Road and Pavement Saw Cutting SWMS

Suits civil, road, concrete and maintenance contractors who cut roads, footpaths and pavements with walk-behind saws. It covers locating services, traffic management, saw set-up, wet cutting, silica dust and slurry, noise and vibration, and removing cut pieces.

Saw cutting on or beside a road in use by traffic is high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291(n)), so item 13 is ticked. Item 11 (contaminated atmosphere) is also ticked because dust from cutting concrete, and from asphalt made with quartz-bearing aggregate, may contain respirable crystalline silica; confirm the silica content of the pavement. If the road is fully closed to traffic, item 13 may not apply. Also tick the other items the job involves: energised electrical installations or services, gas or fuel lines, a fall of more than 2 metres, or a trench deeper than 1.5 metres.

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 Road and Pavement Saw Cutting SWMS?

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

• Vehicle strikes in and beside the work zone
• Striking underground services while cutting
• Respirable crystalline silica dust
• Slurry burns and runoff to drains
• Blade failure and kickback
• Falls and crush from loading the saw
• Fire when refuelling
• Hearing loss from saw noise
• Hand-arm vibration
• Heat and sun exposure
• Cut pieces falling and open cuts left in the road
• Manual handling injuries

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 on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor that is in use by traffic other than pedestrians

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) and site induction
• Training and verified competency in the walk-behind road saw model used, including blade selection and changes, depth control, water supply and the emergency stop
• Crystalline silica training (a VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) for workers who may be involved in, or exposed to, high risk silica processing (WHS Regulation s 529CD), with a record kept
• Tight-fitting respirators fit-tested before first use, then at least once a year, when the wearer’s face changes and for each new make or model (silica code), with a seal check each time the respirator is put on
• Accredited traffic controllers wherever traffic is directed (Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015, ss 54 and 55)
• Trained persons to set up and remove the traffic management devices in line with the approved traffic management plan
• Competent person to locate and mark underground services before cutting
• No high risk work licence class in Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation covers a walk-behind saw; any crane used to lift cut pieces needs its own licensed operator and a separate lift plan

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008
• 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
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• 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
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation 2015 (Qld): traffic controllers
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): underground electric lines (ss 14 and 15)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines
• AS/NZS 1716:2012 (Respiratory protective devices) and AS/NZS 1715:2009 (Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment), as named in WHS Regulation s 529B

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.