• SWMS template · trench or shaft > 1.5 m

Excavation SWMS template Australia

A trench or shaft deeper than 1.5 metres is high-risk construction work. Ground collapse and buried services kill people on suburban blocks, not just civil jobs. If the hole stays under 1.5 m and no other HRCW applies, you may be on a JSA — this page is for when it doesn’t.

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Trench deeper than 1.5 m is HRCW

HRCW: trench or shaft with excavated depth greater than 1.5 m. Collapse, engulfment, incoming services, and sometimes a confined-space overlay if the atmosphere turns. If it becomes a pit you enter with a restricted opening, also see confined space.

Filled example: sewer connection trench, Springfield Lakes QLD

New dwelling. Excavator cuts a connection trench to the council sewer — deeper than 1.5 m at the tie-in. Sandy ground, a water main marked on the BYDA plan, and a person in the hole to make the joint.

Job / task: Excavate and lay sewer connection in a trench deeper than 1.5 m
Site: New dwelling lot, Springfield Lakes QLD 4300
Document: SWMS · HRCW: trench > 1.5 m · example only
PPE: Hard hat, hi-vis, steel-caps, glasses, gloves, P2 when cutting pipe

Example layout. A person in a trench deeper than 1.5 m needs shoring or a batter that actually works in that ground — not a hope. Unexpected ACM in old pipe: asbestos SWMS.

Step	Hazards	Controls	5×5 risk
1. BYDA, locate services, and set the exclusion around the excavator Responsible: Supervisor	Strike on the marked water main or an unmarked power People in the swing radius Spoil piled on the trench lip	Current BYDA; pothole the water main by hand before the bucket goes near it Spotter; no one inside the radius; hard hats Spoil back from the lip so it cannot fall in or surcharge the wall	InitialL4×C5 = 20 Critical ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High
2. Excavate, batter or shore once the depth hits 1.5 m Responsible: Plant operator / leading hand	Wall collapse in sand Plant overturn on the lip Water ingress after a storm overnight	Shoring boxes or a designed batter before anyone enters; no “quick duck in” Keep the excavator back; don’t travel along a weak lip Pump and inspect after rain; don’t enter a flooded box	InitialL4×C5 = 20 Critical ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High
3. Worker in the trench to lay pipe and make the sewer joint Responsible: Drainer	Collapse / engulfment Atmosphere in a deep, still trench Cuts from the saw on PVC	Stay inside the shored length; ladder in the box; observer at the top at all times If it smells wrong or feels close — get out; this can become confined space Cut on the surface; glasses; lower the pipe, don’t throw it	InitialL3×C5 = 15 High ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High
4. Backfill, compact, remove shoring Responsible: Leading hand	Shoring pulled too early Plant reversing over the open end Services pulled by compaction	Backfill in layers as the box is extracted; never an unsupported vertical face with a person in it Spotter on reverse; exclusion until the hole is gone Hand work around the potholed main	InitialL3×C5 = 15 High ResidualL2×C5 = 10 High

Frequently asked questions

When do I need an excavation SWMS template?

When the work is in a trench or shaft with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres. That is HRCW. Shoring, battering, services and a rescue plan are part of the SWMS, not a toolbox chat.

Is the excavation SWMS free?

Creating an account is free and needs no card; creating and editing your own site-specific draft is free too. The $20/month subscription is only needed to download the PDF. This Springfield Lakes sewer trench is an example layout — sand in QLD is not clay in VIC.

SWMS or JSA for a shallow service trench?

Under 1.5 m, no collapse risk of that kind, no other HRCW: a JSA may be enough. The moment you go deeper, or you put a person in the hole, use this SWMS. Don’t “average” the depth on paper.

Valid in NSW, VIC, QLD and WA?

Yes — WHS Act/Regulation, or Victoria’s OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017. Dial Before You Dig / Before You Dig Australia still applies everywhere.

Check the official guidance

A SWMS sets out the high-risk construction activities, their hazards and the controls to use. Prepare it before the work starts, adapt it to the site and review it when the work or controls change. Consult the people doing the work. An AI draft or example needs review before use.

Model WHS guidance and Victorian requirements differ. Check the rules that apply to your workplace.

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