Roof Tiling Installation (General) SWMS

Roof tiling installation places workers on inclined surfaces well above ground level, handling unit loads of 4-6kg per tile across thousands of placements, while navigating battens, sarking laps, hip and valley intersections, and exposed roof edges. The work routinely involves sustained exposure to fall hazards exceeding 2 metres, kneeling and stooped postures, lifting bundled tiles from elevated landing zones, and powered tools at the eave perimeter. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 6.3 and section 291, tile installation on residential and commercial roofs is classified High Risk Construction Work because it involves work at height, risk of falls, and manual handling of repetitive heavy unit loads. A SWMS must be prepared before work commences, signed by every worker on the deck, and kept available for inspection by the regulator and principal contractor. This SWMS addresses tile-specific hazards including batten failure, tile slippage on pitched surfaces, dropped objects to areas below, and the cumulative musculoskeletal load of a typical 18-22 square tile run.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Where feasible, specify pre-cut hip and valley tiles delivered to size to remove on-roof cutting and eliminate silica dust generation at the work face.
2. 2Elimination — Stage tile bundles at ground level for craning to roof deck rather than manual carrying up ladders, removing the ladder-carry fall and handling exposure.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute powered angle grinders with low-dust wet-cutting tile saws fitted with integrated water suppression to substitute high-silica dry cutting methods.
4. 4Engineering — Install compliant perimeter edge protection (guardrails, mid-rails, toeboards) to AS/NZS 4994.1 around all eaves and gable ends before any roof access commences.
5. 5Engineering — Use roof brackets, tile slides and load-rated lifting cradles for tile distribution, with mechanical hoists rated to bundled pack weight per AS 1418.
6. 6Engineering — Lay safety mesh to AS/NZS 4389 beneath sarking on commercial decks and maintain catch platforms below eaves where edge protection alone is insufficient.
7. 7Administrative — Conduct documented pre-start brief, verify SWMS sign-on, restrict roof access during high wind (>35km/h) and rotate workers to manage heat and repetitive load.
8. 8Administrative — Establish exclusion zones beneath the work area with hard barriers and signage, and coordinate trade sequencing so no workers operate directly below tilers.
9. 9PPE — Issue and fit roof-rated harness systems compliant with AS/NZS 1891.1 with shock-absorbing lanyards anchored to certified roof anchors where fall arrest is the residual control.
10. 10PPE — Provide non-slip roofing footwear, cut-resistant gloves, P2 respirators during any cutting, safety eyewear, broad-brim hard hats and UPF-rated long-sleeve workwear.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a two-storey residential subdivision build, a tiling crew of four arrives to install approximately 22 squares of concrete tile over sarked battens. At the pre-start brief in the site shed, the leading hand opens the Roof Tiling Installation SWMS on a tablet, walks through the seven listed hazards, and confirms perimeter guardrails were installed by the scaffolder the previous afternoon. The crew identifies that the western gable still lacks edge protection on the lower return — the SWMS control hierarchy directs them to install temporary guardrail before any tile is landed on that face, rather than relying on harness alone. Each worker signs the SWMS register, confirming they have read the controls and understand the fall-arrest anchor locations marked on the truss plan. Tiles are craned onto roof brackets in stacks of fifteen to reduce manual handling load. Mid-morning, wind picks up to an estimated 40km/h; the supervisor pauses work, references the SWMS administrative control on wind thresholds, and stands the crew down for ninety minutes. When two valley tiles need cutting, the worker retrieves the wet-cutting saw rather than the angle grinder, in line with the substitution control. The SWMS is re-signed after the wind stoppage and any control adjustment is annotated for the principal contractor's records.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP

Frequently asked questions