Product Overview

This Road Construction Civil Earthworks and Grading SWMS is a comprehensive Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards, implement controls, and support WHS compliance for road construction activities. It provides end-to-end coverage of civil earthworks, grading, pavement construction, and associated roadworks to help you manage High Risk Construction Work safely and efficiently on Australian worksites.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Planning and staging of civil road construction works, including traffic management interfaces and site establishment
• Construction of access roads and haul roads to safely accommodate construction vehicles, plant, and public interfaces
• Base grading operations to achieve design levels, crossfall, and compaction while controlling dust, noise, and machine interaction risks
• Blading and scarifying of existing road surfaces to correct shape, remove defects, and prepare for new pavement layers
• Placement, trimming, and compaction of civil road base and seal layers, including control of bituminous products and hot works
• Civil shoulder grading and reshaping to maintain drainage, edge support, and safe recovery areas for vehicles
• Construction and maintenance of temporary roads and detours, including safe separation of workers from live traffic
• Operation of curb and gutter machines, including loading, set-up, pour control, pinch points, and exclusion zones
• Execution of general roadworks, including excavation, backfilling, compaction, and integration with existing services
• Fine grading and shaping of road pavements to meet survey tolerances, line and level, and surface finish requirements
• Road pavement construction activities, including subgrade preparation, stabilisation, and layer-by-layer quality control
• Set out and survey of roads, including working around live plant, use of survey equipment, and working near traffic corridors
• Stabilising road pavement using lime, cement, or other stabilising agents, with controls for dust, chemical exposure, and mixing plant
• Safe operation of graders, rollers, water carts, and associated earthmoving plant, including spotters and communication protocols
• Management of environmental risks such as erosion, sediment control, stormwater management, and noise and dust minimisation

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for civil contractors, road construction crews, earthmoving and grading operators, curb and gutter specialists, and site supervisors managing road and pavement projects on Australian worksites.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Code of Practice: Construction Work – Guidance on managing risks associated with construction activities, including road and civil works
• Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Plant in the Workplace – Safe use of graders, rollers, excavators, curb machines, and other construction plant
• Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace – Controls for bitumen, stabilising agents (lime, cement), fuels, and other chemicals
• Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks – Framework for identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing controls on civil road projects
• Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work – Requirements for controlling noise from heavy plant and road construction equipment
• Code of Practice: Excavation Work – Guidance relevant to cut and fill, trenching, and subgrade preparation activities
• AS 1742 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices – Requirements for temporary traffic management and traffic control around roadworks
• AS 3798 Guidelines on Earthworks for Commercial and Residential Developments – Guidance on earthworks, compaction, and quality control relevant to road formation
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017