Road-rail excavator operation SWMS, drafted for your job
A hi-rail excavator works between live tracks, under live wires and a short slew from a train path. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, 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
Road-rail excavator operation
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
- Work next to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work where powered mobile plant is moving
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Confirm protection and access | Live track entry | Extreme | Protection in place; lookout briefed |
| 2 | Check rail gear and brakes | Derailment on track | High | Gauge, wheels and brakes verified |
| 3 | Mount the track at the crossing | Uneven transition; wheels not locked | High | Second person watches wheels lock |
| 4 | Track to the work site | Derailment; wire contact | High | Dead slow; boom under limits |
| 5 | Dig or lift inside the envelope | Slew past the safe line | High | Slew limits set; spotter confirms |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your road-rail excavator operation 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 next to a road, railway or other traffic corridor in use
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- 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 road-rail excavator operation 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
Machine or crew struck by a train on a live track
Extreme- Work only inside a protected possession or a lookout-managed site
- A dedicated lookout watches the line whenever the track is live
- 2
Boom or load touching the overhead wiring
Extreme- Treat the overhead wiring as live and stay inside the clearances the protection officer sets
- Slew and boom limits set so the machine cannot reach the wires
- 3
Machine derailing while tracking or over a crossing
High- Check rail wheels, gauge and brakes before going on track
- Travel dead slow over points, crossings and rough track
- 4
Slew or boom oversailing into a live track's path
High- Slew limits and physical stops set before work starts
- Spotter confirms every slew stays inside the protected line
- 5
Rail gear or tyres not locked during a mode change
High- Change modes only at a level crossing or built access point
- A second person watches every wheel engage and lock
- 6
Tools or machine parts touching an electrified third rail
High- Treat every rail as live and never straddle the conductor rail
- Cover or board the conductor rail where work must cross it
- 7
Getting on or off track where the formation is uneven
Medium- On and off only at level crossings or built access points
- Spotter guides the transition; no turning on the ballast shoulder
How the job usually runs
- 1Confirm protection and accessLive track entry → Protection in place; lookout briefed
- 2Check rail gear and brakesDerailment on track → Gauge, wheels and brakes verified
- 3Mount the track at the crossingUneven transition; wheels not locked → Second person watches wheels lock
- 4Track to the work siteDerailment; wire contact → Dead slow; boom under limits
- 5Dig or lift inside the envelopeSlew past the safe line → Slew limits set; spotter confirms
- 6De-mount and release the lineMode change; gear left on track → Off at the crossing; line handed back
PPE for this job
- Rail high-vis clothing
- Hard hat
- Safety boots
- Hearing protection
- Safety glasses
- Work gloves
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
Road-rail excavator operation 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 the SWMS cover tracking between work sites?
Yes. Track travel is its own step: rail gear and brake checks, dead-slow running, and the boom kept inside its limits while the machine moves.
What if the track next to us stays live?
Then work only runs inside protection or under a lookout, and slew limits and stops are set so the boom cannot oversail the live line. Say so when you start and the draft includes those controls.
Does it cover getting on and off the rails?
Yes. Mode changes only happen at a level crossing or built access point, with a second person watching each rail wheel engage and lock before the machine moves.
How much does a road-rail excavator operation 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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