Product Overview

Summary: This Aggregate Handling Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, practical steps for safely receiving, storing, moving and loading aggregates on Australian worksites. It helps control dust, traffic, plant and manual handling risks while supporting consistent product quality and WHS compliance across quarrying, concrete, asphalt and civil operations.

Handling aggregates such as sand, gravel, crushed rock and recycled materials involves constant interaction between heavy mobile plant, trucks and ground workers, often in dusty, noisy and high‑traffic environments. Without a structured procedure, businesses face elevated risks of collisions, engulfment in stockpiles, slips and trips, airborne dust exposure (including respirable crystalline silica), and product contamination that can compromise concrete or asphalt performance. This Aggregate Handling Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step‑by‑step framework for how aggregates are to be received, inspected, stored, stockpiled, loaded and transported on site, in line with Australian WHS expectations and industry best practice.

The SOP is designed to help organisations standardise safe work methods across multiple sites and shifts, ensuring everyone from loader operators to truck drivers understands the same traffic flows, exclusion zones, communication methods and dust‑control requirements. It addresses the full lifecycle of aggregate handling: pre‑start checks on mobile plant, designated stockpile layout and stability, segregation of different materials, controls for working near edges and drop‑offs, safe loading and tipping practices, and emergency response for incidents such as vehicle rollovers, stockpile collapses or dust‑related health events. By implementing this procedure, businesses can demonstrate due diligence, reduce incident rates, and maintain consistent product quality while protecting workers, subcontractors and visitors.

This document is particularly valuable for operations that must manage a mix of permanent plants and temporary or mobile sites, where site conditions change frequently. It provides a repeatable template that can be adapted to local conditions while maintaining a strong baseline of controls for plant–pedestrian interaction, housekeeping, environmental controls (dust, runoff and spillage) and communication with truck drivers and external contractors. The result is a safer, more orderly and more efficient aggregate yard that supports both WHS compliance and reliable production outcomes.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of collisions, rollovers and near misses between mobile plant, trucks and pedestrians through defined traffic management and exclusion zones.
• Minimise worker exposure to dust, including respirable crystalline silica, with clear controls for suppression, PPE and housekeeping.
• Standardise aggregate receiving, stockpiling and loading practices to improve product consistency and reduce contamination or mix errors.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS legislation, codes of practice and relevant Australian Standards for plant, traffic management and silica control.
• Streamline onboarding and training for operators and drivers by providing a clear, step‑by‑step reference for safe aggregate handling on site.

Who is this for?

• Quarry Managers
• Concrete Batch Plant Operators
• Asphalt Plant Operators
• Site Supervisors
• Yard and Stockpile Supervisors
• Mobile Plant Operators (Loaders, Excavators, Dump Trucks)
• Truck Drivers and Delivery Drivers
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Civil Construction Project Managers
• Maintenance Supervisors

Hazards Addressed

• Mobile plant and vehicle collisions with workers or other equipment
• Vehicle rollovers during tipping, loading or operating on uneven ground
• Stockpile collapse, engulfment and instability at edges and faces
• Exposure to respirable crystalline silica and other airborne dusts
• Noise exposure from crushers, screens, loaders and trucks
• Manual handling injuries when dealing with samples, bags or small loads
• Slips, trips and falls on loose aggregate, uneven ground and spillage
• Eye injuries from flying particles during loading and tipping
• Reduced visibility from dust, poor lighting or blind spots around plant
• Environmental hazards such as spillage, runoff and uncontrolled dust emissions

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Types of Aggregates
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Required Competencies, Licensing and Training
• 6.0 Plant, Equipment and Required PPE
• 7.0 Pre‑Start Inspections and Site Preparation
• 8.0 Traffic Management and Pedestrian Control
• 9.0 Aggregate Receiving and Inspection Procedures
• 10.0 Stockpile Design, Layout and Stability Requirements
• 11.0 Safe Use of Loaders, Excavators and Trucks for Aggregate Handling
• 12.0 Loading, Unloading and Tipping Procedures
• 13.0 Dust, Silica and Noise Control Measures
• 14.0 Housekeeping, Spillage Management and Environmental Controls
• 15.0 Quality Control and Contamination Prevention
• 16.0 Communication, Signage and Contractor Management
• 17.0 Incident Reporting, Near Misses and Corrective Actions
• 18.0 Emergency Response Procedures (Vehicle Incidents, Stockpile Collapse, Medical Events)
• 19.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement
• 20.0 Document Control and Recordkeeping

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Act (as implemented in each state and territory)
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (Plant and Hazardous Chemicals provisions)
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Respirable Crystalline Silica from Engineered Stone in the Workplace: Code of Practice (as guidance for silica control)
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Traffic Management in Workplaces (guidance material)
• AS/NZS 3000: Electrical installations (for fixed and mobile plant electrical safety interfaces)
• AS/NZS 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems
• AS 2758 series: Aggregates and rock for engineering purposes (for quality and contamination control considerations)
• State and territory road transport and heavy vehicle regulations for loading and load restraint