When concreters and excavators need a SWMS
A SWMS is required before high-risk construction work starts. Common examples for concrete, civil and earthworks crews include:
- Work in or near a trench or excavation deeper than 1.5 metres
- Work on or next to a road or railway used by traffic
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving, such as excavators, loaders and concrete trucks
- Work where someone could fall more than 2 metres
- Work on or near energised electrical installations or services, or pressurised gas mains
- Tilt-up or precast concrete work
- Work in or near confined spaces
Check the current regulations and guidance from WorkSafe Victoria or your state regulator for the full list that applies to you.
What a good SWMS includes
- The specific high-risk work and the job or site it applies to
- Step-by-step tasks, the hazards in each, and the controls you'll use
- How controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed
- Who prepared it, who was consulted, and who signs on before starting
- Any plant, permits, tickets or PPE the controls rely on
Why templates fail tenders
Evaluators and prequalification assessors see the same downloaded SWMS templates every week. A template that mentions tasks you don't do, or misses the ones you do, tells them your safety system lives on paper only. Your SWMS should read like your crew wrote it.
Keep them alive
Review a SWMS when the work, site or controls change, after an incident, and before reusing it on a new job. Keep signed copies on site.
Procura writes SWMS and WHS systems from how your crew actually works, as part of your tender documents. We don't provide safety audits or certification.
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