Engineered Stone Removal and Disposal SWMS

Suits kitchen and bathroom renovators, demolition and strip-out contractors and removalists taking out installed engineered stone benchtops. It follows the work from confirming the material and the legal pathway, through set-up, freeing and cutting the slab, lifting and waste, to clean-up and records. It does not cover general silica dust control or benchtop fabrication.

Removing and disposing of engineered stone is not high risk construction work in every case, because a slab can sometimes come out whole by hand. Under the WHS Regulation s 299 a SWMS is required before high risk construction work starts: tick item 11 (area that may have a contaminated atmosphere) if you will cut, drill, grind or otherwise process the stone. Written notice to the regulator is separate and applies where the work involves processing (s 529G).

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Engineered Stone Removal and Disposal SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job: confirm the material and the legal pathway” to “Clean up, decontaminate and close out records”. The hazards and controls include:

• Respirable crystalline silica from cutting or breaking engineered stone
• Processing banned unless it is controlled removal or disposal
• Notice to the regulator where processing is involved
• Slab cracking or falling while freed
• Heavy, brittle slabs and manual handling
• Dry slurry becoming airborne dust
• Wet cutting with electrical tools
• Services isolation behind benchtops
• Waste containment and disposal
• Dust carried home on clothing
• Silica training and records
• Health monitoring for silica exposure

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Site induction
• Crystalline silica training (a VET accredited course or training approved by the regulator) for every worker who may be involved in, or exposed to, high risk processing (WHS Regulation s 529CD), with records kept for 5 years
• Training in the respiratory protective equipment issued, with a fit test for each wearer of a tight-fitting mask
• Competency in wet cutting and in using the slab lifting aids
• Licensed electrical worker for disconnection of cooktops and wiring (Electrical Safety Act 2002 s 55); licensed gas fitter and licensed plumber for their connections
• Occupational hygienist or competent person for the written silica assessment and any air monitoring
• First aid kit on the job and people trained in first aid (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), chapter 8A crystalline silica (ss 529A to 529J): the ban on work involving engineered stone in s 529D and the exception for controlled processing to remove, repair, modify or dispose of engineered stone in s 529F
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): electrical work by a licensed electrical worker (s 55)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): electrical equipment for construction work (s 140)
• AS/NZS 1716:2012 (Respiratory protective devices) and AS/NZS 1715:2009 (Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment), as named in WHS Regulation s 529B

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 9 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: respiratory protective equipment that complies with the standards named in s 529B(3), fit-tested, chosen from the written assessment
• Emergency arrangements for: slab falling or crush injury and dust exposure without respiratory protection
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed November 2026.