Geotechnical Drilling Rig SWMS

Suits geotechnical, environmental and civil drilling contractors who run auger, rotary, core and push-tube rigs for soil and rock sampling. It follows the work from planning and clearing services, through rig set-up and drilling, to sampling, dust and noise, fuel and contaminated ground, completing holes and pack-up.

A SWMS is legally required only for high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 299). This template pre-ticks work in or near a shaft deeper than 1.5 m (a bored hole meets the Regulation’s definition of a shaft), work near energised services and movement of powered mobile plant. Tick any other item that applies, such as an area with a flammable or contaminated atmosphere or work beside a road in use; where the drilling is not construction work, it works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment.

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 Geotechnical Drilling Rig SWMS?

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

• Entanglement in rotating rods and augers
• Striking underground electrical, gas and water services
• Mast contact with overhead power lines
• Rig rollover on slopes and soft ground
• Mast falling while being raised or lowered
• Hand injuries from rod clamps and the test hammer
• Respirable crystalline silica dust and noise
• Hydraulic hose injection injuries
• Fuel fire and ground gas
• Contaminated soil and suspected asbestos
• Open holes left unprotected
• Heat, fatigue and working alone

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 on or near energised electrical installations or services
• Is carried out in an area at a workplace in which there is any movement of powered mobile plant

Licences, Training and Competency

• Drill rig operator trained and verified as competent on the rig model, its controls, mast, rod handling and emergency stops (Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation has no high risk work licence class for drill rigs)
• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work, and site induction
• Driller or supervisor experienced in the drilling method and the sampling or testing being done (auger, wash boring, rotary, core or push tube)
• Geotechnical engineer or engineering geologist who sets the investigation plan, hole positions and depths
• Spotter or safety observer briefed on hand signals, the exclusion zone and the power line distances
• Trained operator for the cable and pipe locator, or a service locating contractor
• Crystalline silica training (VET accredited course, or training approved by the regulator) where the dust assessment finds the drilling high risk (WHS Regulation s 529CD)
• Fit-testing and training for each worker who wears a tight-fitting respirator
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders (or access to them) to suit the work and the distance from medical help (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 10 to 13 and schedule 2 (overhead power line exclusion zones and unsafe distances)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 14 and 15 (underground electric lines)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (16 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.