Silt Fence & Sediment Control SWMS

Silt fence and sediment control installation covers the installation of silt fences and sediment controls — installing silt fences, sediment barriers and erosion controls on civil and road construction sites to manage sediment and erosion, including driving the star pickets. The defining hazards are the star pickets and their impalement risk, the manual handling, any powered mobile plant, and the work on batters and unstable ground. This document is written on the basis that silt fence and sediment control installation is carried out with the star-picket, manual-handling, plant and terrain controls in place.

Silt fence and sediment control installation is carried out as construction work in connection with the construction requirements, with the star pickets capped against impalement and driven safely, the manual handling managed, any powered mobile plant operated safely, and the work on batters and unstable ground managed. Where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The star pickets, the manual handling, the plant, and the terrain are the considerations. This document coordinates the star-picket, manual-handling, plant and terrain controls so the silt fence and sediment control installation is carried out safely.

Hazards identified

9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Engineering: cap exposed star pickets and posts to prevent impalement, and drive posts safely.
2. 2Engineering: drive the star pickets safely with a procedure and the correct tool, keeping clear of the driver.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 5Administrative: manage the work on batters and unstable ground with safe access and footing.
6. 6Administrative: 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.
7. 7Engineering: 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.
8. 8Administrative: manage the awkward postures, use the tools and equipment safely, and manage working near drainage and water.
9. 9Administrative: where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A crew is engaged to install silt fences and sediment controls. The star pickets are capped against impalement, and driven safely with a procedure and the correct tool, keeping clear of the driver. The materials are handled with mechanical aids and team lifting. Any powered mobile plant on site is operated safely. The work on batters and unstable ground is managed with safe access and footing. The underground services are located before driving star pickets. Pedestrians and the plant are separated. The awkward postures, the tools, and working near drainage and water, are managed. Where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The silt fences and sediment controls are installed, inspected to confirm they are secure and effective, and the work area left in a safe condition with 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