Drum Floor Sander and Edger SWMS

Suits floor sanding and renovation contractors who sand timber floors with drum sanders and disc edgers. It covers checking the floor, dust control, machine and edger operation, noise, fire and dust explosion, lead paint in old floors, and clean-up.

Floor sanding is not high risk construction work by itself, so a SWMS is not always required under the WHS Regulation s 299. Where one is not required, this template works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment, and you should add any high risk item the job involves.

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

What Is Covered In Our Drum Floor Sander and Edger SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Check the floor and the building before sanding” to “Clean up, dispose of waste and hand the floor over”. The hazards and controls include:

• Dust fire and explosion from timber dust
• Breathing fine timber dust
• Lead dust from old painted floors
• Asbestos in underlay or adhesive beneath boards
• Noise from sanders and extraction
• Rotating drum and disc contact
• Machine kickback and loss of control
• Cutting through the power cord
• Cord and hose trip hazards
• Manual handling of heavy machines
• Hand-arm vibration and kneeling strain
• Nails and staples in the boards

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) when the sanding is construction work, for example in a renovation or building project
• Operator trained by the supplier or an experienced operator on the drum sander and edger used, including belt and disc changes, and assessed as competent
• Fit-tested respirator training for each worker who wears a tight-fitting respirator
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• 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
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) ss 52, 53 and 355 (ignition sources, flammable material, fire and explosion), ss 56-57 (noise), and ss 392 and 394 (lead process and lead risk work, chapter 7 part 7.2, where the paint is more than 1% lead by dry weight)

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: hearing protection: earmuffs or earplugs selected for the measured noise level (last control, used with the other noise controls)
• Emergency arrangements for: dust fire, eye contact with dust or finish and sander drum caught on a cord or worker
• 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.