Road-Rail Excavator Operations SWMS
Road-rail excavator (Hi-Rail) operation covers rail-corridor maintenance work, on/off-rail mode transitions, network access permits, signalling protection, and integrated rail/road plant safety controls.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Road-rail excavator operations involve a hybrid plant item — commonly referred to as a Hi-Rail excavator — that transitions between road wheels and rail guide wheels to access live or possessed rail corridors for maintenance, ballast handling, sleeper changeouts, and overhead structure works. The work occurs within the rail danger zone, frequently adjacent to live running lines, energised overhead traction, and signalling infrastructure, and almost always requires a network access permit, qualified protection officer, and integration with the rail operator's safeworking rules. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this work is classified as High Risk Construction Work because it occurs in or adjacent to a rail corridor, involves powered mobile plant interacting with workers on foot, and exposes workers to traffic. A documented Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with workers under s47–s48, and must be available at the workplace for the duration of the activity. This SWMS structures the on/off-tracking sequence, derailment prevention, exclusion zones, and signaller communications protocols.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Plant rollover, crush injury to spotter, blocked corridor causing collision with following rail traffic and possible fatality
Fatal impact at closing speeds exceeding 80 km/h, multiple fatalities, prosecution under rail safety and WHS laws
Electrocution, arc flash burns, traction system trip, network-wide service disruption and coronial inquiry
Fatal or catastrophic crush injuries against rail furniture, signal cases or adjacent infrastructure within tight clearance envelopes
Unauthorised fouling of adjacent line, collision with train, breach of network access conditions and possession overrun
Loss of vehicle control at highway speed, multi-vehicle collision, serious injury to operator and members of the public
Acute back, shoulder and crush injuries from heavy attachments, lost time injury and long-term musculoskeletal disability
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Schedule works during full track possession with absolute occupation so no live rail traffic can enter the worksite for the duration of plant operation.
- 2Elimination — Isolate and earth overhead traction through the network operator before any boom or attachment is raised above the safe approach distance.
- 3Substitution — Where possession is unavailable, substitute road-rail excavator works for hand-held methods or use lower-reach plant that cannot infringe the overhead wire envelope.
- 4Engineering — Fit and verify boom slew limiters, height restrictors and proximity alarms set to network-specified clearances before tracking-on at the designated access point.
- 5Engineering — Use certified on/off-tracking pads with level tolerance verified by inclinometer, and rail-wheel locking pins engaged and visually confirmed prior to rail travel.
- 6Engineering — Install red-zone exclusion barriers, look-out activated warning systems (LOWS), and audible reversing alarms tuned for corridor ambient noise.
- 7Administrative — Hold a documented pre-start using this SWMS, network access permit, possession protection plan and worksite protection officer briefing with sign-on by every worker.
- 8Administrative — Maintain continuous radio contact on the nominated channel between operator, protection officer and signaller, with positive confirmation before every track movement or slew.
- 9Administrative — Restrict operation to ticketed operators holding current rail industry worker (RIW) card, Hi-Rail competency, and fatigue-managed roster compliant with rail safety national law.
- 10PPE — High-visibility long-sleeve rail-spec garments (day/night TTMC-W17), rated safety helmet with chin strap, impact eyewear, hearing protection and steel-capped boots worn at all times in the corridor.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Specifies safeworking and protection arrangements for on-track plant including Hi-Rail vehicles, mandating protection officer roles and corridor access authorisations.
Sets duties for inspection, maintenance, guarding, operator competency and exclusion zones around powered mobile plant under WHS Reg 2025 Part 5.1.
Defines safety management system interfaces between rail transport operators and contractors performing infrastructure works, including SWMS integration with network rules.
Specifies day/night high-visibility clothing classes required for workers in rail corridors to ensure conspicuity against rolling stock and adjacent road traffic.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
All Hi-Rail operations occur within the rail corridor danger zone, including on-tracking, travel, slewing and off-tracking adjacent to running lines.
Access points and level crossings expose the road-rail plant and ground workers to live road traffic during transit and on/off-tracking manoeuvres.
Excavator slewing, tracking and attachment handling occur in close proximity to ground workers, protection officers and signalling staff within confined corridor envelopes.
PCBU must consult workers under s47, prepare and provide this SWMS before work starts under s299, and retain it for two years; penalties are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Rail infrastructure contractors performing corridor maintenance works
- →Hi-Rail operators and plant operators on network possessions
- →Worksite protection officers and rail safety supervisors
- →Civil project managers delivering rail interface construction
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
On a regional branch line sleeper renewal program, the day-shift crew arrives at the designated road-rail access pad thirty minutes before the possession start. The supervisor opens this SWMS at the tailgate, walks the operator, protection officer, two trackworkers and the signaller's representative through each hazard line by line, and confirms the network access permit number and possession limits on the cover sheet. The operator confirms the Hi-Rail excavator's pre-start inspection — guide wheel locks, boom height limiter set to 4.2 metres for the de-energised but not earthed overhead, slew restrictor configured for single-line working — and signs on. The protection officer confirms LOWS placement and radio channel. During on-tracking, an unscheduled freight movement is reported on the adjacent line; the SWMS adjacent-line protocol is applied, the operator stops slewing, the boom is brought to the cradled position, and the crew withdraws to the nominated position of safety until the protection officer confirms the line is again under protection. The SWMS is then re-briefed for the change in conditions, every worker re-signs the amendment register, and works resume. At handback the document is filed with the daily diary, the protection officer's log and the network access permit close-out for the mandatory two-year retention period.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2550 — Cranes, hoists and winches; AS 1418 series