set back clear of the edge. The delivery line is pressure-tested, couplings clamped and whip-stops fitted, and a 3 m exclusion zone is marked so no one stands in the whip line while the line is under pressure. Workers placing at the slab edge are behind edge protection, because the deck is more than 2 m up. The pour crew are in alkali-resistant gloves and gum boots — the supervisor reminds a new starter that a concrete burn often is not felt until the damage is done. A spotter directs the agitators reversing into the pump hopper, using call-acknowledge-approach. Midway a line coupling starts to weep; the pour is paused, pressure bled, and the coupling re-secured before resuming. It is a warm day, so the mix is dosed for retardation and the finishers stage their work to avoid a cold joint. Every hold point is signed before the slab is closed out.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Concrete and Concreting Work Code of Practice
• AS 3600 Concrete structures

Frequently asked questions