Asbestos Contaminated Soil Excavation SWMS

For licensed asbestos removalists and earthworks contractors excavating, containing and disposing of soil contaminated with asbestos. It follows the job in order, from identifying the contamination and choosing the licence class through wet excavation, loading, decontamination, waste disposal and the clearance inspection. Bonded sheet removal and general trenching are separate work.

The reg 291 items for asbestos disturbance (3) and powered mobile plant (14) are ticked. Also tick the energised electrical item (10) if the excavation is near underground cables or services, and the trench item (6) if a person enters a trench or shaft deeper than 1.5 m.

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 Asbestos Contaminated Soil Excavation SWMS?

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

• Airborne asbestos fibres from disturbing soil
• Wrong licence class or untrained workers
• Excavator striking underground services
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Fibres carried out on plant, boots and tools
• Respirator and coverall failure
• Soil collapse and plant overturning
• Soil falling from trucks and uncovered stockpiles
• Heat stress in disposable coveralls
• Waste leaks and unauthorised disposal

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:

• Involves, or is likely to involve, the disturbance of asbestos
• Is carried out in an area at a workplace in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant

Licences, Training and Competency

• Asbestos removal licence held by the removalist where the soil removal needs one: class A for friable asbestos (WHS Regulation s 485); class B or class A for more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos (s 487). Removing 10 square metres or less of non-friable asbestos needs no licence (s 458(2)), but a competent person trained under section 445 must do it (s 458(3)). Where it is unclear which applies, the removal code advises engaging a licensed removalist
• Each worker on licensed removal: certification in the specified VET course for the class of work and training in the job’s control plan, kept on record (ss 460, 461). Supervisor for licensed removal present for class A work, and readily available for class B work done by more than one person (ss 459, 529)
• Health monitoring before licensed removal starts, with the health risks explained to each worker (ss 435, 462)
• Independent licensed asbestos assessor for class A air monitoring and clearance, and an independent competent person for other licensed clearance (ss 473 to 475)
• Competent person to identify the asbestos or assume it is present (s 422); if there is uncertainty, samples are analysed only by a NATA-accredited laboratory for the test method, a laboratory the regulator approves, or the regulator’s laboratory (s 479)
• General construction induction training card (white card) and site induction
• Excavator, truck and loader operators trained and assessed on each machine (no high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers excavators or loaders)
• Training for every worker in fitting, using, cleaning and storing the respirator and PPE, and an adequate number of workers trained in first aid (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 10 to 13 and sch 2 (overhead exclusion zones); ss 14 and 15 (underground lines)
• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld): transport and disposal of asbestos waste (named in WHS Regulation s 419(3)(e))
• National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999: named in the removal code as guidance for contaminated sites

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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.