Excavation & Earthworks SWMS Templates

Excavation deeper than 1.5 metres is a defined HRCW type under WHS Regulations Schedule 3, triggering the mandatory SWMS requirement for any construction project. Work that falls into this category includes trench excavation for services and footings, pier and bored pile drilling, roadworks cuttings, basement excavation, tunnel construction and any earthmoving operation that creates a trench or excavation wall that a person could enter.

The primary hazards are trench collapse and engulfment, which are frequently fatal, as well as damage to underground services and falls into open excavations. The AS 3798 guideline on earthworks and relevant state road authority standards govern compaction testing and fill placement on civil projects.

A Dial Before You Dig enquiry (1100 or dialecttoredu.com.au) is legally required before any excavation commences, and the SWMS must document the location of all underground services identified through that enquiry. Where services cannot be located by plans alone, potholing or vacuum excavation is required within the tolerance zone of marked services.

Benching, battering or shoring must be specified in the SWMS as the primary collapse prevention control, with the method selected by a competent person based on soil classification to AS 1726. Minimum separation distances from excavation edges for plant and stockpiles must also be documented, along with edge protection, ingress and egress points, and dewatering procedures for works in wet ground conditions.