Timber Stairway Installation SWMS

Timber stairway installation involves setting stringers, treads, risers, landings, handrails and balustrades in partially completed structures — typically between two floor levels where the stairwell void is open, the surrounding floor may be unprotected, and the worker is required to work from within the void itself. The task combines manual handling of long, awkward stringers and heavy treads with repeated exposure to fall edges, unstable temporary work platforms, and power tool use (circular saws, mitre saws, nail guns, routers) in confined stairwell openings. Silica-bearing dust from adjacent masonry, engineered timber dust classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by IARC, and the collapse of partially-fixed stringers under load are all realistic mechanisms of serious harm.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), section 291 defines high risk construction work to include work with a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before that work commences, kept available for inspection, and complied with. Controls must follow the hierarchy in section 36, prioritising elimination of the fall risk (through voids covered, edge protection and scaffold platforms) over administrative measures and PPE.

Hazards identified

12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Eliminate open-void fall risk by installing full-perimeter edge protection to the upper floor opening and a temporary void cover or fall-arrest deck below the working position before stringers are lifted in — designed and installed to AS/NZS 4994.1 for temporary edge protection.
2. 2Substitute in-void ladder access with a proprietary modular scaffold or birdcage platform erected within the stairwell to provide a working surface at tread level, complying with AS/NZS 1576.1 and inspected before each shift.
3. 3Engineer stringer support with temporary props or cleats mechanically fixed to top and bottom bearers before any worker weight is applied; permanent fixings (structural screws or bolts per engineer's detail) installed before treads are loaded.
4. 4Isolate the stairwell area on the lower level with hard barricades and 'no access' signage during stair installation so that no worker is positioned beneath the void; toe boards and mesh infill on upper-level edge protection to prevent tool drop through, in line with AS/NZS 4576.
5. 5Use on-tool dust extraction (H- or M-class per AS/NZS 60335.2.69) fitted to saws, routers and sanders when processing engineered timber, hardwood or masonry, and wet-cut any masonry treads or landings to control respirable crystalline silica below the WES of 0.05 mg/m³.
6. 6Nail gun controls: sequential-trip trigger only, tool tagged and tested, operator competency verified; hands kept minimum 300 mm from firing line; disconnect air/battery when clearing jams — consistent with AS/NZS 4024 machinery safety principles.
7. 7Mechanical handling: use a stair-climbing trolley or two-person lift for stringers over 20 kg or 3 m in length; pre-position treads on a landing prior to fixing to eliminate awkward reach loads.
8. 8All 240 V power tools and leads tested and tagged to AS/NZS 3760, connected via a portable RCD; leads suspended off wet or trafficked areas.
9. 9Housekeeping controls: offcuts, packaging and fixings cleared from the stair void at each break; wet-wipe or H-class vacuum dust residues rather than dry sweeping.
10. 10PPE (last line): safety glasses to AS/NZS 1337.1, P2 respirator to AS/NZS 1716 (fit-tested to AS/NZS 1715) when cutting or sanding, Class 5 hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270, cut-resistant gloves for handling treads, and Type I safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3.
11. 11Emergency response: rescue plan for a suspended or injured worker in the stair void documented in the SWMS; first aider on site; nearest hospital and site address recorded.
12. 12All workers hold a current White Card (CPCCWHS1001); SWMS developed in consultation with workers under section 47 of the WHS Act 2011 (NSW) and reviewed under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) whenever controls, personnel or site conditions change.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A carpentry subcontractor is installing a solid blackbutt stairway in a three-storey townhouse development in Kellyville, NSW. The stairwell void between ground and first floor is 2.9 m; between first and second is 2.7 m. Before work commences, the site supervisor confirms perimeter edge protection to AS/NZS 4994.1 is in place at the upper landing and installs a temporary plywood void cover at the lower opening with mesh infill so no worker can pass beneath. A modular scaffold platform is erected inside the void to tread mid-height. Two carpenters lift the 4.5 m stringers using a stair-climbing trolley; stringers are mechanically cleated to top and bottom bearers before either worker stands on them. Treads are cut on a mitre saw fitted with an M-class extractor and P2 respirators are worn during cutting of the LVL trimmer. Nail guns are set to sequential-trip. The SWMS is signed on by both carpenters, the supervisor countersigns, and the document is stored in the site shed accessible to any SafeWork NSW inspector.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — sections 19, 31, 32, 46, 47
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 36, 78–80 (falls), 291, 299, 302
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Construction Work Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)

Frequently asked questions