Product Overview

Summary: This Safe Operating Procedure sets out a clear, repeatable process for planning and conducting pipeline route surveying safely and accurately across Australian conditions. It helps organisations manage on-site hazards, protect survey crews and the public, and generate defensible survey data that supports compliant pipeline design and construction.

Pipeline route surveying is a critical early phase of any pipeline project, often undertaken in remote, mixed-use and environmentally sensitive areas. Crews are exposed to a combination of hazards, including vehicle movements, remote and lone work, wildlife, extreme weather, uneven terrain, and interaction with existing underground and overhead services. This SOP provides a structured, Australian WHS–aligned approach to planning, executing and documenting pipeline route surveys so that safety and data quality are built into every step.

The procedure covers the full lifecycle of a route survey, from pre-start planning, desktop assessments and land access coordination through to fieldwork execution, data capture, quality checks and demobilisation. It clarifies roles and responsibilities between project managers, survey leads and field staff, and embeds robust controls for traffic management, fatigue, communication, and emergency response in remote locations. By implementing this SOP, businesses can reduce survey-related incidents, avoid costly rework due to inaccurate or incomplete data, and demonstrate due diligence under Australian WHS legislation and relevant pipeline and surveying standards.

Key Benefits

• Ensure a consistent, defensible methodology for pipeline route surveying across all projects and regions.
• Reduce the risk of injury to survey crews by embedding clear controls for vehicle use, remote work, terrain hazards and environmental exposure.
• Improve survey accuracy and data integrity, minimising design changes, construction clashes and re-survey costs.
• Streamline planning, approvals and land access by defining standard pre-survey checks, notifications and stakeholder communication.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS and surveying requirements, supporting audits, client expectations and regulatory scrutiny.

Who is this for?

• Pipeline Surveyors
• Engineering Surveyors
• Pipeline Project Managers
• WHS Managers
• Field Supervisors
• Construction Managers
• GIS and Mapping Coordinators
• Asset Owners and Pipeline Operators
• Environmental Advisors
• Land Access Coordinators

Hazards Addressed

• Vehicle incidents during access to and along proposed pipeline routes (including 4WD use on unsealed roads and tracks)
• Slips, trips and falls on uneven, steep, vegetated or unstable terrain
• Heat stress, dehydration and exposure to extreme weather in remote or rural environments
• Remote and isolated work, including communication failures and delayed emergency response
• Contact with snakes, insects, aggressive livestock and other wildlife
• Manual handling injuries from carrying survey equipment over long distances or difficult ground
• Struck-by hazards from mobile plant, agricultural machinery and other third-party vehicles
• Contact with existing underground and overhead utilities (gas, electricity, telecommunications, water)
• Fatigue-related incidents arising from long travel times and extended field shifts
• Psychosocial risks associated with remote work, time pressure and working alone

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Pre-Survey Planning and Desktop Assessment
• 6.0 Land Access, Notifications and Stakeholder Communication
• 7.0 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Controls
• 8.0 Vehicle Use, Journey Management and Traffic Control
• 9.0 Remote and Isolated Work Management
• 10.0 Required Competencies, Training and Authorisations
• 11.0 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements
• 12.0 Survey Equipment Selection, Inspection and Calibration
• 13.0 Field Survey Methodology and Data Capture Procedures
• 14.0 Working Near Utilities, Watercourses and Environmentally Sensitive Areas
• 15.0 Fatigue Management and Work/Rest Arrangements
• 16.0 Emergency Preparedness and Response (Including First Aid and Rescue)
• 17.0 Environmental Protection and Biosecurity Controls
• 18.0 Data Quality Assurance, Verification and Handover
• 19.0 Documentation, Records and Reporting Requirements
• 20.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Regulations
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces
• Safe Work Australia – Guide for Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work
• Safe Work Australia – Guide for Working in Heat
• AS 5488.1:2019 – Classification of subsurface utility information
• AS/NZS 1891 series – Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices
• AS/NZS 1715 – Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment (where applicable to environmental conditions)
• AS/NZS 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety management systems
• Relevant state and territory legislation and guidance on remote and isolated work and vehicle safety