Grave preparation SWMS, drafted for your job
Grave digging takes place between existing burials and monuments, where narrow access, unstable sides and visitors close to an open excavation make separation and support essential. Describe the job and site so your SWMS is drafted around them, then check the controls 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
Grave preparation
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 | Confirm the grave location | Wrong plot and concealed services | High | Check cemetery records and locate services before excavation |
| 2 | Secure cemetery access | Visitors and plant sharing narrow paths | High | Barrier the work area and arrange a separate visitor route |
| 3 | Excavate and place spoil | Side collapse and monument movement | Extreme | Keep loads away from edges and inspect neighbouring ground |
| 4 | Support and trim the grave | Entry into unsupported excavation | Extreme | Use suitable support before entry and work from outside where practical |
| 5 | Secure the prepared grave | Open excavation accessible to visitors | High | Inspect support and secure the opening until burial preparations continue |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your grave preparation 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 grave preparation 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
Grave sides collapsing during trimming or support placement
Extreme- Avoid entry where work can be completed from outside the grave
- Use an excavation support system suited to the ground before anyone enters
- Stop for water ingress, cracking or movement and reassess support
- 2
Visitors falling into an open grave between cemetery plots
High- Barrier the grave and provide a controlled pedestrian route around the work
- Secure the opening when unattended and inspect barriers before public access resumes
- 3
Adjacent headstones shifting as grave excavation removes supporting soil
High- Inspect monuments and neighbouring ground before excavation starts
- Keep plant and spoil away from unstable monuments and arrange support before proceeding
- 4
Excavator swing trapping workers between graves and monuments
High- Close the plant operating area and separate workers from the swing path
- Use a spotter where cemetery access restricts the operator’s view
- 5
Contact with contaminated soil or unexpected previous burial material
High- Stop work and isolate unexpected burial material for cemetery management to assess
- Cover cuts, use suitable gloves and wash before eating or leaving the work area
- 6
Grave excavation cutting concealed irrigation or electrical services
High- Confirm the plot and locate buried services before digging
- Expose uncertain service locations using a controlled method before machine excavation
How the job usually runs
- 1Confirm the grave locationWrong plot and concealed services → Check cemetery records and locate services before excavation
- 2Secure cemetery accessVisitors and plant sharing narrow paths → Barrier the work area and arrange a separate visitor route
- 3Excavate and place spoilSide collapse and monument movement → Keep loads away from edges and inspect neighbouring ground
- 4Support and trim the graveEntry into unsupported excavation → Use suitable support before entry and work from outside where practical
- 5Secure the prepared graveOpen excavation accessible to visitors → Inspect support and secure the opening until burial preparations continue
PPE for this job
- Safety boots
- Gloves suited to soil handling
- Safety helmet near excavation plant
- Eye protection
- Protective work clothing
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
Grave preparation 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
How are neighbouring graves and headstones protected?
Describe the plot spacing, monument condition and plant access. Check for movement before digging, keep spoil and machine loads away from vulnerable edges and arrange support where excavation could undermine neighbouring ground.
Does the crew need to enter the prepared grave?
Plan work from outside wherever practical. If entry is needed, assess the ground and install the chosen support first, with safe access, communication and a rescue arrangement that does not expose another worker to collapse.
How much does a grave preparation 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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