Large Format Tile and Porcelain Slab Installation SWMS

Suits tilers and floor and wall installers who handle and lay large format tiles and porcelain slabs. It covers planning and access, unloading and storage, substrate preparation, wet cutting, moving slabs with vacuum lifters, adhesives and setting, grouting and cleaning, waste and pack-up. General tiling is covered by a separate SWMS.

Cutting, drilling or grinding tiles and slabs can make respirable crystalline silica dust, and the silica code treats construction work with a silica exposure risk as high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291(l)), so the contaminated atmosphere item is ticked. A buyer who only installs slabs cut off site may untick it. Tick the other items the job involves, such as a fall of more than 2 metres.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Large Format Tile and Porcelain Slab Installation SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Slab dropping from vacuum lifters
• Crushing during slab handling and laying
• Slabs falling from racks and A-frames
• Respirable crystalline silica dust from cutting
• Slab breaking during cutting
• Noise from saws and grinders
• Skin burns from cement adhesives
• Wall slab falling before adhesive cures
• Falls from steps and ladders
• Back, knee and shoulder injuries from kneeling
• Chemical exposure from sealers and cleaners
• Electric shock from tools near water

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Is carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Worker trained in the vacuum lifter, slab trolleys and carry frames used, including pre-use checks and the manufacturer’s limits
• Tiler trained and experienced in laying large format tiles and slabs
• Training in the hazards of crystalline silica dust and the use of the control measures and respiratory protective equipment
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• 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 Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace 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 Regulation 2026 (Qld): electrical equipment on construction sites (s 140)
• AS/NZS 1716:2012 and AS/NZS 1715:2009 (respiratory protective equipment), as named in WHS Regulation s 529B
• AS/NZS 60335.2.69:2017 (wet and dry vacuum cleaners), as named in the approved silica code

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.