Excavating and trenching

Excavated trenches pose a serious risk to the health and safety of all your workers.

Safety alert

Worker trapped in piling hole overnight after falling approximately 3.5 metres

Plan, prepare, prevent and protect

Excavated trenches pose a serious risk to the health and safety of all your workers. So if you're in charge of a worksite, always plan ahead before any excavation work commences. Don't let an ordinary day end in disaster. Plan, prepare, prevent and protect. Make sure you understand the risks and use the controls.

This information is also available in Chinese (simplified) and Punjabi.

Safe work method statements (SWMS)

Safe work method statements are an important part of preparing for any high risk construction work (HRCW). Hear from our inspector, Brian Chamberlain on why these documents are so vital.

Learn about Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)

Safe work method statements (SWMS) tip 1

Safe work method statements (SWMS) tip 2

Safe work method statements (SWMS) tip 3

A construction worker wearing safety gear.

Information for every trade

Housing and general construction information, guidance and practical guides for every trade including bricklaying, carpentry, concreting, demolition, electrical, excavating and trenching, plumbing, roofing and scaffolding.

All construction information

Construction: Labourers

Hazards

Hazard 1
Lifting pushing pulling and handling materials
Arrange for bulky materials to be delivered to the final work location or use mechanical load shifting devices (eg cranes, material hoists, forklifts, hand trucks) to move materials around site.

If moving bins around site, consider using powered bin lifters.

Provide lifting points or handles for heavy or awkward loads.

Order materials in smaller sizes (eg cement bags of 20kg instead of 40kg).

Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (eg hard hats, gloves that absorb impact energy, protection from sharp edges that is puncture resistant, hearing protection, respiratory protection, suitable eyewear).

Ensure employees wear appropriate personal protective clothing (eg long pants, boots).

Cover sharp edges of metal sheeting and strips.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

17 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand/fingers.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.
Hazard 2
Noise
Ensure employees are not exposed to noise that exceeds the exposure standard.

Arrange for a noise assessment if employees are exposed to excessive noise (eg workers have to raise their voices to communicate over a distance of one metre) and there is uncertainty as to whether employees exposure may have exceeded the noise exposure standard.

Eliminate or minimise the source of noise (eg enclose or isolate noisy machinery, reduce vibration, use barriers to absorb and screens to block the direct path of sound, use silencers on air exhausts, exhaust pneumatics out of the area, buy the quietest tools / machinery available).

Place warning signs in areas of excessive and continual noise (eg where employees exposure is likely to exceed the exposure standard).

Warn other workers nearby that you will be undertaking noisy work and advise them to move away or wear hearing protection.

Provide hearing equipment, ensure it is worn at all times, and provide employees with audiometric testing. Employers should provide a choice of different types of hearing protection appropriate to the noise level in the workplace.
Hazard 3
Slips trips and falls
Provide appropriate height access equipment and use the highest level of falls protection (eg guard-railing, scaffolds, physical barriers or elevated work platforms) as is reasonably practicable.

Ensure all working areas and access ways are clean, level, well-lit and in good condition.

Remove unwanted material and construction waste regularly from site so it does not accumulate.

Ensure construction materials, power leads, tools and equipment are positioned and secured to avoid creating tripping hazards.

Fit rebar ends with protective caps.

Ensure employees wear appropriate safety boots (eg that fit well and are in good repair).

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

17 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand/fingers.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons arm.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.
Hazard 4
Using hand tools
Provide appropriate mechanical aids and equipment (eg power tools that are lightweight, low vibration, noise restricted and fitted with clutches and safety guards, ergonomically designed) and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications. Minimise the use of manual tools (eg knee kicker).

Ensure exposed nails are knocked in.

Train employees, especially young workers, in the selection and use of hand tools and how to safely use them (eg avoid working in front of face and always work away from the body).

Ensure employees are not exposed to repetitive work for long periods (eg by using job rotation, work variation) or work that requires a significant amount of high force.

Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (eg hard hats, gloves that absorb impact energy, protection from sharp edges that is puncture resistant, hearing protection, respiratory protection, suitable eyewear).

Ensure employees wear appropriate personal protective clothing (eg long pants, boots).

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand/fingers.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons arm.
Hazard 5
Working at ground or floor level
Provide appropriate mechanical aids and equipment (eg tables, benches or stands that bring work to waist height, tools with extension handles, carpet stretchers) and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

Ensure employees are not exposed to repetitive work for long periods (eg by using job rotation, work variation).

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

8 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.

You might also need

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'If you are injured at work' poster

Employers must display an 'if you are injured at work' poster in every workplace. You can download and print a poster in English as well as Arabic, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

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Latest updates

Thursday 30 July 2026

A construction company has been convicted and fined $400,000 following the collapse of a large section of structural steel framework at the redevelopment of the Kew Recreational Centre.

Friday 24 July 2026

A crane operator has been convicted and fined $20,000 after a 200-tonne crane toppled and struck a second crane at a Melbourne construction site.

Monday 13 July 2026

WorkSafe has charged a plumbing contractor after a worker was injured when a two-metre deep trench partially collapsed during works at a residential property at Mount Waverley in August 2024.

Excavating and trenching

Safety alert

Plan, prepare, prevent and protect

Safe work method statements (SWMS)

Information for every trade

Construction: Labourers

Hazards

Lifting pushing pulling and handling materials

Noise

Slips trips and falls

Using hand tools

Working at ground or floor level

You might also need

Compliance codes

Licences and training

Insurance, claims and recovery

Employer obligations

Workplace resources

Understand WorkSafe

Injury hotspots

'If you are injured at work' poster

Know the risks.

Use the controls.

Stay up to date with health and safety advice

Latest updates

$400,000 fine after Kew Rec Centre collapse

Crane operator fined following crane collapse

Plumber charged after trench collapse

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