Tiled Roof Installation SWMS

Tiled roof installation involves the loading, distribution and fixing of concrete or terracotta tiles to timber or steel battens on pitched roof structures, typically at heights well above two metres. The work combines sustained exposure to fall hazards at pitched edges and openings with significant manual handling loads (concrete tiles average 4.5-5.5 kg each, loaded in stacks of 6-8 to the batten), sharp cutting operations, and exposure to respirable crystalline silica when tiles are cut, drilled or ground on-site. Roof surfaces are unstable underfoot, especially before tiles are bedded, and battens themselves are not a rated working surface.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), section 291 defines tiled roof installation as high risk construction work because it involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. Section 299 therefore requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before work commences, kept available for inspection, and complied with on site. Controls must follow the hierarchy in section 36 — eliminate the fall risk where reasonably practicable, then apply engineering controls such as edge protection and fall-arrest systems before relying on 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 work at height where feasible by pre-cutting and pre-assembling components at ground level and using ground-based tile-loading elevators rather than manual carry-up.
2. 2Substitute dry cutting with wet-cut tile saws or tools fitted with on-tool H-class dust extraction to control respirable crystalline silica in accordance with the Working with silica and silica containing products Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW).
3. 3Install perimeter guardrail edge protection (top rail, mid rail, toeboard) to all roof edges before tile loading commences, compliant with AS/NZS 4994.1 for temporary edge protection.
4. 4Cover, guard or barricade all roof penetrations and skylights with load-rated mesh or fixed covers labelled 'Do Not Remove' before work over or near them.
5. 5Where edge protection is not reasonably practicable, use a fall-arrest system with roof-anchor points, full body harness and shock-absorbing lanyard compliant with AS/NZS 1891.1 and AS/NZS 1891.4, with anchor points certified to 15 kN.
6. 6Use industrial ladders compliant with AS/NZS 1892.1 rated 120 kg minimum, secured top and bottom, extending 1 m above landing; ladders used only for access, not as a work platform.
7. 7Maintain minimum 4 m (up to 132 kV) exclusion zones from overhead powerlines per SafeWork NSW guidance; arrange isolation or tiger tails through the network operator where clearance cannot be maintained.
8. 8Establish exclusion zones below roof work with hard barricades, spotters and signage; never store loose tiles within 2 m of the roof edge and use tile-loading platforms rated for the imposed load.
9. 9Break tile-loading tasks into two-person lifts, rotate crews, and use mechanical hoists or conveyors for delivery to the roof to reduce manual handling load per the Hazardous manual tasks Code of Practice.
10. 10Implement a heat stress management plan with scheduled rest, shaded areas, drinking water, and reschedule work on days forecast >35 °C; provide PPE compliant with AS/NZS 1337.1 (eye), AS/NZS 1270 (hearing), AS/NZS 1716 P2 (respiratory) and AS/NZS 2210.3 (safety footwear).
11. 11Prohibit access onto batten-only surfaces; require crawl boards or roof platforms until sarking and tiles are bedded and structurally continuous.
12. 12All workers to hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card) plus verified competency in working at heights and fall-arrest use; consult workers on the SWMS under section 47 of the WHS Act and review the SWMS under section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 whenever the control measures, work method or site conditions change.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A roofing subcontractor is engaged by a residential builder to install a concrete tiled roof on a two-storey dwelling in Kellyville in Sydney's Hills District. The ridge height is 7.2 m and the eaves sit 5.8 m above the finished ground level, so the work is high risk construction work under section 291(a). Before tile delivery, the subcontractor installs perimeter guardrail edge protection to AS/NZS 4994.1 around the full roof perimeter and covers the two proposed skylight openings with load-rated ply covers screwed to the trusses. A tile-loading elevator delivers tiles directly to a loading platform, avoiding manual carry-up. On-site tile cuts at the hips and valleys are performed with a wet-cut tile saw positioned at ground level. The SWMS is signed by all four tilers, the site supervisor and reviewed with the principal contractor. When wet weather later requires the crew to switch to fall-arrest anchors during a gutter detail, the SWMS is formally reviewed under section 302 and re-signed before that work proceeds.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 36, 47, 78, 291, 299, 302
• Managing the risk of falls at workplaces Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Construction Work Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Working with silica and silica containing products Code of Practice (SafeWork NSW)
• Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) — licensing of roofing work

Frequently asked questions