MSE / Mechanically Stabilised Earth Wall SWMS
SWMS template for mse / mechanically stabilised earth wall. Covers Reinforced earth construction, civil retaining.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
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Mechanically stabilised earth retaining wall construction covers the construction of mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) retaining walls — building reinforced soil retaining walls with facing panels or blocks, geogrid reinforcement layers and compacted fill, to AS 4678. The defining hazards are the powered mobile plant and compaction, the manual handling and placement of heavy panels, the excavation and any work at height for tall walls, and the placement of precast facing elements. This document is written on the basis that MSE retaining wall construction is carried out with the plant, manual-handling, excavation and height controls in place.
Mechanically stabilised earth retaining wall construction is carried out as construction work in connection with the construction and plant requirements and AS 4678, with the powered mobile plant and compaction operated safely, the heavy panels handled and placed safely, the excavation managed, and any work at height for tall walls and the placement of precast facing elements managed. Where the wall involves a fall risk more than 2 metres, precast facing elements, or powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The plant, the manual handling, the excavation and height, and the precast are the considerations. This document coordinates the plant, manual-handling, excavation and height controls so the MSE retaining wall construction is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crush and run-over from the plant and compaction equipment
Musculoskeletal and crush injury handling and placing heavy panels
Collapse and instability from the excavation and fill
Falls from height building tall walls
Crush from placing precast facing panels or blocks
Trips and handling injury from the geogrid and reinforcement
Crush and vibration from the compaction plant
Collapse from inadequate wall stability during construction
Crush from lifting the panels and blocks
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: 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.
- 3Engineering: manage the excavation and fill against collapse and instability, with battering, support and compaction to the design and AS 4678.
- 4Engineering: provide fall prevention for work at height — edge protection, work platforms, scaffolds, elevating work platforms or under-bridge access units, with a harness-based system where higher-order controls are not practicable — to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice.
- 5Engineering: manage the lifting and placement of precast and tilt-up concrete elements with rated lifting equipment, an exclusion zone, a competent crane crew and a lift plan, because precast and tilt-up elements are heavy and can fail or strike workers.
- 6Administrative: manage the geogrid and reinforcement layers and the trips, and build the wall to maintain stability during construction to the design.
- 7Engineering: manage the compaction plant and vibration, and the lifting of panels and blocks with rated equipment and exclusion.
- 8Administrative: where the wall involves a fall risk more than 2 metres, precast facing elements, or powered mobile plant movement, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences.
- 9Administrative: 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.
- 10Administrative: 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.
- 11Administrative: 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.
- 12PPE: 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.
- 13Administrative: 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.
- 14Administrative: 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 general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The design and construction requirements for the retaining wall.
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
Building a tall MSE retaining wall can involve a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with fall prevention.
Placing precast facing panels or blocks involves precast concrete, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, with lifting and placement controls.
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.
This is civil construction work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — involving where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres; involves tilt-up or precast concrete; 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
- →Retaining wall and civil construction crews.
- →Retaining wall and civil structures contractors.
- →Civil construction and infrastructure businesses.
- →PCBUs requiring MSE retaining walls.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the plant, manual-handling and height 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 mechanically stabilised earth retaining wall construction hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓MSE retaining wall prompts referencing AS 4678 and the plant Code of Practice, a powered-mobile-plant and compaction section, a panel-handling and precast section, and an excavation and height 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 civil crew is engaged to construct a mechanically stabilised earth retaining wall. The powered mobile plant and compaction equipment are operated safely to the plant requirements. The heavy facing panels are handled and placed with mechanical aids and team lifting. The excavation and fill are managed against collapse and instability, with battering, support and compaction to the design and AS 4678. Fall prevention is provided for any work at height building tall walls. The placement of precast facing panels or blocks is managed with rated lifting equipment, an exclusion zone and a lift plan. The geogrid and reinforcement layers, and the trips, are managed, and the wall built to maintain stability during construction. The compaction plant and vibration, and the lifting of panels and blocks, are managed. Where the wall involves a fall risk more than 2 metres, precast facing elements, or powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The retaining wall 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 is an MSE retaining wall?
A mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) retaining wall is a reinforced soil retaining wall built with facing panels or blocks, geogrid reinforcement layers and compacted fill, to AS 4678. It is constructed with the plant, manual-handling, excavation and height controls.
Is MSE retaining wall construction high risk construction work?
Where the wall involves a fall risk more than 2 metres, precast facing elements, or powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences. MSE retaining wall construction triggers the falls, precast and powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work categories where those conditions apply.
What is the panel-handling hazard?
The facing panels and blocks are heavy and present a manual-handling and crush hazard, so they are handled and placed with mechanical aids and team lifting, and the precast panels lifted with rated equipment and an exclusion zone. Managing the handling and placement of the heavy panels controls the musculoskeletal and crush hazard.
How is wall stability managed during construction?
The wall is built to the design and AS 4678 to maintain stability during construction, with the excavation, fill, reinforcement and compaction managed, because inadequate stability during construction can cause collapse. Building the wall to maintain stability during construction prevents a collapse.
Who constructs MSE retaining walls?
Mechanically stabilised earth retaining wall construction is carried out by competent civil crews in connection with the construction and plant requirements and AS 4678, with the plant, manual-handling, excavation and height controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work where it applies. The retaining wall is constructed with the plant, panels and excavation managed.