Grader Operations SWMS
Motor grader operations for road forming, finishing, maintenance and rural grading — blade control, articulation, tyre-loading, fatigue and public-interaction hazards.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Motor grader operations involve precision blade control of a long-wheelbase articulated machine weighing 15–25 tonnes, typically working in linear corridors that intersect with public traffic, other earthmoving plant, and unprotected pedestrians. The work covers road formation, pavement finishing, shoulder grading, maintenance grading on unsealed rural roads, and stockpile shaping — each presenting distinct rollover, crush, visibility and traffic-interface risks. Under Model WHS Regulations Chapter 4 Part 4.5, a grader is powered mobile plant requiring documented risk control, operator competency verification and a Safe Work Method Statement before use. Grader work also constitutes High Risk Construction Work under Schedule 3 where operations occur on or adjacent to a road used by traffic, triggering mandatory SWMS preparation, worker consultation and retention obligations. This SWMS addresses the full task envelope including pre-start inspection, blade and circle operation, articulation hazards, tyre loading, working alongside live traffic, and fatigue management on long linear shifts.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Operator fatal crush injury or severe spinal trauma despite ROPS where seatbelt is not worn
Catastrophic crush amputation or fatality to ground workers entering the articulation envelope
Multiple fatality vehicle impact, prosecution under WHS Act primary duty and traffic management failures
Severe laceration, crush injury or amputation from unsupported blade dropping during maintenance
Fatal projectile injury from rim component or tyre sidewall rupture within the trajectory zone
Loss of machine control, departure from formation, collision with roadside hazards or oncoming vehicles
Electrocution of operator, ground personnel and bystanders through tyre arcing and step potential
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Redesign the work sequence to grade only after full road closure or detour implementation where traffic volumes exceed AS 1742.3 thresholds for live-traffic operation.
- 2Elimination — Remove ground workers entirely from the grader exclusion zone during operation; conduct measurements, pegging and inspections only when the machine is parked with park brake applied.
- 3Substitution — Substitute multi-piece split-rim tyres with single-piece tubeless rims at procurement to eliminate zipper-failure and rim-separation projectile hazards during inflation.
- 4Engineering — Operate only graders fitted with compliant ROPS/FOPS to AS/NZS 2294, reversing alarm, 360-degree camera or convex mirrors, and isolator-lockable articulation lock pin.
- 5Engineering — Install positive blade support stands and hydraulic lockout valves before any worker enters beneath the moldboard, circle or ripper for greasing or edge-bit replacement.
- 6Administrative — Implement traffic management plan to AS 1742.3 with certified TMI/TC controllers, advance warning, buffer zones and speed reduction signage before grading commences on any trafficked road.
- 7Administrative — Verify operator holds RIIMPO320F competency, conduct documented pre-start inspection per manufacturer manual, and enforce maximum 10-hour shift with 30-minute breaks every 2 hours.
- 8Administrative — Maintain minimum 6.4-metre exclusion from overhead powerlines per Code of Practice — Excavation Work, with spotter and SafeWork notification for any approach inside no-go zones.
- 9PPE — Hi-visibility day/night garments to AS/NZS 4602.1 Class D/N worn by operator dismounting and all ground personnel within the work corridor at all times.
- 10PPE — Safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3, hard hat to AS/NZS 1801, hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270 (SLC80 ≥26dB) and impact eye protection to AS/NZS 1337.1 during maintenance tasks.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Imposes PCBU duty to identify plant hazards, control risks, verify operator competency and maintain plant inspection records for all powered mobile plant including graders.
Sets the approved means of compliance for grader risk assessment, guarding of articulation points, ROPS verification and isolation procedures during maintenance.
Mandates the traffic management plan structure, sign spacing, buffer zones and controller competencies required when grading on or adjacent to trafficked roads.
Specifies the structural certification, labelling and seatbelt-interlock requirements graders must meet to satisfy WHS Regulation 215 plant duty obligations.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
A motor grader is self-propelled articulated plant exceeding pedestrian-control thresholds, with documented rollover, crush and visibility risks captured under this category.
Road formation, finishing and maintenance grading routinely occur on roads carrying live or staged traffic, placing operators and ground crew directly within the corridor.
PCBU must prepare the SWMS in consultation with operators before work commences, supply it to the principal contractor, and retain it for at least two years after any notifiable incident; penalties are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Civil contractors delivering rural road maintenance programs
- →Local council depot supervisors managing in-house grading crews
- →Earthmoving subcontractors on highway and subdivision projects
- →Mining and quarry haul-road maintenance operators
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 shire road resheeting project, the leading hand opens the pre-start toolbox at 6:30 am with the grader operator, a watercart driver and two traffic controllers. They open this SWMS on a ruggedised tablet and work through the hazard register line by line. The traffic controllers confirm the AS 1742.3 sign layout matches the corridor — advance warning at 200 metres, taper, buffer and termination — and the operator confirms the speed reduction to 40 km/h is in place before signing on. Moving to the articulation crush control, the operator demonstrates the lockout pin engaged for the walk-around inspection, then removes it only after the ground crew step clear of the exclusion zone marked with witches hats. Mid-shift, a council water main is identified at chainage 4+200 outside the original DBYD plan; the supervisor pauses work, opens the SWMS amendment section, records the new hazard, adds a hand-dig verification control, briefs the crew, and obtains re-sign-on before grading resumes. At shift end the signed SWMS, amendment and traffic management diary are uploaded to the project compliance folder for the two-year retention period required under WHS Regulation 297.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2550 — Cranes, hoists and winches; AS 1418 series