Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) Template
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This Tiling Safe Work Method Statement, or Tiling SWMS, is an easy-to-use form that your workers can use to plan and manage tiling risks before surface preparation, tile cutting, adhesive application, or tile installation work begins. Easily select the scope of work, possible hazards, and required PPE from a list of choices, then work through a ready-to-use list of job steps, risk assessments, and method statements for common tiling activities.
Need a complete digital tiling SWMS you can fill out and make your own? It comes pre-filled with tiling job steps, risk assessments, and method statements you can edit to match how your company works, and your crew can scan to sign on before starting and export the finished SWMS to PDF or CSV.
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What is Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)?
A Tiling Safe Work Method Statement, or Tiling SWMS, is a document used by site teams, supervisors, and tilers to plan how tiling work will be carried out safely. This SWMS usually includes details on the work area, surface preparation, tile materials, adhesives, grout, cutting tools, wet work, PPE, job steps, hazards, risk ratings, and control measures.
Due to the risks that come with tiling work, hazards such as silica dust, cuts, manual handling injuries, slips, wet surfaces, chemical exposure, noise, vibration, and poor access have to be planned around to lessen potential accidents. This makes Tiling SWMS documents highly relevant in Australian construction, residential building, commercial fit-outs, maintenance, renovation, and civil projects where tiles are cut, fixed, grouted, or repaired.
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Applicable Standards and Policies for Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
There are generally no explicit formatting requirements for a Tiling Safe Work Method Statement. However, Australian WHS laws require PCBUs to prepare a SWMS for high-risk construction work where applicable, and to document hazards, risks, and control measures involved in surface preparation, tile cutting, adhesive use, manual handling, and work in wet or confined areas. A Tiling SWMS is a good document to support compliance with this.
- Model WHS Regulations require a SWMS for high-risk construction work in Australia
- Safe Work Australia guidance covers hazardous manual tasks and musculoskeletal risks
- Safe Work Australia guidance covers silica dust risks from cutting tiles and stone products
- State and territory WHS laws commonly require risk controls for tiling and construction work
- Local site and principal contractor requirements commonly require SWMS documents for tiling activities
Staff Members and Parties that use Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
A Tiling SWMS is primarily used by project teams that manage floor tiling, wall tiling, surface preparation, tile cutting, adhesive application, grouting, or waterproofing-related work. Here are examples of other common parties that use a Tiling SWMS:
- Site supervisors and project managers
- Tilers and flooring workers
- Waterproofing workers
- Health and safety teams
- Contractors and subcontractors carrying out tiling work
Business Risks Reduced by Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
A Tiling SWMS puts controls in place for the hazards behind most tiling incidents, such as silica dust and chemical exposure, manual handling, slips and trips, cuts, poor ventilation, wet areas, and incorrect use of cutting tools. Applied consistently, it reduces the following business risks.
- Injuries, illness, and tiling-related incidents
- Non-compliance with Australian WHS and construction safety requirements
- Legal claims, enforcement action, and incident-related costs
- Project delays from injuries, rework, investigations, and site shutdowns
Business Opportunities Created by Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
A well-prepared Tiling SWMS helps businesses improve control over tiling work, material handling, surface preparation, and dust-related risks. Here are some ways a well-designed Tiling SWMS can help businesses:
- Improve worker confidence before tiling work begins
- Strengthen contractor prequalification and tender-offer competitiveness
- Improve coordination between supervisors, tilers, waterproofing workers, and site teams
- Build trust with clients, regulators, insurers, and project stakeholders
What Should be Included in a Tiling SWMS?
A Tiling SWMS should be prepared before tiling work is carried out as part of high risk construction work or on sites with higher-risk conditions. While exact requirements can vary across Australian states, territories, projects, and principal contractor requirements, there are some core elements that are typically included that you should know about:
- Scope of work, site location, tile type, work area, and responsible persons
- Job steps for surface preparation, cutting tiles, mixing adhesives, laying tiles, grouting, cleaning, and waste disposal
- Hazards such as silica dust, manual handling, wet areas, slips, trips, sharp edges, chemicals, noise, and electrical tools
- Required controls such as dust suppression, ventilation, PPE, safe cutting areas, exclusion zones, manual handling controls, and housekeeping
- Risk ratings, emergency procedures, worker consultation, sign-off, and review requirements
Why are Tiling SWMS Important?
Tiling SWMS are important because tiling work can expose workers to silica dust, chemical exposure, sharp materials, repetitive movements, manual handling injuries, and slips or trips in wet work areas. This is critically important on construction, fit-out, renovation, and maintenance sites where tilers may cut tiles, mix adhesives, use electric tools, and work near other trades.
Essentially, a Tiling SWMS helps confirm that the work steps, hazards, dust controls, PPE, and housekeeping measures have been reviewed before the task begins. Additionally, it gives project management teams clear documentation of the due diligence performed, supporting consultation, site coordination, and compliance with Australian WHS requirements where the work forms part of construction or higher-risk site activity.
How to Create a Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
Creating your own Tiling SWMS forms doesn’t have to be complicated. In this section, we break down the process step by step.
Before starting your Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) form, the following pre-requisites should be ready.
- Project or site details are required.
- Tiling scope and work area must be listed.
- High-risk construction work details must be covered.
- Hazards, risks, and control measures must be stated.
- Adhesive, grout, cutting, and dust controls must be included.
- PPE, manual handling, and housekeeping needs must be noted.
- Worker sign-off and SWMS review requirements must be recorded.
Start with Project and SWMS Information
First, you need to place high-level general information at the beginning of your Tiling Safe Work Method Statement to help establish context for the work to be done. Here are some examples of core elements that you can use:
- Project name and site location
- SWMS title and document reference number
- Description of tiling works to be completed
- Name of the PCBU, contractor, or subcontractor
- Names and roles of workers, supervisors, and tilers
Define the Scope of Tiling Works
Next, you will want to define the scope of work so it is clear what tiling activities are covered by the SWMS. For example, you will want to list the following information in your Tiling SWMS:
- Type of tiling work being completed
- Work area, room, floor, wall, or surface location
- Materials being used, such as tiles, adhesives, grout, trims, and sealants
- Tools and equipment required for cutting, mixing, laying, and finishing
- Access, storage, and waste handling requirements
Assess Tiling Hazards
It is important that potential hazards are identified before tiling work starts so the appropriate safety control measures can be implemented. Common hazards that you should look out for include:
- Manual handling of tiles, adhesives, grout, and equipment
- Silica dust from cutting, drilling, or grinding tiles
- Cuts from sharp tile edges, blades, or cutting tools
- Slips, trips, and falls from wet surfaces, cords, or materials
- Chemical exposure from adhesives, grouts, sealants, or cleaning products
Record Safety Control Measures and Work Method
After the hazards are identified, you will want to determine the appropriate safety control measures to reduce risks for your workers and nearby site personnel. Be sure to document the following information in your SWMS:
- Manual handling controls, such as team lifts or staged material placement
- Wet cutting, dust extraction, or respiratory protection requirements
- Safe use of tile cutters, grinders, mixers, and hand tools
- PPE requirements such as eye protection, gloves, knee protection, and safety footwear
- Work sequence for set-up, surface preparation, cutting, laying, grouting, clean-up, and waste disposal
Complete Review, Approval, and Worker Sign-Off
Complete your Tiling SWMS with review, approval, and worker sign-off to confirm that the work method and safety control measures have been communicated before work starts. Here are some examples of fields you can include:
- Names and roles of reviewers and approvers
- Date of review and approval
- Worker confirmation that the SWMS has been read and understood
- Supervisor or person in charge sign-off
- Revision number and next review trigger
Frequently asked questions
How to create SWMS Process in an App or Software System
A well-designed SWMS process ensures workers clearly understand the hazards, risks, and required control measures to perform high-risk work, while enabling your team to easily document, review, and share safe work procedures before work begins.
40 minutes
Medium difficulty
Start your Tiling SWMS with General Information
It is important to begin your Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) with key project, site, date, reference, and location details so the document can be traced to the correct tiling activity. This section should use simple text and date fields for fields such as:
- Text field or Automatic Form Counter for SWMS Reference Number
- Date selector field for Date
- Text fields for Project Name and Address
- Text field or Automatic Single Day Weather capture
- Multi-line text field for Description of Work
Create a Section for Scope of Work, Hazards, and PPE
Next, create a section where users can select the project scope, possible hazards, and required PPE for the tiling works. For simplicity, we recommend using multiple-choice selector fields for this section, with fields such as:
- Multiple-choice selector field for Project Scope
- Multiple-choice selector field for Possible Hazards
- Multiple-choice selector field for PPE Required, including Ear Protection
- Conditional text field for other hazards or PPE not listed in the pre-filled choices
Create a Table for Material and Equipment Information
Users will next need to list the equipment required for the task. We highly recommend using a table for this section so each item can be recorded with its make, asset details, and required training information.
- First column for Material or Equipment Name
- Second column for Make or Model
- Third column for Registration or Asset ID, if any
- Fourth column for Required License or Training, if any
Create a Table for the Method Statement and Risk Assessment
Next, create the main SWMS table where users can record each tiling job step, hazards, risk scores, controls, and responsible persons. We highly recommend using a table for this section, with the following formatting for the columns:
- First column for Job Step
- Second column for Potential Hazards
- Third column for Initial Risk Score
- Fourth column for Controls
- Fifth column for Residual Risk Score
- Sixth column for Person Responsible
Add Pre-filled Method Statement Rows for Tiling Work
After the main table is created, add pre-filled rows that reflect the most common tiling job steps in the attached SWMS. These rows help users complete the form faster while still allowing the SWMS to be adjusted for the actual site task.
- Row for Pre-start planning, work area setup and equipment inspection
- Row for Handling tiles and mixing adhesives, mortar or grout
- Row for Cutting, drilling and shaping tiles
- Row for Laying, grouting and finishing tiles
Create a Section for Additional High-Risk or Site-Specific Steps
Some tiling tasks may require extra job steps depending on work platforms, wall tiling, dropped tools, manual handling, unstable access equipment, or elevated work areas. We highly recommend creating an additional method statement table so users can add extra risk assessment rows when needed.
- Columns for Job Step, Potential Hazards, Likelihood, Consequence, Initial Risk Score, Controls, Residual Risk Score, and Person Responsible
- Dropdown fields for Likelihood and Consequence scores
- Risk Score = Likelihood Rating x Consequence Rating
Create a Section for Risk Matrix Guidance
Next, add a risk matrix section as a guide for users to assess initial and residual risk scores for any additional job steps they may add. We highly recommend using the following fields and features to help guide users:
- Pre-filled or photo of the Risk Matrix table showing Likelihood, Consequence, and Risk Score levels
- Pre-filled text field for Consequence ratings from 1 to 5
- Pre-filled text field for Likelihood ratings from 1 to 5
- Pre-filled guide for residual risk actions, including Low, Moderate, High, and Catastrophic risk outcome
End your Tiling SWMS with Worker and Supervisor Sign-offs
Finally, complete the Tiling Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) with worker confirmation and sign-off fields for the responsible parties. If your app or software allows, use scan-to-sign and automatic e-signature fields to keep the sign-off process digital.
- A scan to sign-on table for workers’ sign-off
- E-signature field for Supervisor Sign-off
- E-signature field for Project Manager Sign-off
- Automatic date and time stamp fields for each sign-off
About the author
Ron Gadugdug
Engineering Content Writer
Education:
Cebu Institute of Technology - University - Civil Engineering
Bio:
Ron is a Civil Engineer with 6 years of experience in the construction industry, primarily focused on quantity surveying, cost estimation, project management, quality control, contract administration, and property & engineering insurance. At Sitemate, he writes about practical applications of evolving technologies and digital solutions that support construction professionals in improving efficiency, compliance, and project delivery across the built world.
Project Details:
Quantity Surveying & Cost Engineering
Performed quantity take-offs of several high-rise and horizontal structures using sheets and applications like Revit and Bluebeam Revu, and spearheaded trials with Building Information Modeling (BIM) software.
Project Management & Consultancy
Coordinated with project management teams during the construction of local projects such as a 4-tower hotel & resort, a 22 storey condominium project, and a school dormitory project.
Contract Administration
Assisted during contract biddings and negotiations with general contractors and sub-contractors, and oversaw progress reporting, billings, and payment.
Property & Engineering Insurance
Dedicated non-life claims handler, overseeing property and contractor all-risk insurance claims, risk management, and bonds.
Version History:
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