Name: Retaining Wall Construction SWMS
Brand: BlueSafe Online
SKU: prod_01KBPKNZTRBETBV6GR9NJ4AVBP
Price: 64.95 AUD
Availability: InStock

Product Overview

This SWMS covers retaining wall construction, including planning, excavation, foundation preparation, drainage, wall building, backfilling and clean-up. It supports work planning and risk management for services, ground conditions, plant, wall stability, dust, lifting and excavation hazards.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes task-specific risk controls for:

Review the design and plan the work
Establish the site and exclusion areas
Locate and expose services
Position plant and deliveries
Excavate the wall foundation
Prepare the foundation base
Install drainage and filter materials
Place the first block course
Build the wall and install reinforcement
Backfill and compact in lifts
Cut blocks and finish caps
Inspect, rectify, clean up and demobilise

Who is this for?

For contractors, workers, supervisors and businesses carrying out retaining wall construction work.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Job Step / Activity	Potential Hazards
Review design and plan work	Wall collapse from incorrect design Ground failure Unidentified services Incompatible construction sequence Worker misunderstanding
Establish site and exclusions	Unauthorised entry Vehicle strike Public exposure Slips and trips Overhead service contact
Locate and expose services	Underground services strike Electric shock Gas release Water inundation Plant damage
Position plant and deliveries	Plant roll-over Crush from reversing vehicle Swinging counterweight Falling delivered blocks Ground bearing failure
Excavate wall foundation	Excavation collapse Fall into excavation Plant strike Groundwater ingress Spoil collapse Adjacent structure movement
Prepare foundation base	Unstable founding material Silica dust Compactor strike Noise and vibration Manual handling strain
Install drainage and filter	Drainage failure Excavation collapse Manual handling strain Cut injuries Water erosion
Place first block course	Crush from blocks Unstable wall alignment Pinch points Plant interaction Manual handling strain
Build wall and reinforcement	Wall collapse Falling blocks Crush from suspended load Incorrect geogrid placement Falls from wall face
Backfill and compact lifts	Wall displacement Plant strike Compaction vibration Dust exposure Buried worker Drainage damage
Cut blocks and finish caps	Respirable silica dust Blade contact Flying fragments Noise Electrical shock Adhesive exposure
Inspect and rectify work	Unrecognised wall movement Unstable access Incomplete drainage Plant interaction Unauthorised alterations
Clean up and demobilise	Residual excavation hazards Mobile plant strike Waste handling Environmental contamination Unauthorised access

Need to add specific site requirements?

Use the BlueSafe Portal to tailor this SWMS with site-specific details, job steps, hazards, controls and responsibilities before work starts.

Acceptance Guaranteed: If your client or principal requests changes during document review, BlueSafe will help revise the document at no extra cost and support resubmission until it is accepted.

Legislation & References

The template includes references relevant to the documented work, including:

Applicable Commonwealth, state or territory WHS/OHS legislation and regulations, including duties to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable, manage construction risks, provide safe plant and systems of work, consult workers, and prepare and comply with SWMS for applicable high risk construction work.
Model Code of Practice: Construction work (November 2024) — guidance for SWMS, construction planning, worker consultation and high risk construction work.
Model Code of Practice: Excavation work — guidance for underground-services information, ground stability, inspection, plant interaction, benching, battering and shoring.
Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace — guidance for separating people and mobile plant, inspections and plant controls.
Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks — guidance for block handling, repetitive work and mechanical aids.
Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of falls at workplaces — guidance where workers can fall into excavations or from wall work areas.
Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone in the workplace, and applicable silica or concrete/masonry cutting guidance — use wet methods, extraction and suitable respiratory controls when cutting masonry products.
AS 4678 Earth-retaining structures; AS 3798 Guidelines on earthworks for commercial and residential developments; AS 4744.1 Steel shoring and trench lining; AS 2550 series Cranes, hoists and winches; AS 1418 series Cranes, hoists and winches; AS/NZS 1891 series Industrial fall-arrest systems; AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations—Construction and demolition sites. These standards are technical guidance and must be applied with the approved engineering design and manufacturer instructions.

Standard SWMS Features (Click to Expand)

Task-specific job steps, hazards and control measures
Initial and residual risk ratings
Assigned responsible persons for each job step
Plant, equipment and PPE requirements where applicable
Permits, qualifications and high-risk construction work details where applicable
Worker consultation, sign-off and review sections

Retaining Wall Construction SWMS

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