Stone & Slate Tiling SWMS
NSW — Stone & Slate Tiling. Full task scope, hazards and controls to be authored to Phase 1 standard.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Stone and slate tiling involves the cutting, handling and installation of dense natural stone products — including granite, marble, sandstone, bluestone and slate — across floors, walls, staircases and external paving. The work combines heavy manual handling of slabs and large-format tiles, wet and dry cutting with diamond blades, adhesive and grout application, and frequent use of powered mobile plant such as forklifts, telehandlers and skid steers to move palletised stock around active construction zones. The dust generated when cutting or dry-grinding natural stone contains respirable crystalline silica (RCS), and the sheer mass of stone units introduces crush, drop and musculoskeletal risks that are materially greater than for ceramic tiling.
Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), stone and slate tiling meets the definition of high risk construction work in section 291 (movement of powered mobile plant), which triggers the mandatory SWMS obligation in section 299. Controls must follow the hierarchy in section 36 — elimination first, then substitution, engineering, administrative measures and PPE last — with specific attention to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) Chapter 7 Part 7.1 requirements for hazardous chemicals and the Part 4.1 airborne contaminant exposure standard for RCS.
Hazards identified
12 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal crush injury or severe traumatic injury to tiler or nearby workers
Silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — irreversible
Crush injury to hands, feet or torso; fatality from full-slab topple
Chronic back, shoulder and knee injury; acute disc herniation
Deep lacerations, tendon severance, amputation of digits
Electrocution; secondary fall injury
Fractures, head injury, sprains
Contact dermatitis, chemical burns, respiratory sensitisation
Noise-induced hearing loss; tinnitus
Corneal abrasion, chemical burn, permanent vision loss
Bursitis, patellar damage, hand-arm vibration syndrome
Head or foot injury to workers below
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1ELIMINATE: Order stone pre-cut to size from the supplier where geometry allows, removing on-site cutting and the associated silica generation.
- 2SUBSTITUTE: Where structural and aesthetic requirements permit, specify engineered or reconstituted products with lower free silica content, and prefer wet-cutting methods over dry cutting in every circumstance.
- 3ENGINEERING: All cutting, grinding and edge-dressing of natural stone to be performed using on-tool water suppression or on-tool extraction fitted with an H-class HEPA vacuum compliant with AS/NZS 60335.2.69, maintaining RCS below the workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA).
- 4ENGINEERING: Establish exclusion zones around operating powered mobile plant with physical barriers and spotters; forklifts and telehandlers to comply with AS 2359 series, operators to hold the relevant HRW licence (LF/LO/etc.) and pre-start inspections recorded daily.
- 5ENGINEERING: Use mechanical lifting aids (vacuum lifters, A-frames, stone trolleys, panel dollies) for any slab or large-format tile exceeding 20 kg; two-person lift for units 20–55 kg; mechanical only above 55 kg.
- 6ENGINEERING: All 240 V equipment protected by portable RCDs (30 mA trip) tested and tagged in accordance with AS/NZS 3012; damaged leads removed from service immediately.
- 7ADMINISTRATIVE: Air monitoring for RCS conducted by a competent person in accordance with AS 2985 at commencement and whenever methods or materials change; health monitoring for silica-exposed workers as required by WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) sections 368–378.
- 8ADMINISTRATIVE: Traffic management plan segregating pedestrian tilers from plant movement paths; deliveries scheduled outside peak trade activity; communication via two-way radio and hand signals per AS 2550.1.
- 9ADMINISTRATIVE: SDS available on site for every adhesive, grout, sealer and solvent; hazardous chemical register maintained under WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) section 346; task-specific manual handling assessment completed before each stone type.
- 10PPE: P2 respirators (fit-tested per AS/NZS 1715) escalated to powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) for extended cutting; safety eyewear to AS/NZS 1337.1; cut-resistant and chemical-resistant gloves; steel-cap footwear to AS/NZS 2210.3; hearing protection to AS/NZS 1270 where measured noise exceeds 85 dB(A).
- 11PPE: Knee protection, high-visibility clothing to AS/NZS 4602.1 in any area with mobile plant, and impervious aprons when handling epoxy or acid-based cleaning agents.
- 12VERIFICATION: All workers hold CPCCWHS1001 (White Card); SWMS developed in consultation with workers per WHS Act 2011 (NSW) section 47; reviewed and revised per WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) section 302 whenever controls change, an incident occurs, or the work method is altered.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets the general framework for planning, consultation and SWMS content for all construction work including finishing trades.
Directly governs cutting and processing of natural stone products; prescribes wet methods, on-tool extraction, exposure monitoring and health surveillance.
Applies to repetitive lifting, kneeling and carrying of heavy stone units; requires risk assessment of postural and load factors.
Technical installation standard applied by analogy to stone and slate tiling; substrate preparation, adhesive selection and movement joints.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Stone and slate tiling routinely occurs in construction zones where forklifts, telehandlers, skid steers and pallet jacks move heavy stone packs, adhesives and waste. Tilers work at floor level within the operating radius of this plant, creating a foreseeable risk of being struck or crushed. This directly satisfies the section 291 category regardless of whether the plant is operated by the tiler or by other trades on the same site.
Because the work is high risk construction work, WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) section 299 requires a compliant SWMS to be prepared before work commences and section 302 requires it to be reviewed and revised as necessary. Failure to prepare, comply with or make the SWMS available for inspection is an offence attracting penalties under the current SafeWork NSW penalty schedule. A serious incident arising from failure to control a known risk may be prosecuted as a Category 2 offence under WHS Act 2011 (NSW) section 32, or a Category 1 offence under section 31 where reckless conduct is established, with substantially higher penalties for both individuals and body corporates.
Who this is for
- →Stone and slate tiling contractors and sole-trader tilers operating on NSW construction sites
- →Principal contractors engaging finishing trades on residential, commercial and heritage projects
- →Kitchen, bathroom and landscape businesses installing natural stone benchtops, floors and paving
- →Site managers coordinating tiling alongside powered mobile plant movements
- →WHS coordinators auditing SWMS documentation for silica-generating trades
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word SWMS aligned to WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) sections 299–303
- ✓Pre-populated hazard and control register covering silica, plant, manual handling and chemicals
- ✓High Risk Construction Work declaration referencing section 291(o) — movement of powered mobile plant
- ✓Hierarchy-of-control mapping with AS/NZS references for each control
- ✓Consultation, sign-on and daily pre-start review sheets
- ✓SWMS review and amendment log satisfying section 302
- ✓Silica exposure control checklist aligned with the SafeWork NSW silica Code of Practice
- ✓PPE selection matrix with fit-test and inspection prompts
- ✓Emergency response and incident notification section referencing WHS Act section 38
Worked example
A three-person tiling crew is contracted to install honed bluestone paving and slate stair treads on a mixed-use development in Alexandria. The stone arrives on pallets and is moved into position by the principal contractor's telehandler operating within 3 metres of the tilers throughout the day. On-site cuts are required for stair nosings and around service penetrations. Before commencing, the crew leader completes this SWMS, identifies section 291(o) as the HRCW trigger, and confirms with the principal contractor that a documented traffic management plan segregates the tiling zone from the telehandler path with hard barriers and a designated spotter. All cutting is performed on a wet saw fitted to a slurry-collection tray; a battery-powered grinder with on-tool water suppression is used for on-tile adjustments. RCS monitoring is scheduled for the first full cutting day. Two workers hold current HRW LF licences; all three hold CPCCWHS1001. The SWMS is signed on daily and formally reviewed when the crew transitions from external paving to internal stair cladding.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — sections 19, 31, 32, 38, 47
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — sections 291, 299, 302, 346, 368–378
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 3 (general risk management, section 36 hierarchy of control)
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Part 4.1 (airborne contaminants and exposure standards)
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — Chapter 7 Part 7.1 (hazardous chemicals)
- Environmentally Hazardous Chemicals Act 1985 (NSW) — for disposal of stone slurry and chemical waste
Frequently asked questions
Is stone and slate tiling always high risk construction work in NSW?
In practical terms, yes. On any active construction site where forklifts, telehandlers, skid steers or similar powered mobile plant are operating in the vicinity of the tiling work, section 291 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) is triggered and a SWMS is mandatory under section 299. Even isolated domestic work commonly involves pallet delivery by truck-mounted crane or forklift, which also engages the category.
How does this SWMS address respirable crystalline silica when cutting natural stone?
The document treats silica as an embedded hazard across cutting, grinding and edge-dressing tasks. Controls prioritise elimination through pre-cut supply, then wet-cutting with slurry capture, then on-tool H-class extraction. It references the SafeWork NSW silica Code of Practice, the 0.05 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard, AS 2985 monitoring methodology and the health monitoring obligations in sections 368–378 of the Regulation.
Do all workers on site need a High Risk Work licence?
Tilers themselves do not require a HRW licence to lay stone. However, any worker operating a forklift, telehandler or non-slewing mobile crane involved in stone movement must hold the relevant HRW licence class under WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) Chapter 4 Part 4.5. Where the tiling contractor's own workers operate such plant, licence copies should be attached to this SWMS.
When must this SWMS be reviewed?
Section 302 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) requires review whenever control measures are revised, when a notifiable incident occurs, when the work method or materials change (for example switching from bluestone to granite, or from wet to dry cutting), or when workers request a review. Best practice is a documented review at each new site and at any change of principal contractor.
Document details
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