Product Overview

This Culvert And Drainage Installing Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is developed to help your business plan, document, and control the hazards associated with installing culverts, pits, and drainage infrastructure on Australian worksites. It is a comprehensive, pre-filled safety document that covers multiple aspects of culvert and drainage installation to support WHS compliance and effective management of High Risk Construction Work.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Planning and preparation for culvert and drainage installation, including service location (Dial Before You Dig) and site-specific risk assessment
• Selection, inspection, and use of plant and equipment for excavation, lifting, and placement of culvert sections and tanks
• Excavation of trenches and pits for culverts and drainage structures, including benching, battering, and shoring requirements
• Control of ground instability, trench collapse, and working in and around excavations
• Safe delivery, unloading, and on-site handling of precast culvert units, pipes, and drainage components
• Lifting and positioning of culvert sections and tanks using cranes, excavators, or lifting equipment, including exclusion zones and dogging
• Installation of culvert-tank systems, including alignment, levelling, bedding, and connection to existing drainage
• Management of water, stormwater, and groundwater during installation, including temporary diversion and dewatering controls
• Working around live traffic, plant, and public areas, including traffic management and pedestrian separation
• Manual handling risk controls for moving smaller components, formwork, fittings, and tools
• Use of concrete, grouts, and backfill materials, including mixing, placement, curing, and dust/fume controls
• Backfilling, compaction, and reinstatement of surfaces over culverts and drainage structures
• Environmental controls for sediment, erosion, and contaminated runoff during drainage works
• Emergency response planning for trench collapse, flooding, plant incidents, and worker rescue

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for civil contractors, drainage installers, plumbers, earthmoving operators, and site supervisors involved in culvert, pit, tank, and drainage installation works.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Code of Practice: Excavation Work – Guidance on managing risks associated with trenches, pits, and excavations
• Code of Practice: Construction Work – Requirements for planning and carrying out construction activities safely
• Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces – Controls for working near edges, excavations, and uneven ground
• Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work – Controls for noisy plant and equipment used during installation
• Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks – Risk management for lifting and handling pipes, fittings, and materials
• AS 4744.1:2000 – Steel shoring and trench lining – General requirements
• AS 3798 – Guidelines on earthworks for commercial and residential developments, including compaction and backfilling
• AS 2758.1 – Aggregates and rock for engineering purposes – Concrete aggregates (relevant to bedding and backfill materials)
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017