Tiling SWMS, drafted for your job
A day on the tiles means cutting dust and wet slurry, adhesives on bare skin, knees down for hours and heavy cartons humped through the job. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it on site before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Tiling
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Set up cutting and mixing stations | Dust, slurry and trips | Medium | Wet saw ventilated and off the walk path |
| 2 | Prep floor and mark the layout | Scraping dust; knee strain | Low | Wet scrape; knee pads on early |
| 3 | Mix and spread the adhesive | Skin and eye splash | Medium | Gloves and glasses; mix slow and low |
| 4 | Cut, set and level the tiles | Blade cuts; sharp edges | Medium | Push guide on the saw; gloves on |
| 5 | Grout, clean and seal | Slurry slips; skin contact | Low | Squeegee as you go; gloves on |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your tiling SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
High-risk work on this job
This task is not usually high-risk construction work. If your job involves any category, tick it when you start and the SWMS covers it.
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a tiling job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Silica dust from dry cutting or grinding porcelain and stone
High- Cut wet on a saw with a water feed, or outdoors with on-tool extraction
- Wear a P2 respirator for any dry trimming, chasing or powder mixing
- Clean up wet or with a vacuum; never dry sweep cutting dust
- 2
Fingers at the wet saw blade while trimming tiles
Medium- Use the push guide or a push stick and keep hands off the blade line
- Check the guard moves freely and the water is flowing before each cut
- 3
Adhesive, thinset and grout burning skin and eyes
Medium- Gloves on for mixing and spreading; wash splashes off straight away
- Tip powder in slow and low so the dust stays down
- Eye protection when mixing, scraping or working overhead
- 4
Knees and lower back after hours setting floor tiles
Medium- Knee pads or a kneeling board, and swap between kneeling and standing tasks
- Stage tiles and adhesive within reach to cut down the crawling
- 5
Heavy cartons of porcelain or stone carried through the site
Medium- Split cartons into smaller lifts or run them on a trolley
- Store tiles near the work face at waist height where the room allows
- 6
Slips on slurry, spacers and offcuts around cutting and mixing stations
Medium- Set the wet saw and mixing tubs off the main walk path
- Squeegee slurry and pick up offcuts as you go
- 7
Cut hands on snapped tile edges and sharp offcuts
Low- Drop offcuts straight into a tub instead of the floor
- Handle cut edges with gloves on
How the job usually runs
- 1Set up cutting and mixing stationsDust, slurry and trips → Wet saw ventilated and off the walk path
- 2Prep floor and mark the layoutScraping dust; knee strain → Wet scrape; knee pads on early
- 3Mix and spread the adhesiveSkin and eye splash → Gloves and glasses; mix slow and low
- 4Cut, set and level the tilesBlade cuts; sharp edges → Push guide on the saw; gloves on
- 5Grout, clean and sealSlurry slips; skin contact → Squeegee as you go; gloves on
PPE for this job
- P2 respirator
- Safety glasses
- Waterproof gloves
- Knee pads
- Safety boots
- Cut-resistant gloves
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Tiling SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does the SWMS cover both floor and wall tiling?
Yes. Describe the areas the job covers when you start and the draft adjusts: wall work adds eye protection and reach controls for overhead spreading, floor work keeps the kneeling and slurry controls.
Is waterproofing part of this SWMS?
When you describe the job, include the membrane step and the draft adds the handling and ventilation controls for it. A big membrane scope may suit its own waterproofing SWMS as well.
What about cutting stone or large-format porcelain?
Mention the material when you start and the draft keeps the wet cutting and extraction controls front and centre, plus heavier lifting steps for large-format pieces and slab cartons.
How much does a tiling SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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