Stone Sealing & Restoration SWMS

Stone sealing and restoration involves applying solvent-based and water-based penetrating sealers, impregnators and topical coatings to natural stone surfaces including marble, granite, limestone, sandstone and travertine. The work also covers mechanical and chemical surface preparation, poultice stain removal, honing, and the restoration of weathered, etched or efflorescence-affected substrates. Because sealer application routinely involves Class 3 flammable liquids, hazardous chemicals with respiratory and dermal toxicity, and confined or poorly ventilated interior areas such as bathrooms, lift lobbies and stairwells, the activity constitutes High Risk Construction Work under WHS Regulation 2025 section 291. A Safe Work Method Statement is mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with workers under s47–s48, kept available for inspection, and reviewed if controls fail or conditions change. This SWMS documents the chemical inventory, ventilation regime, ignition source controls and PPE selection necessary to discharge the PCBU's primary duty of care under s19 of the WHS Act.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

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

1. 1Elimination — Eliminate solvent-based sealers where stone porosity and finish requirements permit, removing the flammable vapour and high-VOC inhalation hazard from the workspace entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Eliminate dry mechanical preparation by specifying pre-finished stone or factory-sealed product, removing respirable crystalline silica generation at the source.
3. 3Substitution — Substitute solvent-carrier impregnators with water-based fluoropolymer or siliconate sealers carrying lower WES and no flashpoint where substrate compatibility and SDS confirm performance equivalence.
4. 4Substitution — Substitute concentrated acidic stain removers with buffered pH-neutral poultice systems to reduce dermal corrosivity and downstream effluent management obligations.
5. 5Engineering — Install mechanical extraction ventilation delivering minimum 10 air changes per hour with explosion-proof fans during solvent application in enclosed spaces per AS 1668.2.
6. 6Engineering — Use HEPA-filtered wet-edge honing equipment with integrated water suppression for any stone preparation, controlling silica below the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard.
7. 7Administrative — Maintain a hazardous chemicals register and SDS within 5 years of issue, isolate ignition sources within 6 m of application zone, and enforce no-hot-work permits during sealing and 4-hour cure period.
8. 8Administrative — Conduct daily pre-start toolbox briefings against this SWMS, atmospheric monitoring with PID meter where solvent sealers are used, and rotate workers to limit individual exposure duration.
9. 9PPE — Provide A2-P3 organic vapour and particulate respirators fit-tested under AS/NZS 1715, replacing cartridges per manufacturer breakthrough schedule when applying solvent-based sealers.
10. 10PPE — Issue nitrile or butyl chemical-resistant gloves to AS/NZS 2161.10.1, indirect-vent chemical splash goggles to AS/NZS 1337.1, coveralls Type 5/6, and P3 slip-resistant footwear.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a boutique hotel refurbishment, a stonemason crew is scheduled to apply a solvent-based impregnating sealer to honed limestone flooring across a ground-floor lobby and adjoining lift lobby. At the 6:30 am pre-start, the leading hand opens this SWMS on a site tablet and walks the two-person crew through the chemical inventory, confirming the SDS for the nominated impregnator is current and the cartridges in the A2-P3 respirators were replaced the previous Friday. Reviewing the hazards section, the crew identifies that the lift lobby has no openable window — triggering the engineering control requiring temporary ducted extraction. The leading hand isolates the lobby pendant lights at the board, posts no-hot-work signage at both access points, and tapes off a 6 m exclusion zone. A PID meter is placed at breathing height. Each worker signs the SWMS register acknowledging the controls. Two hours into application, the PID alarms at 80 percent of the WES-TWA action level. Following the administrative control in this SWMS, work stops, the crew exits, the extraction fan output is increased, and a 20-minute purge is logged before re-entry. The SWMS is annotated with the deviation, signed by the leading hand, and uploaded to the site safety folder for the principal contractor's records.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Crystalline Silica — National Strategy + CoP; AS 4801

Frequently asked questions