Floor Coverings SWMS

For flooring contractors, builders and renovation crews who lay timber, laminate, vinyl and carpet in houses, units and commercial fit-outs. It follows the job in order: planning and asbestos checks, handling materials, preparing the subfloor, cutting, adhesives, laying each type of floor, kneeling and manual handling, and clean-up. Floor sanding, tiling and detailed carpet stretching are not covered and need their own SWMS or procedure.

Installing floor coverings is construction work (fitting-out) but not high risk construction work by itself, so a SWMS is legally required only when a WHS Regulation s 291 item applies (s 299), such as asbestos being disturbed (item 3) or a fall risk of more than 2 metres (item 0); otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. Solvent vapour or silica dust may make item 11 (an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere) apply to your job, which the Regulation does not define, so tick it if you judge that it does.

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 Floor Coverings SWMS?

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

• Asbestos in old vinyl tiles, backing and adhesives
• Fire and fumes from solvent-based adhesives and primers
• Skin and eye burns from adhesives and levelling compounds
• Wood, resin and silica dust from cutting and preparation
• Nail gun and stapler injuries
• Cuts from knives, saws and sharp edges
• Punctures from tack strip, nails and staples
• Burns from seaming irons
• Knee, back and shoulder injuries from kneeling and repetitive work
• Strains from carpet and vinyl rolls, packs and buckets
• Noise from saws, nailers and compressors
• Slips and trips over rolls, offcuts, leads and hoses
• Electric shock from tools and leads
• Spontaneous heating of solvent-soaked rags

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• General construction induction training card (white card) for construction work (installing floor coverings is fitting-out work), and site induction
• Installers trained and experienced in the floor system, adhesive and tools being used; apprentices and new workers work under the supervision of an experienced installer
• Training in the SDS for each adhesive, primer and levelling compound, including the gloves and respirator it calls for, and a respirator fit test for each wearer who needs one
• Nail gun and stapler training for every user, covering the tool, its manual and PPE
• Training from the maker or an experienced installer in the knee kicker, power stretcher and seaming iron
• Asbestos awareness so installers recognise suspected asbestos in older buildings (vinyl tiles, sheet backing, underlays and mastic adhesives), stop work and report it; workers the business reasonably believes may be involved in asbestos removal work or asbestos-related work also need the asbestos identification, safe handling and control measures training that WHS Regulation s 445 requires (asbestos removal is outside this SWMS)
• An adequate number of people trained in first aid, and a first aid kit on the job (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): ss 49 to 53 (exposure standards, hazardous atmospheres, ignition sources and flammable substances), ss 56 to 58 (noise) and s 60 (hazardous manual tasks)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 341 to 357 (hazardous chemicals), chapter 8 (asbestos) ss 419, 421, 422 and 445, and chapter 8A (crystalline silica) ss 529A to 529CA
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021 (decanted products)
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice 2021 (to recognise flooring products that may contain asbestos; removal needs a separate SWMS)
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• 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 Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): electrical equipment on construction sites (s 140), unsafe electrical equipment (s 17) and cord extension sets and flexible cables (s 18)
• AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites (named in Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 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 (17 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.