Product Overview

Summary: This Right of Way and Easement Protection Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, practical steps for planning, accessing and working within easements and rights of way while protecting underground and overhead services, adjacent properties and the public. It helps Australian businesses control excavation, vegetation, traffic and access risks, ensuring compliance with WHS and utility protection requirements across construction, civil, utilities and maintenance activities.

Working within rights of way and easements exposes organisations to a unique combination of safety, asset protection and legal compliance risks. Underground services, overhead lines, shared access arrangements and proximity to public spaces can quickly turn routine works into high‑consequence events if not properly controlled. This Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, step‑by‑step framework for planning, authorising and carrying out work in or near easements and rights of way, including utility corridors, drainage easements, pipeline routes, powerline corridors and shared access tracks.

The procedure guides your teams through pre‑works assessments, service locating, stakeholder notifications, traffic and access management, environmental protection and on‑site supervision requirements. It defines how to protect critical infrastructure, manage third‑party access, control contractors and record compliance with Australian WHS laws, utility owner conditions and local council requirements. By implementing this SOP, businesses reduce the likelihood of service strikes, electrocution, ground collapse, property damage, public liability claims and regulatory enforcement, while providing a clear, defensible system of work for audits, incident investigations and client assurance.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of damaging underground and overhead utilities, avoiding costly outages, repairs and regulatory penalties.
• Ensure safe planning and execution of works within rights of way and easements in line with Australian WHS and utility protection obligations.
• Standardise how supervisors and contractors assess, document and control access, excavation, vegetation and traffic risks in easement areas.
• Strengthen relationships with asset owners, councils and neighbouring landholders through clear notification and access protocols.
• Improve audit readiness with a documented, repeatable process for permits, service locates, inspections and incident reporting.

Who is this for?

• Construction Project Managers
• Site Supervisors and Forepersons
• Civil Engineers
• Utility Protection Officers
• Dial Before You Dig Coordinators
• Surveyors and Field Technicians
• Asset and Easement Managers
• Facilities and Infrastructure Managers
• WHS Advisors and HSE Managers
• Vegetation Management Supervisors

Hazards Addressed

• Contact with underground services (gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, electrical cables)
• Contact with overhead powerlines and associated electrocution risks
• Struck‑by and crush injuries from mobile plant operating in narrow corridors
• Ground instability, trench collapse and subsidence within easements
• Unauthorised public access to work zones within shared access ways
• Traffic interactions on easement access tracks and shared driveways
• Vegetation clearing hazards, including chainsaw use and falling branches
• Environmental contamination from spills, sediment run‑off or disturbed drainage paths
• Manual handling injuries when moving materials in constrained easement spaces
• Slips, trips and falls on uneven, overgrown or poorly lit access routes

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions (Right of Way, Easement, Utility Corridor, Asset Owner, etc.)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Project Manager, Supervisor, Workers, Contractors)
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Asset Owner Requirements
• 5.0 Pre‑Works Planning and Risk Assessment
• 6.0 Easement and Right of Way Identification and Verification
• 7.0 Service Location and Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) / Before You Dig Australia Requirements
• 8.0 Access, Traffic and Public Interface Management
• 9.0 Controls for Work Near Underground Services
• 10.0 Controls for Work Near Overhead Powerlines and Elevated Assets
• 11.0 Vegetation Management and Ground Disturbance within Easements
• 12.0 Environmental Protection Measures in Easement Corridors
• 13.0 Permit to Work, Authorisations and Stakeholder Notifications
• 14.0 Site Set‑up, Signage, Barricading and Exclusion Zones
• 15.0 Supervision, Monitoring and Contractor Management
• 16.0 Emergency Preparedness and Response (Service Strikes, Spills, Injuries)
• 17.0 Incident Reporting, Investigation and Corrective Actions
• 18.0 Training, Competency and Induction Requirements
• 19.0 Inspection, Audit and Continuous Improvement
• 20.0 Document Control and Recordkeeping Requirements

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and relevant state/territory variants)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (and state/territory equivalents)
• Safe Work Australia – Excavation Work Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice
• AS/NZS 3000:2018 Electrical installations (Wiring Rules) – for work near underground and overhead electrical assets
• AS 1742 Set: Manual of uniform traffic control devices – for traffic management on access tracks and shared ways
• AS 2885 Series: Pipelines – Gas and liquid petroleum (for work near transmission pipelines, where applicable)
• AS 4970: Protection of trees on development sites – for vegetation and root zone protection within easements
• Local utility owner and distribution network service provider (DNSP) network access and easement protection guidelines