BlueSafe
Concrete Core Drilling and Scanning Risk Assessment

Concrete Core Drilling and Scanning Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Concrete Core Drilling and Scanning Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Concrete Core Drilling and Scanning through a structured, management-level WHS Risk Management approach that focuses on planning, governance and systems. This Risk Assessment supports your obligations under the WHS Act, helping demonstrate Due Diligence and reduce operational and legal exposure for your business.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance, Roles and Legal Compliance: Assessment of officer due diligence, allocation of WHS responsibilities, consultation duties and alignment of drilling and scanning activities with statutory obligations.
  • Project Planning, Design Review and Service Coordination: Management of pre-start planning, review of structural drawings, location of embedded services and coordination with clients, engineers and service locators before works commence.
  • Structural Integrity and Engineering Controls: Evaluation of penetration locations, load paths and structural capacity, including when to engage a structural engineer and how to implement engineering controls for safe coring and scanning.
  • Plant and Equipment Selection, Guarding and Maintenance: Protocols for selecting compliant core drills, scanning equipment, stands and anchors, ensuring guarding, inspection, maintenance, tagging and safe operating limits are in place.
  • Hazardous Energy, Services and Isolation Management: Controls for electricity, gas, water, post-tension cables and other services, including lockout–tagout, isolation verification, and use of scanning outcomes to prevent service strikes.
  • Access, Work at Height and Fall Protection Systems: Management of work on slabs, platforms, elevated areas and penetrations, including edge protection, fall arrest systems, securing equipment and safe access/egress arrangements.
  • Dust, Silica, Slurry and Environmental Management: Assessment of respirable crystalline silica exposure, dust suppression, slurry containment, waste disposal and environmental protection measures in line with regulatory expectations.
  • Noise, Vibration and Ergonomic Risk Management: Identification of high-noise and vibration exposures from drilling and scanning, manual handling of heavy equipment and implementation of administrative and engineering controls to minimise harm.
  • Competency, Training and Supervision for Drilling and Scanning: Requirements for operator competency, verification of licences and tickets, task-specific training, supervision levels and refresher programs for high-risk activities.
  • Contractor, Subcontractor and Labour Hire Management: Systems for prequalification, induction, competency verification and monitoring of third parties involved in concrete coring and scanning operations.
  • Site Traffic, Access and Public Safety Management: Management of interaction between drilling operations, vehicles, mobile plant, pedestrians and the public, including exclusion zones, barricading and signage.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Incident Response and First Aid: Planning for service strikes, structural compromise, exposure incidents and equipment failures, including emergency procedures, first aid coverage and communication protocols.
  • Fatigue, Scheduling and Psychosocial Risk Management: Assessment of work hours, shift patterns, workload, time pressure and client demands that may contribute to fatigue and psychosocial risks for drilling personnel.
  • WHS Communication, Consultation and Documentation Control: Systems for toolbox talks, pre-start briefings, information sharing, version control of procedures and retention of risk assessment and inspection records.
  • Monitoring, Audit and Continuous Improvement of Drilling Systems: Processes for inspections, performance monitoring, incident investigation, corrective actions and periodic review of drilling and scanning risk controls.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Construction Managers, Safety Managers and WHS Advisors responsible for planning, approving and overseeing Concrete Core Drilling and Scanning activities across their operations or projects.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Roles and Legal Compliance
  • • Lack of clarity on duties under WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulations
  • • No defined PCBU, officer and worker WHS responsibilities for drilling and scanning operations
  • • Inadequate WHS policy framework for concrete core drilling and scanning activities
  • • Failure to consult workers and HSRs on changes to drilling, cutting and scanning systems
  • • No system to monitor compliance with relevant Australian Standards and Codes of Practice
  • • Insufficient due diligence by officers regarding high‑risk construction work obligations
  • • Failure to manage overlapping duties with other PCBUs on shared construction sites
2. Project Planning, Design Review and Service Coordination
  • • Inadequate review of structural drawings and design intent prior to drilling or coring
  • • Failure to identify embedded services (electrical, hydraulic, gas, data, fire systems) in slabs, walls, roof decks and pavements
  • • Poor coordination with designers, engineers and building owners regarding penetrations through structural elements
  • • Inaccurate or outdated as‑built documentation leading to striking live services during drilling
  • • Uncontrolled ad‑hoc coring or drilling requests without engineering assessment
  • • Lack of design input to avoid unnecessary penetrations or to provide pre‑formed openings
3. Structural Integrity and Engineering Controls
  • • Compromising structural integrity of slabs, beams, columns, walls or roof decks due to poorly planned coring
  • • Reduction of concrete cover leading to corrosion of reinforcement and long‑term structural damage
  • • Uncontrolled drilling into pre‑stressed or post‑tensioned concrete causing tendon failure and catastrophic release of energy
  • • Lack of engineering assessment for large diameter core drilling or multiple adjacent penetrations
  • • Inadequate systems for controlling penetrations through fire rated and load‑bearing elements
  • • Unverified slab thickness leading to over‑penetration into areas below (tenancies, services, voids)
4. Plant and Equipment Selection, Guarding and Maintenance
  • • Use of unsuitable or poorly maintained core drills, diamond drilling rigs, core cutters and masonry drills
  • • Failure of drill stands, anchors or mounting systems leading to plant instability or collapse
  • • Lack of guarding, interlocks or emergency stop systems on high‑risk drilling and cutting equipment
  • • Unverified electrical safety (e.g. damaged leads, lack of RCD protection) for electric drills and scanning equipment
  • • Inadequate maintenance schedules resulting in increased vibration, overheating or mechanical failure
  • • Use of non‑rated accessories (bits, blades, extensions) for drilling through hard materials, metals and pavements
  • • Uncontrolled use of high‑pressure water systems associated with wet core drilling
5. Hazardous Energy, Services and Isolation Management
  • • Inadvertent drilling into live electrical cables, gas lines, water mains or fire systems
  • • Lack of standardised isolation and lock‑out procedures for nearby plant and services
  • • Inadequate verification of isolation status when working in operational facilities
  • • Uncontrolled release of high‑pressure fluids or gases during penetration of concealed services
  • • Insufficient coordination with facility managers and principal contractors regarding shutdowns
  • • Failure to manage potential stored energy in post‑tensioned systems when coring near tendons
6. Access, Work at Height and Fall Protection Systems
  • • Inadequate planning for drilling into concrete roof decks or elevated slabs with fall risks
  • • Use of improvised platforms or unsafe access arrangements for core drilling equipment
  • • Uncontrolled openings created by core drilling in floors, decks or walls leading to falls of people or materials
  • • Inadequate edge protection and void protection around drilling locations
  • • Lack of integration between drilling operations and site fall prevention systems managed by other PCBUs
7. Dust, Silica, Slurry and Environmental Management
  • • Generation of respirable crystalline silica dust during dry concrete and masonry drilling or cutting
  • • Uncontrolled slurry from wet core drilling affecting slip risk, environment and nearby plant
  • • Inadequate ventilation and containment when drilling in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas
  • • Lack of systems for managing waste (core samples, slurry, contaminated water, masonry debris)
  • • Environmental contamination from slurry discharge into drains, soil or stormwater
  • • Inconsistent application of RPE and dust control measures across different sites and crews
8. Noise, Vibration and Ergonomic Risk Management
  • • Prolonged exposure to high noise levels from core drilling and masonry cutting equipment
  • • Hand–arm vibration exposure from prolonged operation of hand‑held drills and breakers
  • • Whole‑body vibration from poorly maintained or inappropriate plant mounting systems
  • • Musculoskeletal strain due to awkward postures, overhead drilling, manual handling of heavy drilling rigs and pavement cores
  • • Inadequate rotation of tasks and rest breaks for high vibration activities
9. Competency, Training and Supervision for Drilling and Scanning
  • • Operators performing concrete drilling, scanning and coring without verified competency
  • • Insufficient understanding of scanning technology limitations and interpretation errors
  • • Inadequate supervision of new or inexperienced workers on high‑risk drilling and cutting tasks
  • • Lack of refresher training on changes to procedures, plant or regulatory requirements
  • • Over‑reliance on individual experience rather than a structured competency framework
  • • Contractor personnel not meeting the organisation’s competency and licensing requirements
10. Contractor, Subcontractor and Labour Hire Management
  • • Inconsistent WHS standards between principal contractor, subcontractors and labour hire providers
  • • Lack of clear scope and WHS expectations for external drilling and scanning providers
  • • Poor communication of site‑specific hazards and controls to contractors undertaking core drilling or masonry cutting
  • • Inadequate verification of contractor WHS systems, licences, insurances and training
  • • Failure to manage overlapping duties between multiple PCBUs performing simultaneous high‑risk tasks
11. Site Traffic, Access and Public Safety Management
  • • Uncontrolled interaction between drilling equipment, vehicles and pedestrians in and around work zones
  • • Inadequate exclusion zones around drilling rigs, masonry cutting stations and pavement coring operations
  • • Unmanaged public access to areas where core drilling or scanning is occurring in occupied buildings or public spaces
  • • Poor control of cords, hoses and slurry on walkways creating trip and slip hazards
  • • Inadequate signage and barricading for works on roads, pavements and shared access routes
12. Emergency Preparedness, Incident Response and First Aid
  • • Lack of tailored emergency procedures for service strikes, structural failure, entrapment or serious injury during drilling
  • • Inadequate first aid resources and training relative to the risks of concrete drilling, cutting and scanning
  • • Failure to plan for emergencies in remote or difficult‑to‑access drilling locations
  • • Poor incident notification and escalation processes resulting in delayed response
  • • No structured process to investigate incidents and implement corrective actions
13. Fatigue, Scheduling and Psychosocial Risk Management
  • • Long work hours, night shifts or compressed schedules for drilling and scanning activities leading to fatigue
  • • Pressure to complete penetrations quickly causing risk‑taking and bypassing of controls
  • • Poor management of remote or isolated work when undertaking pavement core drilling or roof deck works
  • • Insufficient consideration of psychosocial hazards such as high work demands, low role clarity and poor support in high‑risk drilling environments
14. WHS Communication, Consultation and Documentation Control
  • • Information on drilling and scanning risks not effectively communicated to all relevant workers and contractors
  • • Outdated procedures, permits or drawings being used for decision‑making
  • • Lack of formal consultation mechanisms to capture worker feedback on drilling systems and controls
  • • Poor record keeping for permits, inspections, training and maintenance related to core drilling operations
15. Monitoring, Audit and Continuous Improvement of Drilling Systems
  • • Failure to identify emerging risks associated with new drilling and scanning technologies or methods
  • • Inconsistent implementation of controls across different projects, crews and regions
  • • Lack of data analysis on incidents, near misses and non‑conformances related to core drilling and masonry cutting
  • • Absence of formal audit and review processes to test the effectiveness of WHS controls

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

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 – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Guidance on identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing controls.
  • Code of Practice – Construction Work: WHS requirements for managing risks associated with construction activities, including drilling and penetration works.
  • Code of Practice – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces: Requirements for fall prevention and protection when working at height or near penetrations.
  • Code of Practice – Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work: Guidance on controlling noise exposure from drilling and cutting equipment.
  • Code of Practice – Managing the Risks of Plant in the Workplace: Requirements for selection, use, inspection and maintenance of drilling and scanning plant.
  • Model Code of Practice – Managing the Risk of Respirable Crystalline Silica from Engineered Stone in the Workplace: Referenced for best-practice silica control principles applicable to concrete drilling dust.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Framework for systematic WHS management and continual improvement.
  • AS 1319: Safety signs for the occupational environment — Requirements for safety signage, barricading and information for workers and the public.
  • AS/NZS 1715 & AS/NZS 1716: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment, and performance requirements for RPE used for silica and dust control.
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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