Construction surveying SWMS, drafted for your job
A surveyor watching a staff or instrument display can lose track of reversing plant, passing traffic and open excavations while moving between set-out points. 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
Construction surveying
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
- Work next to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Review scope and active work zones | Plant and traffic interfaces | High | Agree survey windows and protected observation areas with site crews |
| 2 | Choose stations and walking routes | Soft edges and open pits | High | Use firm ground and protected access between points |
| 3 | Set instrument and staff positions | Tripod movement and overhead lines | High | Check standing ground and keep equipment clear of overhead services |
| 4 | Take measurements and set out | Display distraction near plant | High | Stop nearby plant and look before moving between observations |
| 5 | Pack up and hand over points | Equipment in access routes | Medium | Lower staffs and remove equipment before releasing the work area |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your construction surveying 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 where powered mobile plant is moving
- Work next to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
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 construction surveying 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
Surveyor struck by plant while holding a staff on the workface
Extreme- Separate survey observations from plant movements in the measurement area
- Confirm the operator has stopped before entering the plant zone
- 2
Passing traffic striking the surveyor at roadside instrument stations
Extreme- Set observation points outside traffic routes where practicable
- Establish protected work areas before measurements require entry near live lanes
- 3
Survey tripod sinking or toppling beside soft excavation edges
High- Choose firm instrument stations away from unsupported edges and spoil
- Move the station if settlement or ground cracking appears
- 4
Raised survey staff contacting overhead electrical lines
Extreme- Identify overhead lines and choose observation methods that keep equipment clear
- Lower staffs before moving and stop where a clear route cannot be maintained
- 5
Falls into open pits while the surveyor follows set-out points
High- Plan a walking route around openings before taking observations
- Use protected access and stop to look before moving with the display
- 6
Eye injury sighting towards the sun through survey optics
High- Choose station positions and sighting times that avoid viewing the sun
- Use the instrument’s specified solar protection for any planned solar observation
How the job usually runs
- 1Review scope and active work zonesPlant and traffic interfaces → Agree survey windows and protected observation areas with site crews
- 2Choose stations and walking routesSoft edges and open pits → Use firm ground and protected access between points
- 3Set instrument and staff positionsTripod movement and overhead lines → Check standing ground and keep equipment clear of overhead services
- 4Take measurements and set outDisplay distraction near plant → Stop nearby plant and look before moving between observations
- 5Pack up and hand over pointsEquipment in access routes → Lower staffs and remove equipment before releasing the work area
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- High visibility clothing
- Safety glasses
- Head protection
- Sun protective clothing
- 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
Construction surveying 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
Does it cover survey set-out beside operating earthmoving plant?
Yes. The draft includes agreeing a survey window, stopping plant before the surveyor enters its zone and choosing stations clear of haul routes. Describe the machines and measurement points for the job.
Can the surveyor stand on an excavation edge for a reading?
Choose another observation point where practicable. The draft includes firm instrument stations and protected access away from unsupported edges, with a different measurement method arranged where the point cannot be reached safely.
How much does a construction surveying 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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