General Excavation and Earthworks Risk Assessment

Product Overview

This risk assessment covers planning, service checks, excavation, plant movements, access and emergency preparation for general excavation and earthworks. It supports identification and management of hazards associated with ground conditions, services, stability, traffic, water, atmosphere and manual work.

Activities & Risks Covered

This assessment addresses activities and risks including:

• Plan the work, assess ground conditions and identify nearby site factors
• Locate and isolate underground services before excavation work
• Establish the work area, access routes and protection from unauthorised entry
• Excavate and manage trench stability, faces and nearby ground conditions
• Operate plant and manage interactions with vehicles and pedestrians
• Place spoil, materials and loads away from excavation edges
• Provide access, egress and safe work near excavation edges
• Monitor water ingress, weather and changing ground conditions
• Manage dust, fumes, gases and confined excavation conditions
• Complete manual digging and tool tasks with emergency preparedness in place

Who is this for?

Suitable for contractors, workers, supervisors and businesses carrying out general excavation and earthworks activities.

Activities & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

The template records model guidance used to inform the documented controls. Applicable WHS/OHS laws and adopted Codes vary by state or territory, so confirm the current local requirements when tailoring the assessment:

• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Excavation work — 2.3. Controlling the risks; p. 17.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls at workplaces — 3.2 Identifying the hazards; p. 16.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities — 2. The work environment; p. 13.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Construction work — 6.2 Workplace specific induction training; p. 41.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace — 3. First aid equipment, facilities and training; p. 12.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks — 4.1 The hierarchy of control measures; p. 31.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work — 5. Controlling the risks; p. 29.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks — 3. Step 2 — How to assess risks; p. 15.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace — Plant hazard identification — Traffic movements in the workplace; p. 17.

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Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)

• Activity-specific hazard identification and control measures
• Initial and residual risk ratings
• Assigned responsible persons for each activity
• Risk matrix and assessment classification
• Review, monitoring and sign-off fields
• Site-specific customisation before use