Shotcrete Pool Shell Spraying SWMS

Suits pool builders and shotcrete crews who spray pool shells with wet-mix or dry-mix shotcrete. It follows the job in order: checking the shell, steel and site, setting up the pump, trucks and hoses, controlling access and falls, testing the line, spraying, dust and fumes, finishing, clearing blockages and cleaning out. Other shotcrete work, pool excavation and steel fixing each have their own SWMS.

Spraying a pool shell is construction work, and the powered mobile plant item (WHS Regulation s 291(o)) is pre-ticked because trucks, pumps and compressors move in the work area. Tick the other items the job involves: the fall item if a person could fall more than 2 metres at the deepest part of the shell (pool depth varies), the shaft or trench item only if the excavation meets that definition and is deeper than 1.5 metres, the energised electrical item for overhead or underground services, and the contaminated atmosphere item (s 291(l)) when dust creates a silica risk, as the Queensland silica code advises. A SWMS is required before high risk construction work starts (s 299).

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Shotcrete Pool Shell Spraying SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job and check the shell, the steel and the site” to “Cure, wash out and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Hose whip and burst lines
• Blockages and stored pressure in the line
• Rebound and wet shotcrete in the eyes
• Silica dust building up in the pool shell
• Falls into the shell
• Falling onto reinforcement steel
• Excavation walls collapsing or moving
• Delivery trucks and the pump near overhead lines
• Wet cement and shotcrete burns
• Engine fumes and noise
• Nozzle kick and operator fatigue
• Children and the public reaching the shell

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 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, and site induction including the emergency and evacuation arrangements
• Nozzle operators and pump or machine operators trained and assessed as competent on the shotcrete system, the mix and the signals used
• Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation lists no high risk work licence class for a hand-held nozzle, hose or trailer pump; item 22 (concrete placing boom) covers use of a concrete placing boom, which Schedule 19 defines as plant with an articulating boom, capable of power operated slewing and luffing, that places concrete by pumping through a pipeline attached to or forming part of the boom; the Regulation does not mention shotcrete, so confirm with the regulator whether a shotcrete boom or manipulator needs this licence before one is used (use the Concrete Pumping SWMS)
• Pool designer, engineer or other competent person to specify the shell and reinforcement and to inspect the steel before spraying
• Crystalline silica training (a VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) for workers who may do, or be exposed to, high risk silica processing (WHS Regulation s 529CD)
• Respirator training and fit test for each wearer before first use
• Ground person or spotter trained in the stop signals, hose handling and the emergency plan
• First aid training for an adequate number of workers, including flushing chemical burns and eye injuries (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 289, 291 and 299: construction work, high risk construction work (including powered mobile plant, s 291(o)) and the SWMS duty
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 304 and 305: underground services information and excavation risks
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 78, 79, 306C to 306E and 306M: falls, edge protection and ladders
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) chapter 8A (ss 529A to 529CD): crystalline silica; s 368 and schedule 14: health monitoring
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 56 to 58: noise exposure standard, hearing loss and audiometric testing
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 214 and 215: powered mobile plant, collision and warning devices
• WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 344, 351 and 357: safety data sheets, managing chemical risks and spills
• Concrete Pumping Code of Practice 2019 (hose whip, line blockages and line cleaning)
• Excavation Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks 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
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008 (where plant or trucks work beside a road in use)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): ss 10 to 15 and schedule 2 (overhead and underground electric lines), s 140 (construction work)
• 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 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: face shield or sealed goggles over safety glasses for the nozzle operator and anyone close to the spray
• Emergency arrangements for: hose whip or burst line and shotcrete, cement or accelerator in the eyes or on the skin
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.