Roof Membrane and Sealant Application SWMS

Suits roofing contractors, waterproofers and builders who apply liquid and sheet membranes and sealants to roofs. It covers roof inspection and asbestos checks, power lines, edge protection, handling and mixing products, surface preparation, application, hot work on laps and details, flashings and drains, and cure and handover. Edit the controls to match your membrane system and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Roof work with a fall of more than 2 metres is high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291), so that item is ticked and a SWMS is required before the work starts (s 299). If you apply solvent products in an enclosed space or a place where flammable vapour could build up, also tick the contaminated or flammable atmosphere item; add the energised electrical and asbestos items if they apply.

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 Roof Membrane and Sealant Application SWMS?

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

• Falls from roof edges and through skylights
• Slips on wet primer, dew and uncured membrane
• Solvent fumes in primers and sealants
• Fire from flammable liquids and solvent-soaked rags
• Roof fires from torches and hot-air tools
• Burns from hot tools and hot membrane
• Skin and eye contact with chemicals
• Silica dust from grinding the substrate
• Asbestos in old roofing and flashings
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Heavy drums, pails and rolls on ladders
• Heat, glare and sun on an exposed roof

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:

• Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work
• Installer trained and experienced in the membrane or sealant system used, and in the manufacturer’s instructions for substrate, primer, lap and detail work
• Training in the hazards of the products used (SDS and label), including solvent fumes, skin contact and respirator use and fit-testing
• Training for anyone using a gas torch or hot-air tool, in the hot work permit and the fire watch
• Training in the roof fall controls used (edge protection, travel restraint or a fall arrest harness system) and in the rescue procedure (WHS Regulation s 80)
• No high risk work licence is needed for membrane or sealant work; a licence is needed only for a boom-type elevating work platform with a boom of 11 m or more (Schedule 3 item 21)
• Workers the PCBU reasonably believes may be involved in asbestos-related work are trained under WHS Regulation s 445; everyone else stops and reports anything that may be asbestos
• First aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders (or access to them) as the work needs (WHS Regulation s 42)

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (including its hot work permit guidance)
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Spray Painting and Powder Coating Code of Practice 2021 (where the product is sprayed)
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022 (grinding the substrate)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead line exclusion zones in sections 10 to 13 and schedule 2
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 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.