External Cladding Installation — Safe Work Method Statement
Safe Work Method Statement for installing external wall cladding such as fibre cement, weatherboard, metal and composite panels, including removal of old cladding, wall wrap, cutting, fixing and working from scaffold or EWP.
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Cladding installation is High Risk Construction Work on most jobs, because anything above the ground floor wall is done from scaffold, mobile scaffold or an EWP where a fall of more than 2 metres is possible. On re-cladding jobs, the old cladding on houses built before 1990 may be asbestos cement sheet, and removing it is HRCW and licensed work over 10 m2. EWPs, telehandlers and cranes lifting panel packs also bring powered mobile plant into the work area. A single-storey re-clad with no asbestos and work from low platforms may not need a SWMS by law, but builders will normally require one.
Fibre cement sheet contains crystalline silica, and cutting it with a power saw produces fine dust. Use score-and-snap knives and fibre cement shears wherever you can. If you must use a saw, use one with a dust-reducing blade connected to an extraction vacuum, cut outdoors and wear a P2 respirator. Never dry-cut fibre cement with an angle grinder. Metal and aluminium composite panels bring sharp edges, heat and noise from cutting, and sheets that act like sails in the wind.
The scaffold and the cladding often fight each other. Cladders need access close to the wall and ties removed as they work, but only a licensed scaffolder should alter a scaffold where a person or object could fall more than 4 metres. Plan the scaffold layout and tie positions with the scaffolder before you start. Panels and sheets are also an awkward manual handling load at height, so lift packs to the working level with plant rather than carrying them up ladders.
Cladding selection matters too. Combustible cladding on multi-storey buildings is restricted under the National Construction Code, so install only the product specified and approved for the building. Fixings, flashings and sarking must follow the manufacturer's system.
Customise this template with the building age and asbestos status of any old cladding, the cladding product and SDS, the scaffold or EWP arrangement and who is licensed to alter it, how materials are lifted, the cutting method and dust controls, wind limits for sheet handling, exclusion zones below the work, and power supply arrangements.
Personal Protective Equipment
High Risk Construction Work Types
- •Risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
- •Work that involves, or is likely to involve, disturbing asbestos
- •Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant
Risk Assessment
1.Pre-start: asbestos check, scaffold and EWP
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Removing old cladding that contains asbestos | Catastrophic | Test old cladding on buildings built before 1990 before removal. Over 10 m2 of asbestos cement removed by a licensed removalist with clearance before re-cladding starts. Never cut or break suspect sheet. | Low | Builder / Asbestos Removalist |
| Fall from scaffold with gaps or removed ties | Catastrophic | Scaffold inspected and tagged before use. Guardrails, midrails and toeboards on working decks. Cladders do not remove ties or boards; the licensed scaffolder adjusts the scaffold. Re-inspect after any alteration. | Low | Scaffolder / Site Supervisor |
| EWP tip-over or crush against the wall | High | EWP on firm, level ground with outriggers set where fitted. Operator trained and licensed for boom EWPs 11 m or more. Harness attached to the basket anchor in boom lifts. Watch for crush points between the basket and the wall or eaves. | Low | EWP Operator |
2.Lifting materials to the work level
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual handling injury carrying sheets up ladders or scaffold | High | Lift sheet packs to a loading bay with a telehandler, forklift or crane. Two-person carries for long sheets. No carrying sheets up ladders. | Moderate | Cladder |
| Sheets blown off the scaffold | High | Stop handling sheets in strong winds. Strap down stacks on the scaffold. Keep only the sheets needed at the work face. | Low | Cladder |
3.Installing wall wrap, battens and flashings
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuts from metal flashings | Moderate | Cut-resistant gloves. Fold or deburr cut edges. Carry flashings with a second person if long. | Low | Cladder |
| Fixing into cables or pipes inside the wall | Moderate | Check stud wall services before fixing battens, particularly near meter boxes and taps. Use correct length screws. | Low | Cladder |
4.Cutting cladding
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silica dust from cutting fibre cement | High | Score and snap or shears as first choice. Where sawing, use a fibre cement blade on a saw connected to an M- or H-class extraction vacuum, outdoors, with a P2 respirator. No angle grinders. Clean up with a vacuum. | Low | Cladder |
| Noise and hot swarf from cutting metal panels | Moderate | Use nibblers or shears where possible. Hearing protection and eye protection when sawing. Clear swarf from finished surfaces and walkways. | Low | Cladder |
5.Fixing cladding at height
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overreaching from scaffold or EWP | High | Reposition the EWP or ask for a scaffold hop-up bracket rather than leaning over rails. Keep both feet on the platform. | Low | Cladder |
| Objects falling onto people below | High | Exclusion zone below the work area. Toeboards and mesh on scaffold. Tool lanyards in EWPs. Fixings kept in pouches. | Low | Site Supervisor |
6.Clean-up and waste
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dust and offcuts left on scaffold and ground | Moderate | Vacuum dust from decks. Offcuts to a skip daily. Do not throw waste off the scaffold; use a chute or lower it in bags. | Low | Cladder |
Relevant Codes of Practice
Worker Acknowledgement
By signing below, I confirm that I have read, understood and agree to comply with this Safe Work Method Statement.