Metal Decking Installation SWMS

Metal decking installation involves the placement, positioning and mechanical fixing of profiled steel deck sheets (such as Bondek, Condeck HP or KingFlor) onto structural steel beams to form composite floor systems in multi-storey construction. Workers handle large, slippery, wind-affected sheets at height, often on partially completed floors with open perimeters, penetrations and end diaphragm gaps. The activity combines exposure to falls from height, falling objects onto workers below, crush injuries from crane-lifted bundles, lacerations from sharp sheet edges, and the risk of structural collapse where decking is loaded before it is fully fixed or where temporary supports are inadequate.

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), metal decking installation is high risk construction work under section 291(a) (risk of a person falling more than 2 metres) and section 291(e) (structural alterations or repairs requiring temporary support to prevent collapse). Section 299 requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be prepared before the work commences, and the controls must follow the hierarchy in section 36 — eliminating the fall risk where reasonably practicable and otherwise using higher-order controls such as perimeter edge protection, engineered access and load-rated propping before reliance on administrative measures or 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 practicable by pre-assembling deck panels at ground level and lifting as complete modules, and design out penetrations that require post-installation infill.
2. 2Install engineered perimeter edge protection (top rail, mid rail and toe board) compliant with AS/NZS 4994.1 to all open edges before decking commences; where edge protection is not practicable at the immediate leading edge, use a travel-restraint or fall-arrest system anchored to certified anchor points in accordance with AS/NZS 1891.4.
3. 3Install compliant catch platforms, containment sheeting or perimeter screens beneath the work area to arrest falling objects, and exclude workers from the drop-zone below using hard barricades and signage per AS 1319.
4. 4Erect load-rated temporary propping and back-propping designed by a competent person to the decking manufacturer's span tables and to AS 3610 for formwork, with props inspected and tagged before concrete pour.
5. 5Follow a documented decking sequence: sheets landed, positioned, side-lapped and end-fixed to structural steel by puddle weld or self-drilling screw before any point loading, storage or foot traffic on the interior of the sheet is permitted.
6. 6Rigging and dogging by ticketed personnel (HRWL DG/RB/CN as applicable); use certified lifting equipment inspected before each shift under AS 2550.1, with tag lines and exclusion zones during landing of bundles; verify overhead powerline clearances to the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice — Work near overhead and underground assets.
7. 7Establish wind speed cut-offs (typically ≤ 10 m/s sustained for sheet handling — confirm against manufacturer and crane data) measured by on-site anemometer; suspend decking when threshold is exceeded.
8. 8Cover or hard-barricade all penetrations, stair voids and end-diaphragm gaps immediately; covers to be structurally adequate, secured against displacement and labelled 'PENETRATION — DO NOT REMOVE'.
9. 9Provide task-specific PPE: cut-resistant gloves (EN 388 level C minimum), safety eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.1, hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270, P2 respirators to AS/NZS 1716 during cutting/welding operations, and safety footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3.
10. 10Conduct daily pre-start briefings covering the day's decking sequence, weather, exclusion zones and rescue plan; a documented height rescue plan must be in place before any fall-arrest system is used.
11. 11Verify all workers hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card) plus role-specific HRWL and Working at Heights competency; consult workers under section 47 of the WHS Act during SWMS development and review the SWMS under section 302 whenever the work method, personnel, structure or environment changes, or after any notifiable incident.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

A structural steel subcontractor is installing Bondek II decking on levels 6–12 of a commercial tower at Macquarie Park, Sydney. Bundles are craned from a laydown area on Waterloo Road across the erected steel frame to landing points on the current working level. Before decking commences, the site engineer certifies perimeter edge protection to AS/NZS 4994.1 around the full floor plate, and a temporary propping layout designed to AS 3610 is installed on the level below. The decking crew — all holding CPCCWHS1001 and current working-at-heights training — lays sheets from the fixed edge inwards, puddle-welding side laps and end-fixing to the beams before any concrete kicker or reinforcement is placed. A dogger with a HRWL DG licence directs each lift, and a spotter monitors an anemometer at the drop-zone. When wind gusts exceed 10 m/s during an afternoon southerly change, the leading hand suspends lifts, secures loose sheets and records the stand-down in the daily diary. The SWMS is reviewed under section 302 the following morning when a fresh crew rotates in from another project.

Related legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — sections 19, 20, 31, 32, 46, 47
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 78–79 (falls), 291, 299, 302
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 4 Part 4.3 Confined spaces (where applicable to decking over voids)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 6 Construction work
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) — construction certificate and site conditions
• Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (NSW) — where decking forms part of a Class 2 building element

Frequently asked questions