Concrete foundation excavation and pouring SWMS, drafted for your job
Footing excavations put crews below ground beside digging plant, then reinforcement and concrete hoses crowd the same narrow workface. Tell us the foundation design and site: your SWMS is drafted around excavation and pouring, and you check it on site 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
Concrete foundation excavation and pouring
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work in or near a deep trench, shaft or tunnel
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set out footings and locate services | Hidden services on excavation lines | Extreme | Prove crossings and mark protected service routes |
| 2 | Excavate and protect footing runs | Trench collapse and open edges | Extreme | Install excavation protection and provide guarded access |
| 3 | Fit forms and reinforcement | Unstable forms and projecting bars | High | Brace forms and protect reinforcement ends |
| 4 | Place foundation concrete | Hose movement and wet cement | High | Separate pump discharge from workers and control the pour sequence |
| 5 | Finish and protect footings | Open trenches and fresh concrete | Medium | Maintain barriers and check foundation access before leaving |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your concrete foundation excavation and pouring 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 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 concrete foundation excavation and pouring 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
Burial preparing reinforcement inside unsupported foundation trenches
Extreme- Install the planned excavation protection before anyone enters footing trenches
- Keep spoil plant and material stacks away from trench edges
- 2
Excavator bucket striking buried services along foundation lines
Extreme- Locate and expose service crossings before mechanical footing excavation
- Mark protected routes and stop where the service position is uncertain
- 3
Falls into open strip footings while carrying reinforcement
High- Cover or barrier open footing runs and provide clear crossing points
- Stage steel beside the workface and keep access routes clear
- 4
Impalement on foundation starter bars beside the pour route
High- Protect projecting bars with suitable impalement protection or barriers
- Route hoses and walking access away from exposed steel ends
- 5
Concrete hose movement trapping workers inside narrow footing excavations
High- Plan placement so workers can stay outside the hose discharge area
- Stop pumping before repositioning hoses; isolate and depressurise before clearing blockages or opening connections
- 6
Foundation formwork opening under the concrete placement load
High- Brace forms for the planned pour and check supports before delivery
- Control placement sequence and stop if forms or supports move
- 7
Wet cement trapped inside boots during footing concrete placement
High- Use placing tools that keep workers out of wet footing concrete
- Wear waterproof gloves and boots and remove contaminated clothing promptly
How the job usually runs
- 1Set out footings and locate servicesHidden services on excavation lines → Prove crossings and mark protected service routes
- 2Excavate and protect footing runsTrench collapse and open edges → Install excavation protection and provide guarded access
- 3Fit forms and reinforcementUnstable forms and projecting bars → Brace forms and protect reinforcement ends
- 4Place foundation concreteHose movement and wet cement → Separate pump discharge from workers and control the pour sequence
- 5Finish and protect footingsOpen trenches and fresh concrete → Maintain barriers and check foundation access before leaving
PPE for this job
- Waterproof safety boots
- Waterproof gloves
- Safety glasses
- High-visibility clothing
- Safety helmet
- 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
Concrete foundation excavation and pouring 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 strip footings and isolated pad footings?
Yes. Describe both footing types, the ground and excavation plant. The draft covers service checks, trench protection, reinforcement and concrete placement around the actual foundation layout.
Can workers enter the footing trench to fix steel?
Only after the excavation protection and access have been checked. Describe the steel fixing method so the draft includes supported trench work or installation from outside where that is practicable.
How much does a concrete foundation excavation and pouring 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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