Excavation work is classified as high-risk construction work under the WHS Regulation, requiring a Safe Work Method Statement before any work commences. The Code of Practice for Excavation Work establishes the minimum standard for protecting workers from the risks of ground collapse, falling into excavations, and contact with underground services. From 1 July 2026, Section 26A of the WHS Act makes compliance with this code legally binding. The consequences of excavation failures are typically catastrophic — trench collapses can bury workers under tonnes of soil within seconds, with survival rates dropping dramatically after the first few minutes. Recent prosecutions including the $400,000 penalty against Rahme Civil demonstrate the regulator's focus on excavation safety.
The full title is the Code of Practice: Excavation Work, published by Safe Work Australia. The code becomes legally binding from 1 July 2026 under Section 26A of the WHS Act in all harmonised jurisdictions. It applies to all excavation work as defined in the WHS Regulation, which includes trenching, tunnelling, boring, shaft sinking, and any other work involving the removal of earth. The code covers geotechnical assessment requirements, ground support systems including shoring, shielding, benching, and battering, safe entry and egress, protection of persons near excavation edges, management of underground services, dewatering, and atmospheric monitoring for excavations that may contain hazardous atmospheres. The code cross-references the Code of Practice for Confined Spaces where excavations meet the definition of a confined space, which occurs whenever an excavation is deeper than 1.5 metres with restricted entry and exit, or where atmospheric contamination is foreseeable.
The code applies to every PCBU who carries out, manages, or controls excavation work. This includes civil construction companies performing trenching for services, foundations, and drainage. Utility companies and their contractors excavating for water, gas, electricity, and telecommunications infrastructure are covered. Principal contractors on construction projects where excavation work is performed by subcontractors must ensure the code is followed even though they do not perform the excavation directly. Plumbing and drainage contractors who excavate for pipe installation and repair must comply. Mining companies performing surface excavation work are captured where the work falls within the definition of construction work. The code also applies to designers who specify excavation methods and to geotechnical engineers who assess ground conditions and recommend support systems. Workers who enter or work in or adjacent to excavations must comply with the code's requirements for safe behaviour and use of protective equipment.
The code establishes a systematic process for managing excavation risks. Before excavation commences, a geotechnical assessment must be conducted to determine soil classification, groundwater conditions, and the stability of adjacent structures. Underground services must be identified through dial-before-you-dig enquiries and on-site location using electromagnetic and ground-penetrating radar methods. The excavation must be designed with appropriate ground support — trenches deeper than 1.5 metres in non-rock soil types generally require shoring, shielding, benching, or battering to prevent collapse. The code specifies maximum allowable slope angles for different soil types when battering is used, and minimum design standards for timber and hydraulic shoring systems. Safe entry and egress must be provided at intervals not exceeding 9 metres in trenches, using ladders, ramps, or steps. Edge protection must prevent persons and mobile plant from falling into the excavation. Spoil must be stockpiled a minimum of 1 metre from the excavation edge. Atmospheric monitoring is required where the excavation may contain or generate hazardous atmospheres.
First, review your excavation SWMS library against every requirement of the code, including geotechnical assessment procedures, shoring specifications, underground service location methods, edge protection requirements, and atmospheric monitoring protocols. Update templates to reference specific code clauses. Second, verify that all workers who enter excavations and all supervisors who manage excavation work have received competency-based training in excavation hazards, ground support systems, emergency procedures, and the recognition of ground instability indicators. Third, establish a documented pre-excavation checklist that captures geotechnical conditions, underground service locations, ground support method selection, entry and egress provisions, edge protection, and atmospheric assessment. Fourth, audit current excavation sites against the code and close any identified gaps, paying particular attention to spoil placement distances, ladder spacing, shoring adequacy, and exclusion zones for mobile plant. Fifth, integrate code compliance into subcontract conditions for excavation work, requiring subcontractors to demonstrate their SWMS and procedures align with the binding code before mobilisation.
Excavation failures frequently result in fatalities, making this a high-priority enforcement area. The prosecution of Rahme Civil Pty Ltd, which resulted in a $400,000 penalty for inadequate excavation controls on a civil infrastructure project, illustrates the regulator's willingness to pursue substantial penalties for excavation safety failures. After 1 July 2026, failure to follow the code when managing excavation work will be a standalone offence. Category 2 penalties of up to $1,731,500 for a body corporate apply where workers are exposed to collapse risk. Prohibition notices are routinely issued for unsupported excavations, immediately halting all work in and around the excavation until adequate ground support is installed and verified. The cost of project delays from a prohibition notice on a major civil construction project can exceed the penalty itself. Where an unsupported excavation collapses and causes a fatality, industrial manslaughter charges carrying a maximum penalty of $20,000,000 for a body corporate and 25 years' imprisonment for an individual are available to prosecutors.
EHS Atlas provides excavation-specific risk assessment templates, pre-excavation checklists, and SWMS aligned to the binding Code of Practice for Excavation Work.
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