Published 26 August 2026. A concrete cutting job is easier to quote and plan when the work area, approved opening, structure, services and site controls are clear before equipment arrives. This checklist gives Brisbane project teams a practical way to assemble that information.
It is general project guidance, not a substitute for the project engineer, principal contractor, competent safety advice, the site risk assessment or the equipment manufacturer’s instructions.
1. Confirm the approved work, not just the requested result
Record the location, dimensions, depth, orientation and required finish for every cut, opening or penetration. Identify the drawing revision and who may approve a change. A marked line or an email request does not by itself confirm that a structural element may be altered.
Where the work affects a load-bearing element or the physical integrity of a structure, the responsible project parties need to address the structural and demolition-work requirements that apply. Queensland’s Demolition work Code of Practice 2021 explains that demolition work includes work to demolish or dismantle a load-bearing part of a structure and can be high risk construction work.
2. Identify embedded services and reinforcement
Bring together current drawings, as-built information, site observations and any required locating or scanning work. Concrete can contain reinforcement, post-tensioning, electrical conduits, hydraulic services and other embedded items. Scanning can reduce uncertainty, but its limitations and the accessible scan faces need to be understood.
The approved project team should decide what the findings mean for the opening. A cutting or scanning contractor should not infer that a tendon, reinforcing bar or concealed service may be disturbed without the required authority.
3. Check access, setup space and the removal path
Confirm how people, equipment and consumables will reach the work face. Record door widths, stairs, lifts, loading limits, overhead restrictions, work-at-height needs and any occupied areas nearby. The method may change if a wall saw, floor saw, drill rig, power unit or recovery equipment cannot be positioned and secured as planned.
Plan the cut section as well as the cut. Estimate how it will be supported, controlled, lifted, lowered, broken down or removed. Identify the exclusion zone and the person responsible for the lifting or temporary-support decision.
4. Match silica controls to the actual tool and environment
Cutting concrete can generate respirable crystalline silica. The control plan needs to match the tool, task duration, material and environment. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s handheld power saw guidance identifies integrated continuous water delivery or a suitable commercial dust-collection system as engineering-control options for that task.
Water feed needs to reach the blade and cutting area at the rate required by the manufacturer. Hoses, nozzles, the blade and the dust-control equipment need to be checked and maintained. Wet work indoors or in an enclosed area may need additional ventilation, and slurry should be collected before it dries and becomes a dust source.
The broader Queensland codes of practice register lists the current silica, demolition, noise, plant and construction guidance. The relevant duties and controls depend on the work being performed.
5. Confirm water, power and environmental controls
Record the available water supply, electrical arrangements, drainage, wet-vacuum or recovery method and the approved slurry-disposal route. Protect finishes, occupied areas and equipment from overspray. Keep hoses and leads out of access routes where possible and include electrical conditions in the task assessment.
6. Define the hold points
A short written plan should state when the crew must stop and seek direction. Common hold points include an unexpected service response, reinforcement or post-tensioning in the proposed path, a different slab thickness, movement or cracking, an unavailable control, a changed opening, unsafe access or a cut section that cannot be handled as planned.
Name the person who may release each hold point. Programme pressure, a site conversation or an easier cutting position does not replace the required design, service, safety or access approval.
7. Agree the evidence and handover
Before work begins, agree which measurements, photographs, scan records, marked drawings or completion notes the project needs. At handover, record the completed opening, edge condition, any variation, unexpected condition and remaining restriction. Give the next trade the final information rather than the original assumption.
Information to include with a Cutcore enquiry
- site address and work area;
- approved dimensions, depth, orientation and finish;
- drawing revision and marked photographs;
- known structure, reinforcement, post-tensioning and services;
- access, working hours and occupied-area constraints;
- water, power, dust, slurry and waste arrangements;
- cut-section handling and removal responsibilities;
- required date, hold points and approving contacts; and
- the records required at handover.
Send Cutcore the project details for an initial discussion about concrete cutting, core drilling, sawing or scanning in Brisbane and South East Queensland.
Sources reviewed 26 August 2026: Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s codes of practice register, handheld power saw guidance and Demolition work Code of Practice 2021. This article provides general project information only and is not engineering, occupational-hygiene, work-health-and-safety or legal advice.