Product Overview

Summary: This Concrete Mixing and Pouring Safe Operating Procedure sets out safe, consistent methods for batching, transporting and placing concrete on Australian worksites. It helps your team control high-risk activities such as working around plant, formwork, reinforcing steel and fresh concrete, while lifting quality, productivity and WHS compliance.

Concrete mixing and pouring is a core activity on Australian construction and civil sites, but it carries a mix of safety, quality and environmental risks if not tightly controlled. From the moment raw materials arrive on site to the final finish of the slab or structural element, workers are exposed to moving plant, hazardous manual tasks, wet concrete burns, slips, trips, and the risk of formwork or reinforcement failure. This Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step-by-step framework that integrates WHS requirements with practical construction know‑how, so your crews can place concrete safely, efficiently and to specification.

Developed for Australian conditions, this SOP helps businesses demonstrate due diligence under WHS legislation by documenting how concrete works will be planned, supervised and executed. It covers pre‑pour planning, equipment and PPE requirements, safe interaction with concrete agitators and pumps, control of access around pour zones, and emergency response for incidents such as concrete burns or formwork instability. By standardising your approach across all sites and teams, you reduce the likelihood of injuries, rework and costly delays, while giving supervisors a ready-made training and induction tool for new workers and subcontractors.

Key Benefits

• Ensure compliance with Australian WHS legislation and industry standards for concrete works.
• Reduce the risk of injuries from concrete burns, moving plant, formwork failure and hazardous manual tasks.
• Standardise concrete mixing and pouring practices across crews, improving quality and consistency of finishes.
• Streamline pre-pour planning, inspections and sign-offs to minimise delays and costly rework.
• Demonstrate due diligence to clients, principal contractors and regulators with a documented, defensible procedure.

Who is this for?

• Site Supervisors
• Concrete Workers and Labourers
• Formwork Carpenters
• Steel Fixers
• Construction Project Managers
• WHS Advisors and Safety Officers
• Plant Operators (concrete trucks, pumps, mixers)
• Civil and Structural Contractors
• Small Construction Business Owners

Hazards Addressed

• Skin and eye burns from wet concrete and cementitious materials
• Respiratory irritation from cement dust and admixtures
• Crush and struck-by injuries from concrete trucks, pumps and moving plant
• Formwork or propping failure leading to collapse during or after pouring
• Trips, slips and falls on uneven, wet or cluttered work areas
• Musculoskeletal injuries from handling formwork, reinforcing steel and concrete tools
• Noise exposure from mixers, pumps and associated plant
• Line blockages and hose whip during concrete pumping operations
• Electrical hazards from powered tools and equipment used in wet environments
• Environmental incidents from concrete washout and slurry runoff

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 References, Legislation and Standards
• 3.0 Definitions and Terminology
• 4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 5.0 Required Plant, Tools and Materials
• 6.0 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements
• 7.0 Pre-Start Planning and Risk Assessment
• 8.0 Site Preparation, Access and Housekeeping
• 9.0 Concrete Mix Specification and Verification
• 10.0 Safe Operation of Mixers, Agitator Trucks and Pumps
• 11.0 Step-by-Step Procedure: Mixing Concrete On Site
• 12.0 Step-by-Step Procedure: Receiving and Handling Ready-Mix Concrete
• 13.0 Step-by-Step Procedure: Pouring, Placing and Compacting Concrete
• 14.0 Working Around Formwork, Falsework and Reinforcement
• 15.0 Control of Hazards: Concrete Burns, Dust, Noise and Manual Handling
• 16.0 Traffic Management and Exclusion Zones During Pours
• 17.0 Environmental Controls and Concrete Washout Management
• 18.0 Quality Control, Inspections and Hold Points
• 19.0 Emergency Procedures and First Aid (including concrete burns response)
• 20.0 Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste Disposal
• 21.0 Training, Induction and Competency Verification
• 22.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and relevant state/territory equivalents)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth and relevant state/territory equivalents)
• Safe Work Australia – Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks
• Safe Work Australia – Model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls at workplaces
• AS 1379: Specification and supply of concrete
• AS 3600: Concrete structures
• AS 3610: Formwork for concrete
• AS/NZS 1576: Scaffolding (where scaffolds are used for access around pours)
• AS/NZS 4501: Occupational protective clothing
• AS/NZS 1337.1: Personal eye protection
• AS/NZS 2161: Occupational protective gloves
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 3012: Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites