Critical Controls – Safety Golden Rules

Underground services must be identified, positively located, marked and where possible isolated prior to ground penetration.
Overhead services must be identified, and controls implemented to ensure the plant does not encroach within safe operating zones without authorisation.

Protect excavations using barriers, edge protection, covers, signage, and lighting to prevent people, plant, and objects from falling in and to maintain excavation integrity.
Maintain excavation stability by placing spoil, materials, and plant at a safe distance from excavation edges to prevent collapse or ground failure.
Undertake atmospheric monitoring where there is a risk of hazardous gases, oxygen deficiency, or poor air quality, and implement controls to ensure the excavation atmosphere is safe before and during entry.

Provide and maintain safe and clearly defined access and egress for all excavations.
Establish Exclusion Zones where excavations are open, unsupported, or present a fall or collapse risk, physically prevent entry using barriers or covers, and ensure no persons or plant enter unless the excavation is confirmed safe and authorised.
Establish Restricted Access Zones where authorised work in or near excavations is required, clearly demarcate the area, restrict entry to authorised and competent persons only, and control access and movements to ensure people remain protected from harm.

Excavations must be assessed by a competent person and benched, battered or shored to a suitable angle as determined by the assessment.
Excavation support structures must be designed by a qualified geotechnical engineer, installed by competent persons, and verified as correctly installed prior to use. This includes hydraulic shoring, sheet piling, steel shoring/trench lining, sheeting, shields, ground anchors.
Any safety critical faults/damage must be tagged out and immediately reported to the Supervisor. The plant must not to be used until the issue has been rectified.

Excavations must be inspected by a competent person before each working shift and after rainfall or other events which could impact ground stability or introduce further hazards.