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Surveying And Marking Locations Risk Assessment

Surveying And Marking Locations Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
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  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Surveying And Marking Locations Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Surveying and Marking Locations through a structured, management‑level WHS Risk Management framework that supports planning, governance and system design. This Risk Assessment supports compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations, strengthens Due Diligence, and helps protect your business from operational and legal liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance, Roles and Consultation: Assessment of leadership responsibilities, safety accountabilities, consultation mechanisms with survey teams, and integration of WHS into surveying project planning.
  • Competency, Licensing and Training: Management of competency requirements, verification of licences and qualifications, and ongoing training programs for surveyors and assistants.
  • Planning, Design and Survey Methodology: Evaluation of pre‑planning processes, selection of survey methods, and risk‑based design of work sequences to minimise exposure to site and environmental hazards.
  • Traffic and Public Interface Management: Protocols for working near roads, footpaths and public areas, including traffic management planning, exclusion zones, and coordination with road authorities.
  • Equipment Selection, Procurement and Lifecycle Management: Systems for selecting compliant survey instruments, tripods, GNSS units and marking tools, including procurement controls, asset registers and end‑of‑life management.
  • Calibration, Inspection and Maintenance Systems: Controls for scheduled calibration, functional checks, defect reporting and maintenance documentation to ensure survey equipment accuracy and safety.
  • Procedures for Safe Use of Survey Instruments: Development of standard operating procedures, authorisation rules and supervision arrangements for the use of total stations, lasers and other optical/electronic devices.
  • Site Access, Terrain and Environmental Management: Assessment of access routes, remote and uneven terrain, vegetation, weather, heat, wildlife and environmental protection obligations for survey locations.
  • Interface with Construction Activities and Other Trades: Coordination of survey works with civil, structural and services contractors, including permit systems, pre‑start briefings and conflict‑of‑task controls.
  • Manual Handling, Ergonomics and Fatigue Management: Management of lifting and carrying survey gear, vehicle loading, repetitive tasks, posture, work/rest scheduling and fatigue risks for field crews.
  • Information Management, Data Quality and Error Control: Governance of survey data capture, transfer, checking and storage, including version control, backup procedures and error‑prevention measures.
  • Contractor and Third‑Party Management: Assessment of contractor prequalification, WHS capability, scope definition and monitoring of third‑party survey providers.
  • Incident Reporting, Investigation and Continuous Improvement: Systems for reporting near misses and incidents, conducting root‑cause analysis, and embedding corrective actions into surveying procedures.
  • Emergency Preparedness and Response for Survey Teams: Planning for medical emergencies, remote or isolated work, vehicle incidents and environmental events, including communication, rescue and first aid arrangements.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Survey Managers, Project Managers and Safety Officers responsible for planning, overseeing and auditing Surveying and Marking Locations activities across projects and portfolios.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Roles And Consultation
  • • Lack of clearly defined WHS responsibilities for surveying and marking activities, leading to gaps in supervision and oversight
  • • Inadequate consultation with surveyors and field crews about site-specific WHS risks and controls
  • • Failure to integrate WHS risk management for surveying into overall project governance and design processes
  • • Poor communication pathways between office management, site supervisors and survey teams regarding changes to work locations, traffic conditions or adjacent activities
  • • Insufficient consideration of WHS Act 2011 officer due diligence obligations in relation to surveying near roads, tall structures and public areas
2. Competency, Licensing And Training
  • • Surveyors and assistants lacking formal competency in use of optical levelling instruments, laser levels and metal tapes, leading to unsafe work practices
  • • Insufficient training in WHS legislation, codes of practice and organisational procedures relevant to land surveying, accurate marking out and boundary pegging
  • • Lack of demonstrated competency in working near traffic, near tall structures and in varied terrain (slopes, excavations, uneven ground)
  • • Inadequate training in manual handling and ergonomic practices for carrying equipment, placing boundary pegs, setting out profiles and laying lines and grades
  • • Poor understanding of electrical, underground service and excavation risks when measuring and marking out sites and worksites
  • • Failure to provide refresher training, resulting in outdated knowledge of safe use of laser levels and optical levelling instruments
3. Planning, Design And Survey Methodology
  • • Inadequate pre‑planning of surveying locations and sequences, leading to unnecessary exposure to traffic, plant and hazardous terrain
  • • Survey controls and benchmarks placed in unsafe or inaccessible locations (e.g. close to roadways, at edges of excavations, on unstable ground or near tall structures with falling object risk)
  • • Failure to consider WHS requirements in the choice of survey methods, such as preference for remote measurement versus close proximity to hazards
  • • Insufficient assessment of environmental conditions (weather, visibility, heat, bushfire risk, flooding) prior to undertaking topographical surveys and accurate marking out work
  • • Lack of integration between survey set‑out plans and construction staging, resulting in concurrent work conflicts and interface risks
  • • Depth check measurements and boundary marking planned without checking for underground service plans, leading to potential strike risks
4. Traffic And Public Interface Management
  • • Surveying near roads without adequate traffic control systems, exposing workers to vehicle strike
  • • Lack of procedures for working on or adjacent to live traffic lanes when measuring and marking out sites, carrying out topographical surveys or placing boundary pegs
  • • Inadequate separation between surveyors and mobile plant (trucks, graders, excavators) on construction sites
  • • Public access to areas where survey work is being undertaken, leading to collision or trip hazards around tripods, staffs, pegs and profiles
  • • Poor visibility of surveyors working near roads or in low‑light conditions
  • • Inconsistent coordination with principal contractor traffic management plans, particularly for short‑duration or mobile survey tasks
5. Equipment Selection, Procurement And Lifecycle Management
  • • Procurement of survey equipment (laser levels, optical levelling instruments, metal tapes) that is unsuitable or non‑compliant with relevant safety standards
  • • Lack of lifecycle management for survey instruments, leading to degraded accuracy and potential for unsafe reliance on incorrect measurements
  • • Use of damaged or modified accessories (tripods, staffs, bipods, targets, tapes) without formal inspection and approval processes
  • • Battery failures or power issues with electronic equipment in remote areas, leading to improvised and unsafe work methods
  • • Inadequate consideration of environmental robustness (dust, moisture, vibration) during procurement, leading to unplanned failures in the field
6. Calibration, Inspection And Maintenance Systems
  • • Survey measurements and marking out work undertaken with out‑of‑calibration laser levels or optical levelling instruments, resulting in structural or excavation errors with safety consequences
  • • Absence of systematic inspection regimes for measuring tapes, staffs and depth measurement tools, leading to undetected wear, stretching or damage
  • • Ad‑hoc maintenance of critical equipment without competent technicians or appropriate records
  • • Failure of instruments on site due to neglected maintenance, prompting unsafe workarounds such as eyeballing levels or makeshift measuring methods
  • • Lack of documented traceability for calibration certificates and maintenance history, undermining confidence in depth checks and precise measurements
7. Procedures For Safe Use Of Survey Instruments
  • • Inconsistent practices in setting up and using optical levelling instruments and laser levels across different crews and projects
  • • Improper use of metal tapes for measuring sites, including over tensioning, using near live electrical installations or across vehicle paths
  • • Lack of standardised procedures for depth check measurements and checking as‑built levels against design tolerances
  • • Uncontrolled use of laser equipment in environments where beams may pose eye hazards or interfere with other work activities
  • • Inadequate guidance on managing line of sight obstructions when taking precise measurements around tall structures and congested worksites
8. Site Access, Terrain And Environmental Management
  • • Surveyors accessing steep, unstable, vegetated or uneven terrain without adequate planning, increasing risk of slips, trips, falls and rollovers
  • • Exposure to environmental extremes (heat, UV, cold, storms) during extended topographical surveys and boundary marking in open areas
  • • Working near watercourses, culverts or excavations when carrying out depth check measurements or measuring and marking out worksites
  • • Limited emergency access or communication in remote surveying locations
  • • Unmanaged interaction with wildlife, insects and vegetation that may pose health risks or obstruct sight lines
9. Interface With Construction Activities And Other Trades
  • • Surveyors working within active construction zones during excavation, lifting, concrete pours or heavy plant movements without coordinated planning
  • • Unclear responsibilities regarding who controls the work area when surveyors are measuring and marking out the worksite amidst multiple contractors
  • • Survey control points and profiles being installed in locations later obstructed or disturbed by construction, leading to rework in less safe conditions
  • • Conflicting priorities between production targets and the time required for safe, accurate marking out and precise measurements
  • • Lack of integration of survey requirements into permits to work (e.g. for confined spaces, excavation or work at height) where survey presence is necessary
10. Manual Handling, Ergonomics And Fatigue Management
  • • Repetitive lifting and carrying of survey equipment, pegs and profiles leading to musculoskeletal disorders
  • • Prolonged static postures when operating instruments or taking precise measurements, increasing strain injuries
  • • Pushing survey tasks into long hours, early mornings or late evenings to avoid traffic or accommodate construction schedules, increasing fatigue‑related errors and incidents
  • • Inadequate systems for rotating tasks or sharing loads within survey teams
  • • Failure to consider ergonomic design of vehicles, storage and carrying systems for survey instruments
11. Information Management, Data Quality And Error Control
  • • Inaccurate or incomplete survey data leading to incorrect marking out of boundaries, lines and grades with ensuing construction safety risks
  • • Poor version control of survey drawings, models and set‑out files causing crews to work from outdated information
  • • Lack of independent checks or verification of critical measurements, benchmarks and depth checks
  • • Inadequate documentation of assumptions, control networks and tolerances used for topographical surveys and set‑out work
  • • Data loss or corruption from electronic devices without robust backup processes
12. Contractor And Third‑Party Management
  • • External surveyors engaged without adequate due diligence on their WHS systems and competency
  • • Inconsistent survey standards, procedures and controls between principal contractor and subcontracted survey firms
  • • Lack of clarity about responsibilities for WHS risk management when multiple organisations perform surveying and marking activities on the same site
  • • Inadequate induction of contracted surveyors into site‑specific hazards, traffic arrangements and emergency procedures
  • • Contractual drivers that prioritise speed or cost over safe and accurate surveying work
13. Incident Reporting, Investigation And Continuous Improvement
  • • Under‑reporting of near misses and minor incidents involving surveyors, such as brushes with traffic, trips in uneven ground or equipment failures
  • • Ineffective investigation of survey‑related incidents leading to repeated systemic issues
  • • Lack of specific analysis of measurement‑related errors that have potential to create significant safety risks downstream in the construction process
  • • Poor feedback loops to update procedures, training and planning based on incident learnings
14. Emergency Preparedness And Response For Survey Teams
  • • Surveyors working in isolated or dispersed areas without clear emergency response procedures
  • • Delayed response to injuries, vehicle incidents or medical events occurring during surveying near roads or on remote topographical surveys
  • • Lack of location information and communication protocols for emergency services when surveyors are operating across large or complex sites
  • • Inadequate consideration of rescue and retrieval arrangements for surveyors working near water bodies, steep embankments or tall structures

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
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • Safe Work Australia – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice: Guidance on systematic identification, assessment and control of WHS risks.
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Requirements for safe selection, use and maintenance of survey and marking equipment as plant.
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice: Expectations for safe access, amenities and environmental conditions for survey teams.
  • Safe Work Australia – Construction Work Code of Practice: Risk management guidance for surveying activities undertaken on or adjacent to construction sites.
  • AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018: Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use.
  • AS/NZS 4801 (superseded but referenced): Occupational health and safety management systems — Used as a reference for legacy system integration where applicable.
  • AS/NZS 3000:2018 (Wiring Rules): Referenced where electrical supply and temporary power are associated with surveying equipment and site setups.
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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Safe Work Australia Aligned