Bedding-Screeding Floor Safe Work Method Statement

Screeding operations involve extensive manual handling of heavy materials creating significant injury risk. Bags of dry screed compound, levelling compound, and cement typically weigh 20-25 kilograms and must be lifted from pallets, carried to mixing areas, lifted to pour into mixers, and handled during storage. A typical bathroom floor may require 10-20 bags representing 200-500 kilograms of total material handling. Mixed screed is transported in buckets that when full often weigh 25-35 kilograms, far exceeding recommended manual handling limits. Workers repeatedly lift these loads from ground level, carry them across uneven substrates, and pour them whilst maintaining awkward postures. The repetitive nature creates cumulative loading on the lumbar spine, with flexion and twisting during lifting operations creating high compression and shear forces on intervertebral discs. Acute injuries including muscle strains and disc herniations occur from single heavy lifts or unexpected loading. Chronic injuries develop progressively from cumulative trauma over years of repeated lifting. Shoulder injuries result from carrying heavy buckets with extended arms. Knee injuries occur when kneeling to lower heavy loads to floor level. The manual handling demands are intensified when working in confined bathrooms or upper levels without lift access, requiring materials to be hand-carried up stairs.

Consequence: Acute lower back strains requiring time off work, chronic lumbar disc degeneration causing ongoing pain and disability, shoulder rotator cuff injuries, knee joint damage, and potential for permanent disability requiring career change from the tiling trade.

All cement-based screeding compounds are strongly alkaline with pH 12-13, capable of causing severe chemical burns through skin contact. During mixing operations, dry powder can contact skin and when moistened with sweat becomes caustic. Wet screed contacting hands, arms, and legs during application causes progressive chemical burning that may not be immediately painful, allowing prolonged contact before workers recognise injury. Kneeling in wet screed while finishing operations causes burns on knees and shins. Screed splashed into eyes is a medical emergency requiring immediate irrigation to prevent permanent corneal damage and vision loss. Cement alkalinity destroys skin proteins and lipids causing dermatitis that progresses from mild irritation to cracked, bleeding, ulcerated skin. Some workers develop allergic contact dermatitis from hexavalent chromium compounds in cement, creating immune-mediated skin reactions that persist with any cement exposure. Once chromium sensitisation develops, workers experience severe dermatitis from minimal cement contact, often ending their careers in tiling trades. The delayed onset of symptoms means workers may not recognise chemical burns are occurring until after work shifts when skin pain and inflammation become apparent. Inadequate washing allows alkaline residues to continue damaging skin for hours after initial contact. Workers often neglect hand protection due to reduced dexterity when wearing gloves, or choose inadequate cotton gloves that become saturated with screed providing no protection.

Consequence: Severe chemical burns requiring medical treatment, permanent scarring, chronic irritant contact dermatitis causing ongoing pain and preventing continued work, allergic sensitisation to chromium ending careers, potential vision loss from eye contact, and long-term skin damage requiring dermatological treatment.

Screeding operations generate significant dust exposure when opening bags of dry compound, pouring powder into mixers, during mechanical mixing operations, and when cleaning equipment and floors. Cement dust is a respiratory irritant causing acute symptoms including coughing, throat irritation, and breathing difficulty. Chronic inhalation causes cement pneumoconiosis, a form of occupational lung disease, and exacerbates pre-existing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Many screeding compounds contain crystalline silica from sand and aggregate components, creating silicosis risk identical to that from tile cutting. Silica is a Group 1 carcinogen causing irreversible lung scarring, lung cancer, and kidney disease. Dust concentrations are highest in poorly ventilated interior spaces including bathrooms and ensuites where most screeding work occurs. Mechanical mixing with paddle mixers in enclosed spaces creates dust clouds that remain airborne for extended periods and deposit throughout work areas. Workers directly operating mixers receive the highest exposures. The fine particle size of self-levelling compounds creates particularly high airborne dust concentrations during handling. Dust control is often neglected due to time pressure and perception that short-duration exposures are harmless, despite evidence that even brief high-concentration exposures contribute to cumulative lung damage over careers spanning decades.

Consequence: Acute respiratory irritation and breathing difficulty, chronic cement pneumoconiosis causing progressive lung function decline, silicosis from silica-containing compounds requiring ongoing medical monitoring, exacerbation of asthma and COPD, increased lung cancer risk, and potential respiratory disability affecting quality of life.

Floor screeding requires workers to adopt kneeling positions for extended periods during material spreading, trowelling, and finishing operations. Unlike tile installation where kneeling is intermittent, screeding often involves continuous kneeling across entire floor areas until the screed is placed and finished, potentially lasting several hours without breaks. Kneeling on hard concrete substrates creates extreme pressure on knee joints, patellae, and surrounding soft tissues. The pressure compresses bursa sacs causing bursitis (housemaid's knee), damages cartilage leading to osteoarthritis, and causes soft tissue injuries including tears to meniscus and ligaments. Forward bending whilst kneeling to reach distant areas creates additional lumbar spine loading. Using hand tools including trowels and floats whilst kneeling requires sustained gripping force causing hand and forearm fatigue and potential repetitive strain injuries. Working in confined bathroom spaces prevents position changes and forces workers to maintain awkward postures reaching around obstacles including toilets, vanities, and door frames. The cumulative nature of kneeling trauma means damage accumulates progressively across careers, with many tilers developing chronic knee conditions by their 40s. Morning stiffness, chronic pain, and loss of full knee extension become permanent disabilities. Despite availability of knee pads and kneeling mats, many workers use inadequate protection or wear knee pads incorrectly allowing them to slip during work.

Consequence: Acute knee bursitis requiring medical treatment and time off work, chronic osteoarthritis developing over years causing permanent pain and disability, meniscal tears requiring surgical intervention, lower back injuries from combined kneeling and bending, and potential for permanent disability necessitating career change.

Screeding operations create wet, slippery floor surfaces throughout work areas presenting significant slip hazards. Freshly placed screed is wet and slippery, with workers needing to access screeded areas during finishing operations. Spilled screed, water used for mixing and cleaning, and tracking of wet material onto adjacent dry surfaces creates slip zones that persist throughout work shifts. In bathrooms and wet areas where screeding commonly occurs, confined spaces mean limited dry walking surfaces. Power cables and water hoses for mixers cross walkways creating trip hazards. Empty screed bags, discarded packaging, and tools left on floors become trip hazards. Workers carrying heavy buckets of mixed screed have reduced visibility of ground surfaces and limited ability to recover balance if slips occur, increasing fall severity. Wet concrete substrates being screeded may have been treated with bonding agents or moisture barriers creating extremely slippery surfaces. Falls onto concrete floors or into freshly screeded areas cause impact injuries. Workers instinctively putting hands down to break falls contact wet alkaline screed causing chemical burns compounding impact injuries. Working backwards whilst screeding to avoid walking on fresh work further increases slip risk as workers cannot see surfaces they are stepping onto. Inadequate lighting in interior spaces reduces ability to identify wet surfaces and obstacles. Slip-resistant footwear loses effectiveness when contaminated with wet screed.

Consequence: Falls causing impact injuries including fractures, sprains, bruising, and head injuries, alkali burns from hand contact with wet screed during falls, damage to freshly screeded floors requiring re-work, and potential for serious injuries requiring medical treatment and work time loss.

Screeding operations involve use of electric paddle mixers, forced-action mixers, and power tools in environments where water and wet materials are constantly present. Electric mixing equipment operating in puddles of water or with wet power cables creates serious electrocution risk. Extension leads and power boards may not be appropriately rated for wet environments. Mixing equipment may have damaged insulation or compromised weatherproofing allowing water ingress to electrical components. Operating equipment with wet hands increases electrical conductivity and shock severity. In bathrooms and wet areas, mixing equipment operates in close proximity to plumbing and water services. Residual Current Devices (RCDs) protecting circuits may be bypassed, faulty, or absent. Workers may use domestic-grade equipment not designed for construction site conditions. Trailing power cables across wet floors create simultaneous electrocution and trip hazards. Metal mixing paddles contacting live electrical components create shock paths to operators. The combination of wet conditions, fatigue, time pressure, and multiple trades working simultaneously increases likelihood of electrical safety shortcuts and equipment damage going unnoticed.

Consequence: Electric shock causing cardiac arrest and death, serious burns from electrical arcing, falls from muscular contractions during shock, and ongoing electrical safety risks to other trades working in the area until defective equipment is identified and removed from service.