Concrete Scanning and Ground Penetrating Radar SWMS

Suits scanning contractors and builders who locate reinforcement, post-tensioned tendons and embedded services before coring, cutting or drilling. It covers planning the scan, controlling the area, scanning at floor level and from platforms, marking results and live services, and handover.

Scanning done in connection with the alteration, renovation or fitting-out of a structure is construction work (WHS Regulation s 289). The energised electrical services item is pre-ticked because the scan is looking for live services; tick the falls item (more than 2 metres) when soffit scanning is done from height.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Concrete Scanning and Ground Penetrating Radar SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the scan and get the slab information” to “Hand over results and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Missing or wrong slab information before the scan
• Cutting a stressed tendon in a post-tensioned slab
• Live conductors and services in the slab
• Gas, fuel and refrigerant lines in the slab
• Falls from platforms, scaffolds and ladders at soffits
• Dropped scanners and tools
• Other workers entering the scan area
• Manual handling of scanners and kneeling to mark
• Slips and trips on dusty slab surfaces
• Markings rubbed out before cutting
• Scanner types that are not ionising radiation sources

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and the site induction
• Scanner operator trained and competent in the scanner used, including reading reinforcement, tendon and conduit signals
• Written advice from the structural engineer before any cutting, coring or drilling is planned in a slab that has post-tensioned tendons
• Licensed electrical worker (electrical work licence) for any work on an electrical service found during scanning
• High risk work licence for the boom-type elevating work platform class when the boom length is 11 m or more
• High risk work licence for the scaffolding class needed by any person who erects, alters or dismantles a scaffold from which a person or object could fall more than 4 m
• First aid certificate for the person appointed as the scanning team’s first aider

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021
• Demolition Work Code of Practice 2021 (section 5.1, pre and post-tensioned concrete)
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021 (section 3.6, locating services with ground penetrating radar)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): sections 196 to 204 for energised electrical equipment
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021: Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Radiation Safety Act 1999 (Qld): controls radiation sources (radioactive substances, apparatus that emit ionising radiation, and lasers and solaria prescribed by the Radiation Safety Regulation 2021 s 6); ground penetrating radar is none of these and is not a radiation source

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 7 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: safety boots; high-visibility clothing; hard hat when other trades work above or beside the scan area; safety glasses
• Emergency arrangements for: exposed or damaged conductor found and fall from a platform
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.