Pile Cut-Off and Pile Head Trimming SWMS

Suits piling and concrete contractors who cut off and trim pile heads after piling. It follows the work from the engineer’s cut-off level and silica assessment through cropping or breaking, trimming bars, lifting heads and cleaning up.

Two items are ticked for you: work in an area that may have a contaminated atmosphere, because breaking and cropping concrete with power tools or plant creates respirable crystalline silica dust, and movement of powered mobile plant, because an excavator or crane and trucks work in the area (WHS Regulation s 291), so a SWMS is required before the work starts (s 299). Add the shaft and trench item if you work in a pile cap excavation deeper than 1.5 metres, and any other item that applies. If you only trim heads by hand with no plant moving nearby, untick the plant item.

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 Pile Cut-Off and Pile Head Trimming SWMS?

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

• Silica dust from breaking concrete
• Noise from breakers and croppers
• Hand-arm vibration and repetitive strain
• Exposed reinforcement and impalement
• Pile heads falling during cropping
• Hydraulic hose failure and oil injection
• Falls into pile cap pits
• Flying concrete fragments
• Fire from gas and abrasive cutting
• Heavy lifts of cut heads
• Slurry and waste handling
• Manual handling of debris

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 an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
• 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
• No high risk work licence class applies to operating an excavator or breaker (Schedule 3 names no such class)
• Operator trained and verified competent on the machine and the pile cropper or breaker used
• High risk work licence in the dogging class, or a higher rigging class (Schedule 3), for anyone who slings a load or directs the plant operator in moving a load when the load is out of the operator’s view (Schedule 19, dogging work)
• High risk work licence for the class of any crane used to lift heads (Schedule 3)
• Competent person (engineer) to confirm cut-off levels and method
• Crystalline silica training where the assessment finds the work high risk
• Workers trained in hot work where reinforcement is cut with gas or abrasive tools
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• 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 Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Mobile Crane Code of Practice 2024 (lifting heads)
• Welding Processes Code of Practice 2021 (cutting reinforcement)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace 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
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 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.