Mirror & Glass Splashback Install SWMS

Installation of mirrors and toughened glass splashbacks in domestic kitchens and bathrooms involves manual handling of heavy, brittle panels in confined wet areas, use of structural silicones and MS polymer adhesives, and working adjacent to live electrical fittings, cooktops and plumbing penetrations. The work is captured under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 as High Risk Construction Work where panels are positioned at height, where structural loads are imposed on the substrate, or where work occurs in a space with restricted means of entry. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences and must be developed in consultation with workers under WHS Act s47-49. The SWMS must identify the manual handling, glass breakage, chemical exposure and confined-space hazards inherent to the task, document the hierarchy of controls applied, and be available on site for the duration of the work. Failure to prepare, comply with, or keep the SWMS exposes the PCBU and officers to enforcement under WHS Regulation r300 and personal liability under WHS Act s27.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Specify factory pre-cut, pre-drilled, edge-polished panels delivered to size so on-site cutting and grinding of toughened glass is eliminated entirely from the kitchen environment.
2. 2Elimination — Isolate and lock out all electrical circuits behind the splashback zone at the switchboard before any drilling, fixing or adhesive application commences near GPOs or isolators.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute solvent-based primers with low-VOC neutral-cure MS polymer adhesive systems carrying lower workplace exposure standards under the Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice.
4. 4Substitution — Replace single-person handling of panels above 15 kg with lighter sectional splashback panels or two-piece mirror configurations where design permits.
5. 5Engineering — Use mechanical glass-lifting suction cups rated to twice the panel weight, panel trolleys, and benchtop protection mats to control load path from delivery to fixing position.
6. 6Engineering — Provide forced mechanical ventilation via portable extraction fan ducted to exterior during silicone cure to keep vapour concentrations below the relevant WES.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start briefing using this SWMS, confirm electrical isolation with test-tagged voltage indicator, and restrict the work zone with barricades excluding non-essential persons.
8. 8Administrative — Implement two-person lift procedure for any panel exceeding 16 kg per AS 4576 manual handling guidance, with defined communication calls and rest rotation every 20 minutes.
9. 9PPE — Cut-5 (EN388 4X43E) impact-resistant gloves, wraparound medium-impact safety eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.1, long-sleeve cut-resistant sleeves, and steel-midsole safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3.
10. 10PPE — Half-face respirator fitted with A1 organic vapour cartridges to AS/NZS 1716 during silicone application in confined bathroom spaces, with fit-test records retained on site.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a second-storey apartment kitchen refurbishment, a two-person glazing crew arrives to install a 2400 x 720 mm toughened low-iron splashback weighing 38 kg behind a new induction cooktop. Before unloading, the leading hand opens this SWMS on a tablet at the tailgate and walks the offsider through the hazard register, focusing on the heavy-lift, sharp-edge and confined-kitchen entries flagged HIGH. They confirm the cooktop circuit and adjacent GPO have been isolated at the board by the electrician, lock the isolator and verify dead with a test-tagged voltage indicator as the SWMS administrative control requires. Both workers sign the consultation and sign-on register on the document. The crew deploys twin vacuum cups rated to 80 kg, lays benchtop protection, and positions a portable extraction fan in the window opening before opening the neutral-cure MS polymer cartridges. During dry-fit they discover the panel fouls a previously undisclosed rangehood ducting penetration, introducing an unplanned overhead hold. The leading hand pauses work, returns to the SWMS, and amends the controls section to add a third worker for the lift and a step platform with handrail before recommencing. The amendment is initialled, dated, and the revised SWMS re-briefed to all three workers before the panel is bonded and braced for cure.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• AS 1288 — Glass in buildings; AS/NZS 2208 — Safety glazing

Frequently asked questions