Excavation near assets SWMS, drafted for your job
A bucket can damage a cable, gas main or fragile pipe before its route is clear, and digging can undermine nearby foundations. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it with the crew before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Excavation near assets
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work in or near a deep trench, shaft or tunnel
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near pressurised gas mains or piping
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Review assets and dig scope | Incomplete service records | High | Compare records with site features and the asset owner’s information |
| 2 | Locate and expose crossings | Hidden cable or gas main | Extreme | Prove service positions before bringing buckets near them |
| 3 | Support trench and assets | Wall collapse and sagging pipes | Extreme | Install planned excavation and asset supports before removing soil |
| 4 | Excavate beside exposed services | Bucket contact and lost markings | High | Keep markers visible and use the agreed excavation method |
| 5 | Protect assets and backfill | Damaged pipe support or covers | High | Inspect exposed services and restore their protection before backfilling |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your excavation near assets SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
Categories this task often involves
You tick the ones your job involves. Each ticked category gets its own steps and controls, in your state's wording.
- Work in or near a deep trench, shaft or tunnel
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near pressurised gas mains or piping
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a excavation near assets job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Bucket contact with unproven cables crossing the excavation line
Extreme- Prove cable routes with locating and suitable exposure before mechanical digging
- Mark the exposed route and keep buckets outside the agreed digging zone
- 2
Gas escaping from a main damaged during asset exposure
Extreme- Arrange asset isolation where practicable before digging near a gas main
- Stop work, keep ignition sources away and clear the area if gas escapes
- 3
Exposed water or sewer pipes sagging across the excavation
High- Plan supports with the asset owner before removing surrounding soil
- Protect exposed pipework from plant loads and falling spoil
- 4
Adjacent footings settling as soil is removed beside assets
High- Review the dig sequence and arrange designed support before undermining foundations
- Watch nearby surfaces for cracking or movement and stop if conditions change
- 5
Wall collapse around workers hand-exposing buried assets
Extreme- Provide excavation support and safe access before anyone enters
- Keep spoil and machinery back from the protected trench edge
- 6
Asset markings lost beneath spoil during progressive excavation
High- Record exposed asset positions and maintain visible route markers
- Brief each incoming operator and stop where the service position is uncertain
How the job usually runs
- 1Review assets and dig scopeIncomplete service records → Compare records with site features and the asset owner’s information
- 2Locate and expose crossingsHidden cable or gas main → Prove service positions before bringing buckets near them
- 3Support trench and assetsWall collapse and sagging pipes → Install planned excavation and asset supports before removing soil
- 4Excavate beside exposed servicesBucket contact and lost markings → Keep markers visible and use the agreed excavation method
- 5Protect assets and backfillDamaged pipe support or covers → Inspect exposed services and restore their protection before backfilling
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- High visibility clothing
- Safety glasses
- Handling gloves
- Hearing protection
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Excavation near assets SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Are service plans enough before digging near an asset?
No. The draft pairs records with site inspection, locating and suitable exposure to prove the route. It includes stopping where the asset cannot be found or the site does not match the plans.
Does it cover pipes left exposed across a trench?
Yes. Describe the pipe and the proposed excavation. The draft includes arranging supports with the asset owner, protecting the exposed length and checking its condition before backfilling.
How much does a excavation near assets SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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