Trench excavation SWMS, drafted for your job
Plumbing trenches can collapse without warning, strike buried services or collect water while pipe crews work below an excavator and spoil piles. Describe the work and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, then you check the controls on site before starting.
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
Trench excavation
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
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near pressurised gas mains or piping
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Locate services and plan excavation | Buried services and unstable soil | Extreme | Expose services carefully and confirm ground support arrangements |
| 2 | Set barriers and plant positions | Edge loading and pedestrian falls | High | Separate access routes and position spoil clear of trench edges |
| 3 | Excavate and install support | Collapse during trench entry | Extreme | Work progressively; keep people out until support is in place |
| 4 | Lay and connect pipework | Plant strike and sewer gases | High | Stop nearby digging and check connection atmosphere and isolation |
| 5 | Backfill and remove support | Collapse during support removal | High | Follow the planned backfill sequence from protected positions |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your trench excavation 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
- Work on or near energised electrical installations
- Work on or near pressurised gas mains or piping
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 trench excavation 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
Unsupported plumbing trench walls collapse onto pipe installers
Extreme- Use a ground support design suited to soil, nearby loads and the excavation sequence
- Install shoring, shielding or shaped sides before entry; keep workers out of unsupported ground
- 2
Excavator bucket strikes buried electrical cables or gas pipework
Extreme- Locate services using records, detection and careful exposure before mechanical excavation nearby
- Mark exposed services and agree the digging method with the service owner and operator
- 3
Spoil piles and excavator tracks overload the plumbing trench edge
High- Place spoil and plant outside the setback determined for ground stability
- Stop work if cracks, slumping or movement appear and reassess ground support
- 4
Groundwater or storm runoff traps workers along the pipe trench
High- Divert surface runoff and arrange controlled water removal before entry
- Provide clear exits and withdraw workers when water rises or ground conditions change
- 5
Pipe crew struck by excavator bucket inside the trench
High- Separate digging and pipe installation so workers stay outside the bucket operating zone
- Stop plant before workers approach and maintain agreed operator signals
- 6
Workers step into an open plumbing trench beside stored pipes
High- Barrier trench edges and provide secured crossings where access is needed
- Keep stored pipework and hoses clear of walkways and trench exits
- 7
Sewer connection releases harmful gases into the plumbing trench
High- Isolate existing sewer flows and assess atmospheric hazards before connection work
- Test and monitor air where gas could collect; withdraw if conditions change
How the job usually runs
- 1Locate services and plan excavationBuried services and unstable soil → Expose services carefully and confirm ground support arrangements
- 2Set barriers and plant positionsEdge loading and pedestrian falls → Separate access routes and position spoil clear of trench edges
- 3Excavate and install supportCollapse during trench entry → Work progressively; keep people out until support is in place
- 4Lay and connect pipeworkPlant strike and sewer gases → Stop nearby digging and check connection atmosphere and isolation
- 5Backfill and remove supportCollapse during support removal → Follow the planned backfill sequence from protected positions
PPE for this job
- Safety helmet
- Safety boots
- High visibility clothing
- Handling gloves
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection near operating plant
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
Trench excavation 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
What trench details should be supplied before drafting?
The pipe route, soil, existing services, nearby structures and how the trench will be supported — plus water ingress, excavator access, spoil placement and the points workers will use to enter and leave.
When should trench conditions be checked again?
Recheck after rain, vibration, changes in water flow or movement at the edge. Keep workers out while the ground support, plant position and access arrangements are reassessed for the changed conditions.
How much does a trench excavation 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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