Product Overview

Summary: This Glass Handling and Transport Safe Operating Procedure provides clear, practical steps for safely moving, loading, and transporting glass in Australian workplaces. It helps businesses control breakage, prevent serious manual handling and laceration injuries, and demonstrate compliance with WHS duties when working with fragile, high‑risk materials.

Handling and transporting glass carries a unique mix of risks – from severe cuts and crush injuries to product damage, vehicle incidents and costly project delays. This Glass Handling and Transport Safe Operating Procedure sets out a structured, step‑by‑step method for planning, lifting, securing, and moving glass panes, windows, doors, and glazed units in workshops, warehouses, construction sites, and during road transport. It provides practical guidance on selecting the right lifting aids, racking systems, and restraints, as well as how to coordinate team lifts and manage work areas to minimise exposure to broken glass and falling loads.

Developed for Australian conditions and WHS expectations, this SOP helps businesses turn high‑risk, often ad‑hoc tasks into a controlled, repeatable process. It supports compliance with the primary duty of care under the WHS Act, and aligns with relevant Australian Standards for manual handling, load restraint, and vehicle operations. By implementing this procedure, organisations can reduce injuries, protect expensive glass products from damage, and provide supervisors with a clear, defensible system of work that stands up to regulator and client scrutiny.

Key Benefits

• Reduce laceration, crush and musculoskeletal injuries by standardising safe glass handling techniques and team lifts.
• Ensure glass loads are correctly racked, restrained and transported in line with Australian load restraint expectations.
• Minimise product damage, rework and project delays caused by breakage during loading, unloading and transit.
• Demonstrate compliance with WHS duties through a documented, repeatable method for high‑risk glass handling tasks.
• Improve training quality and onboarding by giving workers clear, visual and step‑by‑step guidance for everyday glass movements.

Who is this for?

• Glaziers
• Glass Installers
• Warehouse Supervisors
• Logistics and Transport Coordinators
• Construction Site Supervisors
• Operations Managers
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Manufacturing and Fabrication Team Leaders
• Delivery Drivers (Glass and Windows)
• Storepersons and Yard Hands

Hazards Addressed

• Severe cuts and lacerations from broken or sharp glass edges
• Crush injuries from toppling glass packs or A‑frames
• Musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive or awkward manual handling of heavy glass
• Falling objects due to inadequate load restraint or incorrect stacking
• Slips, trips and falls around loading zones cluttered with glass and packing materials
• Vehicle incidents related to unstable or shifting glass loads during transport
• Eye injuries from glass shards, splinters or fragments during breakage
• Hand and finger injuries when guiding or steadying glass during movement
• Noise and shock hazards from sudden glass breakage in confined spaces

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Types of Glass (Sheets, IGUs, Windows, Doors, Panels)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (Workers, Supervisors, Drivers, Contractors)
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Required Competencies, Training and Licensing
• 6.0 Tools, Equipment and PPE for Glass Handling and Transport
• 7.0 Pre‑Task Planning and Risk Assessment
• 8.0 Safe Manual Handling Techniques for Glass
• 9.0 Use of Mechanical Aids (Suction Lifters, Cranes, Trolleys, Forklifts, A‑Frames)
• 10.0 Loading and Unloading Glass – Workshop, Warehouse and Site
• 11.0 Glass Racking, Stacking and Storage Requirements
• 12.0 Load Restraint and Vehicle Set‑Up for Glass Transport
• 13.0 Securing Glass for Road Transport (Light and Heavy Vehicles)
• 14.0 Traffic Management and Exclusion Zones During Handling
• 15.0 Housekeeping and Management of Off‑cuts, Crates and Waste Glass
• 16.0 Managing Adverse Weather and Environmental Conditions
• 17.0 Emergency Procedures for Glass Breakage and Injury
• 18.0 Inspection, Maintenance and Replacement of Handling Equipment
• 19.0 Recordkeeping, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
• 20.0 Review, Audit and SOP Revision History

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Act (as implemented in relevant Australian jurisdictions)
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (Plant and Hazardous Manual Tasks)
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice
• Load Restraint Guide for Light and Heavy Vehicles (National Transport Commission, Australia)
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still widely referenced)
• AS/NZS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• AS 5340: Road vehicles – Cargo securing devices – Requirements and test methods (where applicable)
• State and Territory road transport and load restraint regulations (e.g. Heavy Vehicle National Law where applicable)