The safe work instruction from the Excavator Safety & Competency Pack, on its own: what the operator does, step by step, the hazards and controls, and when to stop.
A safe work instruction tells the operator how to do the work safely at your site: the purpose and scope, who may do the work, the equipment, the hazards and their controls (most effective first), PPE, the steps with clear stop points, emergencies, consultation and approval, and a signed acknowledgement. A short setup note lists what to adapt and every placeholder.
It is the same document as in the Excavator Safety & Competency Pack, word for word. The Excavator VOC Assessment Template checks a operator can do the work in it, and the Excavator Field Verification Checklist checks on site that the controls it relies on are working. Both are sold on their own too. The Excavator Safety & Competency Pack contains all of them, with the pre-start checklist and a setup guide.
A VOC supports workplace competency verification. It does not replace a high risk work licence where one is required. Operators must hold any licence, training or site authorisation required for the plant and the site.
Delivered as one ZIP download. The files below are editable, and every Word document also comes as a PDF. Each download also includes Read Me First, a Setup Note, a Product Overview, the Permitted Use Terms and Version Information (PDF).
| File | Format | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Excavator Safe Work Instruction | Word (.docx) | Step-by-step instruction for the operator: set-up, digging, slewing, lifting with attachments, travelling, working near services and shutting down, with the hazards and controls at each step. |
The safe work instruction is where the documents start: the VOC checks a operator can do the work in it, the pre-start checklist covers each job, and the field verification checks the controls it relies on. The Excavator Safety & Competency Pack contains all four.
Tells the operator what to do
The steps, hazards and controls for the task, written for the person doing it.
Included
Checks they can do it
Verifies each operator against that same instruction, on your equipment, with evidence and a clear outcome.
In the pack
Checks the equipment is fit to use
Every shift, before use, with clear do-not-operate criteria.
In the pack
Checks the controls are working on site
A supervisor checks on the floor that the controls the instruction relies on are in place and effective.
In the pack
What supervisors find in the field feeds back into the instruction and the VOC.
Before first use, adapt the documents to:
Before you use them
Yes, word for word. It is the safe work instruction from the Excavator Safety & Competency Pack, sold on its own with a short setup note.
If you need more than this one document, yes. The Excavator Safety & Competency Pack contains this document, the VOC assessment, the pre-start checklist and the field verification checklist, written to work together, with a setup guide. The pre-start checklist and the setup guide are only in the pack.
No. A VOC supports workplace competency verification. It does not replace a high risk work licence where one is required. Operators must hold any licence, training or site authorisation required for the plant and the site.
No. Where the manufacturer's instructions differ, follow the manufacturer and change the document to match.
No. There is no high risk work licence class for excavators under the model WHS Regulations, and Victoria's OHS Regulations do not license them either. The employer must still make sure each operator is trained and competent, and if the excavator will lift suspended loads, check with your regulator what that lift needs. A VOC records that the operator can operate your excavator safely.
There is no high risk work licence for an excavator of any size under the model WHS Regulations. What the law requires is that the operator is trained, competent and supervised as needed, and many sites and hire companies ask for evidence of training. A VOC on your machine is one way to record that evidence.
Yes. Every document is supplied in Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx), so you can add your logo, change the wording and adapt it to your workplace. The copyright notice must stay.
Yes. The documents must be adapted to your equipment, the manufacturer's instructions, your site and your local controls before they are used. The setup note in the download lists what to change.
No document can. Your duties are met by managing the risks in your actual workplace. Using them does not by itself make a workplace compliant with WHS or OHS laws. They support the work of managing the risk; they are not legal advice.
Yes. Every price in the store includes GST, so $49.00 is the total, including $4.45 GST. Your receipt is a tax invoice showing the GST.
As a ZIP download. Card purchases can be downloaded straight away from the confirmation page and by a link we email you. Download links expire after 14 days for security; you can request a new one at any time.
Yes. Use Request an Invoice to order through your normal procurement process, with a purchase order number and quantities if you need them. The files are released once payment is confirmed.
Yes, across your own organisation. The documents are licensed for internal use by the purchasing organisation. A consultant, labour hire business or training provider supplying them to clients needs separate written permission.
They are written for Australian workplaces and refer to Australian WHS and OHS laws and licences. A business elsewhere should replace those references with its own country's requirements. Everything is editable for that.
Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected. See the Refund Policy for how we handle a document that is faulty, not as described, or not what you ordered.
Licence and legal information here is general. It may not be correct in your jurisdiction: please check with your local WHS or OHS regulator.
Ordering for a business or several sites? Request an invoice. Other questions: contact us.
Start with a toolbox talk to brief the crew on the hazard, then use the safe work instruction, the VOC and the field verification checklist to set and check the controls.
For anyone who works around forklifts, trucks, loaders or utes: how people are hit by mobile equipment, and the habits that keep pedestrians and machines apart.
For everyone on a site with vehicle movements, including delivery drivers and visitors: the traffic management plan, site layout and rules that keep people and vehicles apart.
For workers who use electrical equipment or work near powerlines: how electricity injures, the checks before use, and what to do if someone is shocked.
For workers at height and the people below them: how objects fall, and the controls that stop them falling or hitting someone.
Separating people from mobile plant is a common critical control. To manage it as one, with performance standards and field verification across the business, see the Critical Control Management series.
Safe work instruction, VOC assessment, pre-start checklist and a supervisor field verification checklist for excavator and ground worker separation, written to work together.
Verify excavator operators on your site and plant: knowledge questions with a marking guide, practical observation checklist, fail criteria and sign-off.
The supervisor's field verification checklist from the pack, on its own: checks on site that the controls for the work are in place and working.