Swimming Pool Construction — Safe Work Method Statement
Safe Work Method Statement for building in-ground concrete swimming pools, from set-out and excavation through steel fixing, plumbing, shell spraying, coping and tiling to filling and handover, including temporary pool barrier controls.
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Building an in-ground concrete pool brings several High Risk Construction Work triggers together on a small residential site. Excavators, tippers and concrete pumps work in tight backyards, so the work is carried out in an area where powered mobile plant moves. Workers can fall more than 2 metres into the excavation at the deep end or where the site is sloping. Once the shell holds water, from rain or from filling, there is a risk of drowning for workers, and for children if the site isn't secured. A SWMS is required before work starts, and each subcontractor (excavation, steel fixing, shell spraying, tiling) should have their own SWMS for their part of the job.
The excavation is the highest-consequence stage. Pool excavations are often dug close to houses, boundary fences, retaining walls and neighbours' footings, in reactive clay or sandy fill. The Excavation Work code applies: don't enter an excavation until the walls are battered, benched or supported to suit the soil, keep spoil and plant back from the edge, and get engineering advice before you dig near or below adjacent footings. Get Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) plans and locate services, including private sewer and stormwater lines, before you dig.
Inside the hole, workers are exposed to impalement on starter bars and reinforcement, cement burns during spraying, and silica dust when cutting coping stones and tiles. Pool equipment needs a licensed electrician, including the equipotential bonding of the pool reinforcement and metal fittings required under AS/NZS 3000. Pool chemicals used for commissioning, such as chlorine products and hydrochloric acid, can react dangerously if mixed.
Pool barrier laws are set by each state and territory and refer to AS 1926.1 for barrier construction. Many jurisdictions also require a temporary barrier during construction once the pool can hold water, so check your state requirements and the certifier's conditions. Until the permanent barrier is certified, keep the site fenced and locked whenever nobody is working.
Customise this template with: the site address, access route and plant to be used; pool size and maximum excavation depth; soil conditions and engineering advice for nearby footings; BYDA reference and service locations; the excavation wall support method; the subcontractors and their SWMS; the temporary barrier and site security arrangements; and the commissioning chemicals and storage location.
Personal Protective Equipment
High Risk Construction Work Types
- •Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
- •Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
- •Work in or near water or other liquid involving a risk of drowning
Risk Assessment
1.Site set-up, access and security
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Striking underground services or overhead powerlines with plant | Catastrophic | Obtain BYDA plans and locate all services on site, including private sewer, stormwater, gas and electrical lines between the house and the pool. Pothole by hand to confirm locations in the dig footprint. Identify overhead service lines on the access route and around the pool, and keep excavator booms and pump booms clear of them, using a spotter. Contact the network operator if plant must work near a line. | Low | Supervisor / Excavation Contractor |
| Children or members of the public entering the site | High | Install temporary site fencing around the work area before excavation starts, with lockable gates. Lock the site at the end of every day. Agree with the homeowner that children and pets stay out of the work area. Check the fence daily and repair gaps straight away. | Low | Supervisor / Homeowner |
2.Excavation and spoil removal
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation wall collapse onto workers or undermining nearby footings | Catastrophic | Assess the soil and get geotechnical or engineering advice where the excavation is near the house, retaining walls, boundary fences or neighbours' footings. Batter, bench or shore the walls to suit the soil before anyone enters. Keep spoil, plant and stockpiles at least 1 metre back from the edge, or further if the engineer specifies. Inspect walls before each shift and after rain. No one works in the excavation alone. | Moderate | Excavation Contractor / Supervisor |
| Workers struck by excavator or tipper in a confined backyard | Catastrophic | Keep all workers out of the excavator swing radius while digging. Use a spotter for tipper movements on the driveway and street. Plan the route through the property and protect the house, fences and services. Only the operator and spotter are in the plant area. | Moderate | Excavation Contractor |
| Falling into the excavation | High | Barricade or fence the excavation edge with a physical barrier, not just tape, wherever the drop is significant. Provide a ladder or ramp for access, secured and extending 1 metre above the edge. Keep the edge clear of tools and materials. Light the edge if work runs into dusk. | Low | Supervisor |
3.Steel fixing in the pool shell
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impalement on starter bars and exposed reinforcement | High | Cap all vertical bar ends with impalement-rated caps as soon as they are placed. Lay planks across mesh for walkways. No jumping from the edge into the shell. Wear cut-resistant gloves when handling bar and mesh. | Low | Steel Fixer |
| Manual handling of reinforcement into the excavation | Moderate | Lower bundles into the excavation with the excavator using rated lifting gear, or pass bar down rather than carrying it down the ladder. Two-person handling for long bars and mesh sheets. Keep tie-wire reels on belts, not carried by hand. | Low | Steel Fixer |
4.Plumbing and electrical rough-in
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric shock from pool equipment and bonding errors | Catastrophic | All electrical work, including pool lights, pumps, heaters and equipotential bonding of reinforcement, is done by a licensed electrician to AS/NZS 3000. Bonding is completed and checked before the shell is sprayed. Temporary power for the site is via an RCD-protected supply with tested leads kept out of water. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Trench collapse or trip hazards from pipe trenches | Moderate | Keep pipe trenches as shallow as the design allows. Support or batter any trench a worker must enter that is deep enough to bury them. Backfill trenches as soon as pressure testing is complete. Cover or barricade open trenches at the end of each day. | Low | Plumber / Supervisor |
5.Shell spraying
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hose whip, blockage blowout or boom contact during shotcrete or concrete placement | Catastrophic | The spraying contractor provides and follows their own shotcrete and pump SWMS. Before spraying, confirm the pump position, boom clearance from powerlines, and exclusion zones with the contractor. Only the spraying crew is in the shell during spraying. Everyone else stays outside the excavation. | Moderate | Spraying Contractor / Supervisor |
| Cement burns and eye injuries from rebound and splatter | High | Spraying crew wear goggles, rubber boots, waterproof clothing and chemical-resistant gloves. Wash concrete off skin straight away. Keep eyewash and clean water at the excavation edge. | Low | Spraying Contractor |
6.Coping, tiling and surrounds
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silica dust when cutting coping, tiles and pavers | High | Cut coping, tiles and pavers with a wet saw or with on-tool extraction connected to an H-class vacuum. Set up the cutting station away from other workers and downwind. Wear a fit-tested P2 respirator. Never cut engineered stone; it is banned. | Low | Tiler / Paver |
| Falling into the empty pool shell while working on the edge | High | Work facing the shell when setting coping. Keep tools and offcuts back from the edge. Where the deep end is more than 2 metres, use edge barriers on sections not being worked on, or work from inside the shell. Access the shell by a secured ladder only. | Moderate | Tiler / Supervisor |
7.Filling, commissioning and handover
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drowning risk to children once the pool holds water | Catastrophic | Do not fill the pool until a compliant barrier, permanent or temporary as allowed in your state, is in place. Pump out rainwater from the shell during construction or keep the site fenced and locked. Inspect the barrier at the end of each day. Don't hand over the pool for use until the barrier has been certified as your state requires. | Low | Pool Builder / Homeowner |
| Toxic gas or burns from mixing pool chemicals | High | Never mix chlorine products with acid or with each other. Add chemicals to water, never water to chemicals. Store chlorine and acid separately, off the ground, in a ventilated, locked area. Wear goggles and chemical-resistant gloves. Follow the SDS for each product. | Low | Pool Technician |
Relevant Codes of Practice
Worker Acknowledgement
By signing below, I confirm that I have read, understood and agree to comply with this Safe Work Method Statement.