Excavation SWMS (Trenching and Excavation)
Site-specific, delivered in about 4 minutes · free revision within 24h if your builder asks for changes
An excavation SWMS is a Safe Work Method Statement required before work in or near a trench, shaft, or tunnel where the excavation is deeper than 1.5 metres, which is high risk construction work under the WHS Regulations (reg 304 to 306 cover the excavation duties). It must be site-specific and set out the collapse controls (benching, battering, or shoring), how underground services are located and protected, safe access and egress, spoil placement, and the rescue plan. Trench collapse gives no warning and buries a worker in seconds, so a reviewer scrutinises this SWMS harder than most.
When an excavation SWMS is required
The trigger is work in or near a trench, shaft, or tunnel deeper than 1.5 metres. That includes service trenches, footings and pier holes, sewer and stormwater connections, and any excavation a person can enter. If a person could be in or beside that excavation, a SWMS is legally required before digging starts, and confined space duties may apply on top for deep or enclosed excavations.
The controls a builder expects to see
- ✓ Prevent collapse first: benching or battering the walls back to a safe angle, or shoring and trench boxes where the ground or space will not allow it
- ✓ Locate services before you dig: Dial Before You Dig, potholing to confirm, and marking gas, electrical, water and comms
- ✓ Safe entry and exit: ladders or ramps within 9 metres of any worker in the trench
- ✓ Keep spoil, plant, and loads back from the edge so the wall is not surcharged
- ✓ Manage water and ground conditions, and re-inspect after rain or a change
- ✓ A ground-disturbance and excavation permit where the principal contractor requires one
- ✓ A rescue plan that does not put a second worker into an unsupported trench
Why excavation SWMS get knocked back
The common failures are treating shoring as the first answer when the trench could have been battered, saying nothing about how services were located and proven, and an emergency section that reads "call 000" with no trench-rescue detail. Reviewers also look for a competent person to inspect the excavation and the ground conditions, not just a generic statement. SWMS Pack orders the collapse controls correctly, prompts for the services and ground detail, and runs an adversarial review before delivery.
Excavation, trenching and confined spaces
A deep or poorly ventilated excavation can also be a confined space, which brings atmospheric testing and entry-permit duties on top of the collapse controls. If your work includes pits, shafts, or enclosed trenches, pair this with a confined space SWMS so both sets of hazards are covered.
Common questions
▸At what depth do I need a SWMS for excavation?
When the trench, shaft, or tunnel is deeper than 1.5 metres, or when a person works in or near it and there is a risk of collapse. That is one of the 18 high risk construction work categories, so a SWMS is required before the work starts.
▸Is a trench box always required?
No. Shoring like a trench box is one collapse control, not the only one. Where the ground and the space allow, battering or benching the walls back to a safe angle is often the higher control. The SWMS should justify the method chosen for the actual ground.
▸Do I need to locate underground services in the SWMS?
Yes. A service strike is a leading cause of excavation injury. The SWMS must set out how services were located (Dial Before You Dig, plans, potholing) and how they are protected or isolated before machine digging near them.
▸How fast can I get an excavation SWMS?
About 10 minutes of questions, then it is generated, verified against your state legislation, and emailed to you, site-specific, for A$39. Excavation is also one of the activities covered in the Trade SWMS Pack for civil and plumbing trades.
Skip the template. Get the finished document.
Site-specific, verified against 80+ WHS citations, ~4 minute delivery, free revision within 24 hours if your builder asks for changes.
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