Wet Area Waterproofing SWMS

Suits waterproofers, tilers, builders and renovation crews applying liquid or sheet membranes in bathrooms, laundries and other wet areas. It follows the job from set-up and surface preparation through mixing, priming and membrane application to curing, flood testing and clean-up.

A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation s 299 when wet area waterproofing is construction work that meets a high risk item in s 291 (for example a fall of more than 2 metres, disturbance of asbestos, a flammable atmosphere or grinding that creates silica dust: tick the contaminated atmosphere item, s 291(l)); otherwise it works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment.

New to SWMS? Read What is a safe work method statement?

What is covered in our wet area waterproofing SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Set up the work area and ventilation” to “Clean up and pack up”. The hazards and controls include:

• Silica dust from grinding concrete and screed
• Asbestos in older buildings
• Fumes from solvent-based primers and membranes
• Fire from flammable vapours in small rooms
• Skin and eye contact with primers and membranes
• Isocyanates in polyurethane products
• Electric shock from tools in damp rooms
• Water and power during the flood test
• Noise from grinders and extractors
• Falls from stepladders, stairs and open edges
• Strains from kneeling and carrying buckets
• Slips on wet primer and membrane
• Heat in small unventilated rooms
• Delivery vehicles and unloading

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
• Experience with, or manufacturer training in, the waterproofing system being applied
• Instruction on the safety data sheet for each product, including the correct respirator and gloves
• Crystalline silica training for workers involved in, or at risk from, high risk silica processing; instruction on silica dust for every worker who grinds or sands concrete or cement-based surfaces
• Training in the fit, use and care of respiratory protective equipment
• Training in recognising suspected asbestos and when to stop work

Legislation and codes of practice referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021 (decanted products)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld) (construction site electrical equipment, s 140, and overhead power line exclusion zones)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace

What you get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages. Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: safety boots with non-slip soles; long-sleeved, high-visibility clothing; safety glasses, or splash-resistant goggles when mixing or pouring; chemical-resistant gloves as stated on the product SDS
• Emergency arrangements for: chemical in the eyes or on the skin, fire in a room with flammable vapours and worker overcome by fumes
• 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.

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