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Concreting Risk Assessment

Concreting Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
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Concreting Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Concreting operations using this management-level Concreting Risk Assessment, focused on planning, systems, and governance rather than task-by-task work instructions. This document helps demonstrate Due Diligence, supports compliance with the WHS Act, and reduces your overall operational liability exposure for concreting works.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance, Roles and Responsibilities: Assessment of organisational accountability for concreting works, including PCBU obligations, officer due diligence, supervision levels, and clarity of roles between principal contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
  • Design, Planning and Engineering Controls: Management of structural design assumptions, temporary works engineering, sequencing of pours, and integration of engineered controls into construction programs and work packs.
  • Contractor and Supplier Selection & Competency: Assessment of prequalification, licensing, high-risk work authorisations, verification of competency, and performance monitoring for concreting contractors, pump operators and concrete suppliers.
  • Concreting Methodology, Procedures and Documentation: Management of documented work methods, ITPs, pour plans, pre-pour checklists, permits, and integration of risk controls into project-specific management plans.
  • Site Layout, Traffic Management and Delivery Interface: Assessment of delivery routes, segregation of pedestrians and vehicles, agitator truck movements, pump set-up locations, and coordination with other site activities.
  • Formwork, Falsework and Structural Stability: Management of formwork and falsework design, erection, inspection and certification, including controls for overloading, premature stripping, collapse and progressive pour stability.
  • Concrete Pumping Systems and Plant Management: Assessment of pump selection, inspection, maintenance, set-up, line routing, boom operation envelopes, exclusion zones, and plant risk assessments for concreting equipment.
  • Manual Handling, Ergonomics and Task Design: Management of musculoskeletal risks from screeding, finishing, barrow work, vibrating, and placement activities through task design, mechanical aids, and rotation strategies.
  • Chemical, Environmental and Health Exposure Control: Assessment of risks from cementitious products, silica dust, washout, skin and eye contact, noise, vibration, and environmental discharges from concreting operations.
  • Working at Height, Edge Protection and Access Systems: Management of falls risks around decks, penetrations, leading edges, scaffolds, formwork decks and accessways used during placing, finishing and curing activities.
  • Fatigue, Scheduling and Workforce Welfare: Assessment of long pour durations, night works, accelerated programs, heat and cold exposure, hydration, amenities, and resourcing levels for safe concreting operations.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and First Aid: Protocols for spill response, entrapment, collapse, exposure incidents, access for emergency services, and first aid arrangements specific to concreting works.
  • Consultation, Communication and Change Management: Management of pre-starts, toolbox talks, design change communication, coordination with other trades, and consultation processes with workers and contractors.
  • Compliance, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement: Systems for inspections, audits, supervision, non-conformance management, corrective actions, and ongoing review of concreting risk controls across projects.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Construction Directors, Project Managers, Site Managers and Safety Professionals responsible for planning, overseeing and governing Concreting operations across projects.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Roles and Responsibilities for Concreting
  • • Lack of clearly defined WHS responsibilities for concreting activities at officer, manager, supervisor and worker levels
  • • Inadequate due diligence by PCBUs and officers regarding concreting-specific risks under WHS Act 2011
  • • No formal WHS objectives, KPIs or performance monitoring for concreting operations
  • • Insufficient consultation mechanisms with Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and workers on concreting risks and controls
  • • Failure to integrate concreting risk management into overall organisational WHS management system
  • • Inadequate resourcing (time, funding, competent personnel) to manage concreting risks
  • • Poor coordination of WHS responsibilities between principal contractor, subcontractors, suppliers and pump operators
2. Design, Planning and Engineering Controls for Concreting Works
  • • Inadequate structural design information or constructability review for slabs, beams, walls and footings
  • • Lack of early consideration of concrete pump access, set-up zones, boom reach and exclusion zones in design phase
  • • Design not accounting for loadings on formwork, falsework and supporting structures during pour
  • • Omission of embedded services and penetrations from drawings leading to onsite rework and uncontrolled cutting or drilling
  • • Insufficient planning for curing requirements, early-age load restrictions and joint layout
  • • Poor coordination between designers, builders and concreters resulting in late design changes and rushed work
  • • Failure to engineer out manual handling and repetitive tasks where practicable (e.g. use of placing booms vs hand barrowing)
3. Contractor and Supplier Selection, Competency and Management
  • • Engagement of concreting subcontractors without verification of competency, licences and WHS performance
  • • Inadequate vetting of concrete pump operators, boom inspectors and line hands
  • • Use of labour hire workers or short-term casuals who lack site-specific concreting experience and induction
  • • Poor management of third-party suppliers such as ready-mix concrete providers and admixture suppliers
  • • Lack of clear contractual WHS requirements for concreting activities, including incident reporting and participation in risk assessments
  • • Inadequate supervision of new or young workers assigned to concreting tasks
  • • Failure to verify that contractors have and implement safe systems of work that align with site requirements
4. Concreting Methodology, Procedures and Documentation
  • • Absence of a documented, project-specific concreting methodology addressing key risks and interfaces
  • • Relying on generic SWMS and procedures that do not reflect site conditions, structural complexity or pour sequence
  • • Inadequate definition of hold points, sign-offs and inspection requirements before, during and after pours
  • • Failure to integrate formwork, steel fixing, services and finishing trades into a coordinated methodology
  • • Lack of clear criteria for go/no-go decisions regarding weather, temperature, wind and light conditions
  • • Inadequate planning for contingency situations such as pump breakdowns, supply interruptions or cold joints
  • • Poor communication of methodology to crews, leading to inconsistent or unsafe practices
5. Site Layout, Traffic Management and Concrete Delivery Interface
  • • Uncontrolled interaction between concrete trucks, pumps, pedestrians and other mobile plant
  • • Inadequate traffic management planning for peak delivery periods and large pours
  • • Poorly designed access routes causing vehicle instability, rollovers or bogging, especially on unsealed or sloping ground
  • • Insufficient segregation between public areas, site entries and concrete truck queuing zones
  • • Lack of designated washout areas leading to ad hoc washout in unsafe or environmentally sensitive locations
  • • Inadequate communication systems between traffic controllers, pump operators and delivery drivers
  • • Failure to control reversing movements and blind spots around pump set-up locations
6. Formwork, Falsework and Structural Stability Management
  • • Failure or collapse of formwork or falsework due to under-design, overloading or poor erection practices
  • • Inadequate inspection and certification of formwork systems prior to loading with wet concrete
  • • Uncontrolled modifications to formwork, propping or bracing without engineering approval
  • • Inadequate documentation of load paths into slabs, beams, columns and ground
  • • Progressive overloading from simultaneous pours or stacked materials on partially cured structures
  • • Lack of clear stripping and reshoring criteria leading to premature removal of supports
  • • Poor communication between supervisors, engineers and formwork crews about load limits and pour rates
7. Concrete Pumping Systems and Plant Management
  • • Use of concrete pumps or booms without current inspections, certifications or maintenance records
  • • Inadequate verification of ground conditions leading to outrigger failure or pump overturning
  • • Failure of pipelines, hoses or clamps causing hose whipping or concrete blow-outs
  • • Proximity of booms to overhead powerlines and other electrical hazards
  • • Poor communication protocols between pump operator, line hands and placers during priming, pumping and cleaning
  • • Inadequate lock-out/tag-out or isolation procedures during maintenance, cleaning or blockage clearing
  • • Subcontracted pump operators not integrated into site WHS procedures and emergency plans
8. Manual Handling, Ergonomics and Task Design in Concreting
  • • High manual handling demands when placing, screeding and finishing concrete
  • • Repetitive and sustained awkward postures, especially during trowelling, edging and jointing
  • • Inadequate planning leading to hand barrowing or carrying concrete over long distances
  • • Lack of systems to manage exposure to hand–arm vibration from power tools and equipment
  • • Insufficient job rotation or task variation contributing to musculoskeletal disorders
  • • Poor selection and maintenance of ergonomic tools and equipment
  • • Absence of early reporting and management of musculoskeletal discomfort or minor injuries
9. Chemical, Environmental and Health Exposure Control
  • • Exposure to wet concrete and cementitious products causing skin irritation, burns and dermatitis
  • • Inhalation of cement dust, silica dust or curing compound vapours due to inadequate controls
  • • Poor management of admixtures, sealers and curing agents, including lack of SDS information
  • • Inadequate systems for controlling noise from pumps, vibrators and power tools
  • • Heat stress or cold stress during large pours in extreme weather conditions
  • • Uncontrolled washout water and slurry causing environmental contamination and slip hazards
  • • Insufficient health monitoring for workers with ongoing exposure to hazardous substances or extreme conditions
10. Working at Height, Edge Protection and Access Systems
  • • Falls from height during placement of concrete on decks, slabs, stairs and edges
  • • Inadequate edge protection, void protection or fall prevention systems around pours
  • • Uncontrolled access to incomplete or partially cured elevated slabs and structures
  • • Improvised access systems such as makeshift platforms or ladder misuse
  • • Lack of integration between concreting activities and overall site fall prevention planning
  • • Insufficient inspection and maintenance of scaffolds, formwork decks and access stairs used during pours
  • • Poor control of loads and equipment near unprotected edges and penetrations
11. Fatigue, Scheduling, Resourcing and Workforce Welfare
  • • Extended work hours and night pours leading to fatigue, reduced vigilance and increased error rates
  • • Compressed schedules and programme slippage resulting in rushed work and shortcuts
  • • Insufficient staffing levels or inadequate skill mix during critical pours
  • • Inadequate planning for breaks, hydration and amenities during continuous or large pours
  • • Psychosocial stress from high production pressures, conflicting priorities and poor supervision
  • • Lack of systems to monitor and manage fatigue for workers who also drive heavy vehicles or plant
  • • Insufficient induction and support for workers who are inexperienced, young or from culturally diverse backgrounds
12. Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and First Aid
  • • Lack of specific emergency procedures for concreting-related incidents such as pump failures, collapses, entrapments and chemical burns
  • • Inadequate first aid arrangements for remote or large sites with dispersed concreting areas
  • • Poor communication and location identification methods for rapid emergency response during large pours
  • • Failure to plan for structural instability or partial collapse during or after pours
  • • Insufficient training of supervisors and key personnel in incident response and initial scene control
  • • Inadequate reporting and investigation of near misses and minor incidents associated with concreting activities
  • • Lack of integration between contractor and principal contractor emergency arrangements
13. Consultation, Communication and Change Management for Concreting
  • • Insufficient worker consultation on concreting risks and controls leading to poor ownership of safety procedures
  • • Inadequate communication of changes to pour schedules, methodologies or plant configurations
  • • Language barriers and low literacy affecting understanding of procedures, signage and instructions
  • • Lack of formal change management for variations in concrete mix design, pump selection or site layout
  • • Information silos between design, engineering, site management and concreting crews
  • • Inconsistent pre-start and toolbox processes across different contractors involved in concreting
  • • Delayed sharing of lessons learned from incidents or non-conformances on other projects or earlier pours
14. Compliance, Monitoring, Inspection and Continuous Improvement
  • • Non-compliance with WHS legislation, Australian Standards and codes of practice applicable to concreting
  • • Infrequent or superficial inspections of concreting activities, plant and work areas
  • • Failure to verify that critical controls for high-consequence risks are implemented and effective
  • • Inadequate documentation and record-keeping for inspections, maintenance and training
  • • Lack of trend analysis of incidents, defects and audit findings related to concreting
  • • No structured process for reviewing and updating risk assessments as project conditions change
  • • Over-reliance on individual competence rather than systematic checks and verifications

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

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Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Code of Practice: Construction Work: Guidance on managing WHS risks associated with construction, including concreting activities.
  • Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces: Requirements for fall prevention and protection relevant to decks, edges and elevated work areas during concreting.
  • Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace: Controls for concrete pumps, mixers, vibrators and associated plant.
  • Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks: Guidance on managing musculoskeletal risks from manual handling in concreting.
  • Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work: Requirements for noise control from pumps, vibrators and other plant.
  • Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace: Controls for cement, admixtures and other hazardous substances used in concrete.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS 3610: Formwork for concrete — Requirements for the design, construction and stripping of formwork systems.
  • AS 2550 series: Cranes, hoists and winches — Safe use, where relevant to concrete placement equipment and lifting operations.
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Frameworks for systematic WHS risk management and continuous improvement.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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