Health and safety paperwork for flooring contractors

The hazards that actually matter

Every trade has a long list and a short one. The short one is what the task documents have to deal with properly, because it is where the serious harm comes from.

Asbestos in existing floors

Vinyl sheet, vinyl tiles, their backing and the black bitumen adhesive under them can all contain asbestos in buildings from before 2000. Lifting, scraping or grinding one is a disturbance that goes airborne. This is the single most likely way a flooring crew is exposed, and it is identified by sampling before the strip, not by the look of the tile.

Silica from grinding and polishing

Concrete grinding, polishing and screed removal release respirable crystalline silica continuously rather than in bursts. On-tool extraction with a class H vacuum, or wet grinding, then respiratory protection face fit tested for the wearer.

Adhesive and solvent vapour

Adhesives, levelling compounds and timber finishes release vapour into a room that is closed up so the floor can cure. Concentrations build at floor level where the installer is working. Mechanical ventilation and the right cartridge, and no ignition sources with a flammable adhesive.

Kneeling and manual handling

Hours on the knees, rolls of vinyl and carpet that are heavy and unwieldy, and boxes of timber overlay carried through a finished house.

Noise and vibration

Grinders, saws and hammer-driven tools in a hard empty room, and hand-arm vibration over a full shift.

Working in occupied and finished spaces

Protecting what is already finished, and the client walking across a floor that is curing. Isolation of the area and a return-to-use time that is stated rather than assumed.

Electrical and leads

Grinders and vacuums on long leads across a wet or dusty floor, with residual current protection and lead condition checked rather than assumed.

What applies beyond the general duties

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016 apply to every business. These sit on top of them for this trade:

• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, identification and licensed removal of pre-2000 floor coverings and adhesives
• Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017, for adhesives, solvents and finishes
• Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, for airborne contaminants and respiratory protection

Competence and licensing

There is no occupational licence for flooring. Asbestos removal above the small quantity thresholds requires a licensed removalist, and friable material requires a Class A licence, which is the practical constraint on a strip-out of an old floor. Some substances require a certified handler. Respiratory protection must match the hazard and be face fit tested, and the cartridge for solvent vapour is not the filter for silica dust.

Notifying WorkSafe

Rarely triggered by the reg 26 list. Licensed asbestos removal carries its own notification duty to WorkSafe before the work starts, and that is the one this trade meets most often. The full list and its exclusions are in notifiable work: the 10 categories.

What a main contractor will ask you for

• Your contribution to the site plan, or your own if you hold the head contract
• A Task Analysis for each task: floor covering removal, grinding, screeding, laying
• Asbestos identification for any pre-2000 floor covering or adhesive, before the strip
• The dust control method for grinding, and face fit test records
• Safety data sheets and the ventilation method for adhesives and finishes
• Sign-on sheets against each document

A document per task, not one for the job. The crew doing one task should not have to read past three others to find their controls, and a site manager checking one task should not have to either.

Where to start

If you are writing from scratch, how to write a Task Analysis sets out the order. If you have been asked for something and are not sure which document it is, which document do you need covers the difference between a site plan and a task document. Our prepared documents for this trade are the Flooring Task Analysis Pack, or single documents from the catalogue.

Sources

• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s22 (reasonably practicable), s34 and s36
• Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, regs 5 to 8
• Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995, reg 26 (particular hazardous work requiring notice)
• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, identification and licensed removal of pre-2000 floor coverings and adhesives
• Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017, for adhesives, solvents and finishes
• Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, for airborne contaminants and respiratory protection
• WorkSafe New Zealand, Identifying, assessing and managing work risks

This guide is general information about New Zealand health and safety law as at the review date. It is not legal advice and it does not describe your site. Confirm what applies to you with WorkSafe New Zealand or your adviser.