Compliance code: Excavation

This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety legislation when your work involves excavation.

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What it contains

If your work involves excavation, there are specific duties and obligations you need to comply with under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) 2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHS Regulations) 2017. This compliance code gives you practical guidance on how to comply with those duties and obligations.

This information is particularly relevant for you if you are an employer, self-employed person, principal contractor or someone who has management or control of a workplace that involves excavation work. It is also relevant for employees, people who install, erect or commission plant, and people who design buildings and structures. It uses examples and tools you can apply to your own situation.

It includes information on:

  • what excavation work is
  • who has duties associated with excavation work and what those duties are
  • how to plan work involving excavation
  • practical measures to control risks
  • how to reduce the risk of ground collapse.

It is recommended that you follow the compliance code. If you comply with a code, you are deemed to comply with the Act or Regulation duty covered by the code. However, codes are not mandatory and duty holders may choose to use some other way to achieve compliance.

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