Sewer Main Pipe Laying SWMS

Suits civil, drainage and utility contractors who excavate trenches and lay sewer mains. It covers planning and site security, services, excavation, shoring, lifting and jointing pipes, working in the trench, testing, backfilling and pack-up. Residential drainage is covered by the Drainage Installation SWMS; live sewer tie-ins need a separate SWMS.

Work in or near a trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres, and work where powered mobile plant moves, are high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291(g)(i) and (o)), so those items are ticked. Tick the other items the job involves, for example energised electrical services, gas or fuel lines, a road in use, a confined space, or the contaminated atmosphere item if digging creates silica dust. Sewer work that is drainage work may also need a licence under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (s 56).

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Sewer Main Pipe Laying SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Trench wall collapse and burial
• Excavator overturning at the trench edge
• Striking underground electrical, gas and water services
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Dropped or swinging pipes during lifting
• Crush between pipes and the trench wall or box
• Falling into the open trench
• Gas, low oxygen and groundwater in the trench
• Test plug failure under pressure
• Traffic hazards on or beside a road
• Manual handling of bedding and fittings
• Noise and sun exposure

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 in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5m, or a tunnel
• Is carried out in an area at a workplace in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Drainers licence (or plumbers licence) under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld) where the work is drainage work (s 56), unless an exemption in s 58 applies, such as an unlicensed person doing drainage work while directly supervised by a licensee who is their employer or directed by their employer (s 58(1)(c), (2)); a QBCC contractor licence may also be required, and the QBCC can confirm which applies to the job
• Excavator operator trained and assessed as competent on the machine and attachments (no high risk work licence class applies to operating an excavator)
• High risk work licence in the dogging class, or a higher rigging class (Schedule 3), for anyone who slings a load or directs the operator when the load is out of view (Schedule 19, dogging work)
• Competent person to inspect the trench and shoring before entry and after rain or ground movement
• Accredited traffic controllers where traffic control is needed (Transport Operations (Road Use Management-Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015)
• Trained operator for the cable and pipe locator and the grade laser
• Spotter briefed on hand signals, the exclusion zone and overhead line clearances
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld)
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Mobile Crane Code of Practice 2024 (earthmoving plant used as a crane)
• Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): exclusion zones for overhead lines (schedule 2) and damage to underground lines (ss 14-15)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (14 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.