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Landscaping · Australia

SWMS for irrigation installation

By SiteSortedBuilt from Safe Work Australia and state regulator guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

Yes. Irrigation installation usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

It must list the hazards, the controls and how they will be put in place, monitored and reviewed, and the workers must be consulted and sign before starting. The main hazards are hitting underground services, being hit by mobile plant, electric shock from live wiring and lifting and carrying heavy loads.

Make this SWMS nowWord templatePDF

SWMS example: irrigation installation

This is a complete SWMS for irrigation installation, with 5 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
Irrigation installation · Landscaping · Example
Document SWMS-001 · Rev 1

High risk construction work covered

Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get BYDA plans and mark trench lines
  • Hitting underground services
Extreme
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Scan the area with a cable locator before digging and mark services on the ground. Engineering
  • Hand dig or vacuum excavate to expose services before using a machine near them. Engineering
  • Lodge a free BYDA (Before You Dig Australia) request and get the plans before any digging. Administrative
  • Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Administrative
  • If you hit a service, stop, get everyone clear, and call the owner and emergency services. Administrative
  • Wear safety boots, gloves and hi-vis when digging. PPE
Medium
2Dig shallow trenches by hand or with a trencher
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Extreme
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Engineering
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Administrative
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Administrative
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Administrative
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Engineering
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Administrative
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Administrative
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Administrative
  • Operators hold a High Risk Work Licence where needed (for example forklift) and are trained and assessed on other plant. Administrative
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Administrative
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
Medium
3Lay pipe and glue joints with ventilation
  • Hazardous chemicals
Medium
  • Choose the least harmful product that does the job, for example water-based instead of solvent-based. Substitute
  • Use chemicals in well-ventilated areas, or use fans and extraction in closed rooms. Engineering
  • Read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before use and keep a register of hazardous chemicals on site. Administrative
  • Keep chemicals in labelled containers. Never decant into drink bottles. Administrative
  • Store chemicals away from heat, food and drink, and keep products that react with each other apart. Administrative
  • Have eye wash and a spill kit nearby, and wash hands before eating. Administrative
  • Wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses or goggles as listed on the SDS. PPE
  • Use a respirator with the right cartridge if the SDS calls for one. PPE
Medium
4Connect the controller, getting a licensed electrician for any new power
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Extreme
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not do live work except in the limited cases the WHS Regulations allow (r.157; in Qld, the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013). Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Test before you touch: prove dead at the point of work with a voltage tester, proving the tester on a known live source before and after (AS/NZS 4836). Engineering
  • Only licensed electricians do electrical work. Administrative
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Administrative
  • If live work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools. Administrative
  • Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE
Medium
5Test, backfill and clean up
  • Pressure testing
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Medium
  • Test with water instead of air or gas where the system allows it. Never put water in refrigerant pipework, which is tested with dry nitrogen. Substitute
  • Keep people out of the test area with signs and barriers. Isolate
  • Use a calibrated gauge and a relief valve set to protect the system. Engineering
  • Test to the pressure the system calls for and hold it for the set time. Never go over. Administrative
  • Release the pressure fully before tightening anything or fixing leaks. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses or a face shield. PPE
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skip bins and waste chutes close to the work. Engineering
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low

PPE

Steel cap bootsWork glovesSun protection (brim hat, long sleeves, SPF 50+)Hi-vis shirt or vestHard hatChemical-resistant gloves (nitrile)Safety gogglesHalf-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters)OverallsSafety glassesFace shield

Plant and equipment

Hand toolsExcavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machinePower drill

Emergency

Call 000. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this SWMS.

Free SWMS template for irrigation installation

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this SWMS

Pre-start checklist for irrigation installation

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Get BYDA plans and mark trench lines
  2. Dig shallow trenches by hand or with a trencher
  3. Lay pipe and glue joints with ventilation
  4. Connect the controller, getting a licensed electrician for any new power
  5. Test, backfill and clean up

Hazards to watch on irrigation installation

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 5Pressure testingA pipe, fitting or cap fails under test pressure and blows apart, hitting people nearby.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Step 2Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Step 3Hazardous chemicalsGlues, sealants, solvents, acids, cleaners and cement burn skin and eyes or cause breathing problems and poisoning.
Step 4Electric shock from live wiringContact with live wires, switchboards or equipment gives an electric shock or arc flash burn that can kill.
Step 2Lifting and carrying heavy loadsLifting, carrying, pushing or twisting with heavy or awkward loads strains the back, shoulders or knees.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: Insignificant to CatastrophicBA
Highest risk on irrigation installation: Extreme before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Australia 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and catastrophic becomes unlikely and moderate).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work more than 2 metres off the ground?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, clear sheet, fibro or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Licences and legal requirements in Australia

This task can involve these high risk construction work categories under the WHS Regulations:

  • Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator: Verification of competency (VOC) for the machine

A SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. It must list the high risk work, the hazards and risks, the control measures, and how those controls will be put in place, monitored and reviewed. It must be easy for the workers to read and understand.

Rules that apply: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.2 Hazardous manual tasks; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 5.1 Plant; WHS Regulation 2011, Chapter 7 Hazardous chemicals; WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.7 General electrical safety.

Each state has its own regulator and some extra rules: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

Why SWMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • It is generic: another site address, tasks that are not on this job, or no sign it was reviewed for this site. WorkSafe WA says a generic SWMS may not meet the regulations unless it is reviewed and amended for the workplace.
  • The HRCW boxes are not ticked, or the ticks do not match the tasks (for example a roof job with no falls box ticked).
  • Falls are controlled only by "be careful", training or a harness, with no edge protection or scaffold and no reason why higher controls are not reasonably practicable.
  • Workers will clip on to a harness but there is no rescue plan for someone left hanging.
  • The "how controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed" part is missing, or it says the same thing on every row.
  • No worker sign-on, no person responsible for compliance, or a date given to the principal contractor that is before they actually received it.
  • Licence or White Card details are missing for workers operating plant or doing licensed high risk work.

Questions

Do I need a SWMS for irrigation installation?

Yes. Irrigation installation usually includes high risk construction work (work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant), so a SWMS is required by law before work starts.

Who signs the SWMS?

The person conducting the business (PCBU) or their supervisor prepares it with the workers, and every worker doing the high risk work signs to show they were consulted and understand it. Give a copy to the principal contractor before work starts.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this SWMS, and every revised version, until the high risk construction work is finished, where workers and inspectors can see it on site. If a notifiable incident happens during the work, keep it for at least 2 years after the incident.

What PPE is needed for irrigation installation?

Usually Steel cap boots, Work gloves, Sun protection (brim hat, long sleeves, SPF 50+), Hi-vis shirt or vest, Hard hat, Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile), Safety goggles, Half-face respirator (P2 or P3 filters), Overalls, Safety glasses, Face shield. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More landscaping SWMS

SWMSTree Removal10 stepsSWMSRetaining Wall Construction10 stepsSWMSPaving5 stepsSWMSTurf Laying5 stepsSWMSFence Installation6 stepsSWMSGarden Maintenance6 steps

Related jobs in other trades

PlumbingHot Water System ReplacementAlso involves electric shock from live wiringConcretingConcrete Cutting and Core DrillingAlso involves electric shock from live wiringDemolitionInternal Strip OutAlso involves hazardous chemicalsExcavation and earthworksTrenchingAlso involves hitting underground servicesAir conditioning and refrigerationSplit System InstallationAlso involves electric shock from live wiringRoofingGutter ReplacementAlso involves hazardous chemicals

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkBefore You Dig: Underground ServicesToolbox talkHazardous Chemicals and SDSToolbox talkMobile Plant and SpottersToolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

Blank SWMS template: free SWMS templates. Also for other countries: United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources