Stonework - Masonry SWMS

Stonework and masonry construction involves the placement of natural stone, manufactured stone, and masonry units to form load-bearing walls, cladding, retaining structures, and decorative features. The work combines heavy manual handling of dense units (often 15-40 kg per stone), operation of cutting equipment that liberates respirable crystalline silica, work at height on scaffolds and elevated work platforms, and the construction and temporary support of partially-completed structures that are inherently unstable until mortar cures and lateral restraint is achieved.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), stonework and masonry work meets the definition of high risk construction work under section 291 where workers can fall more than 2 metres and where structural alteration requires temporary support to prevent collapse. Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before this work commences, and the SWMS must identify hazards, document risk controls applied through the hierarchy of controls, and describe how controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Eliminate work at height by pre-fabricating stone panels at ground level and lifting into position where design permits; sequence work so upper courses are laid from a scaffold platform rather than a ladder or trestle.
2. 2Substitute dry cutting with wet cutting for all masonry saws, block splitters and grinders to suppress respirable crystalline silica at source, in accordance with the SafeWork NSW Working with silica and silica containing products code and AS/NZS 60335.2.45 for portable cutting equipment.
3. 3Erect edge-protected scaffolding compliant with AS/NZS 1576 (scaffolding) and AS/NZS 4576 (guidelines for scaffolding) with guardrails, mid-rails and toeboards for any work platform above 2 m; scaffolds above 4 m to be erected by a ticketed scaffolder and handover certificate issued before use.
4. 4Engineer temporary support for structural alteration works: install propping designed to AS 3610 (formwork for concrete) principles and needle/prop lintel supports certified by a structural engineer before any load-bearing masonry is cut, chased or removed; propping to remain until new lintel or beam achieves design strength.
5. 5Brace freestanding and partially-completed masonry walls with raking props or temporary bracing at maximum spacings specified in AS 3700 (masonry structures) until permanent lateral restraint (roof tie-down, return walls, bond beams) is in place; do not exceed unbraced height limits in wind.
6. 6Use on-tool local exhaust ventilation (H-class shroud and vacuum) or integrated water suppression on all cutting, grinding and chasing tools; conduct atmospheric monitoring to confirm exposures remain below the workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) for respirable crystalline silica.
7. 7Provide mechanical aids for handling: brick tongs, block clamps, wheelbarrows, brick elevators and telehandler forks with masonry attachments; limit single-person lifts to units under 20 kg and require two-person or mechanical handling above this threshold.
8. 8Test and tag all 240V electrical equipment every 3 months per AS/NZS 3012 (electrical installations - construction and demolition sites); supply through a portable RCD and inspect leads daily for damage; isolate and lock out damaged equipment.
9. 9Issue task-appropriate PPE: P2 respirators (or PAPR for extended cutting) fit-tested per AS/NZS 1715, safety eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.1, Class 5 hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270, chemical-resistant gloves for mortar work, steel-capped boots to AS/NZS 2210.3, and hi-vis to AS/NZS 4602.1.
10. 10Implement a silica health monitoring program per WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) sections 435-445: baseline and periodic low-dose HRCT chest imaging, spirometry and occupational history for all workers with ongoing silica exposure, coordinated by a registered medical practitioner with occupational health experience.
11. 11Schedule rest breaks and cool water access during heat stress conditions above 32°C ambient; rotate workers off cutting stations to limit vibration exposure below the daily A(8) action value of 2.5 m/s² per AS 2670.1.
12. 12All workers to hold White Card (CPCCWHS1001) and be inducted into this SWMS before commencing; consultation with workers is required under section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW) and the SWMS must be reviewed under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) whenever controls are revised, an incident occurs, or a new hazard is identified.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A bricklaying contractor at Wentworth Point is engaged to construct 3.6-metre-high recycled brick feature walls and an internal load-bearing masonry stair core on a four-townhouse development. The scope includes cutting a new door opening through an existing double-brick party wall retained from the previous structure. Because workers will operate from scaffold above 2 metres and the party wall alteration requires engineered temporary support to prevent collapse, both section 291(a) and section 291(e) HRCW categories are triggered under the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW). The contractor prepares this SWMS, has it signed by all bricklayers and labourers, provides it to the principal contractor before work starts, engages a ticketed scaffolder to erect and hand over the perimeter scaffold, and obtains an engineer-designed propping schedule for the party wall opening. Wet-cut masonry saws with H-class vacuum extraction are used for all cutting, and workers are enrolled in the silica health monitoring program. The SWMS is reviewed after a near-miss involving a dropped brick from the second lift.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — sections 19 (primary duty), 31-32 (Category 1 and 2 offences), 47 (consultation)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 291, 299, 302 (HRCW and SWMS)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 49-50, 435-445 (airborne contaminants, silica health monitoring)
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) — development consent and construction certificate obligations
• Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — dust and noise control on construction sites
• Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) — licensing of bricklaying and stonemasonry work above prescribed value thresholds

Frequently asked questions