Product Overview

This Strip And Seal Floor Cleaning SWMS is a site-ready Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for strip and seal floor maintenance activities. It is a comprehensive document that supports WHS compliance and safe management of all key stages of Strip And Seal Floor Cleaning on Australian worksites.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Preparation of the work area, including isolation of pedestrian access, signage, and barricading to prevent unauthorised entry
• Selection, inspection, and safe use of floor stripping machines, polishers, and scrubbers
• Safe handling, dilution, and application of chemical strippers, sealers, and cleaning agents
• Management of slips, trips, and falls risks from wet, stripped, or partially sealed floor surfaces
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, and non-slip footwear
• Manual handling techniques for moving and transporting equipment, buckets, and chemical containers
• Control of electrical risks when using corded floor machines, extension leads, and power outlets
• Ventilation controls to minimise exposure to vapours and fumes from stripping and sealing products
• Application of sealers and finishes, including curing times and preventing premature traffic on treated areas
• Spill management, emergency response, and first aid for chemical exposure or splash incidents
• Waste management and environmentally responsible disposal of chemical residues, wash water, and containers
• Coordination with building occupants, other contractors, and after-hours work to minimise disruption and safety conflicts

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for commercial cleaners, facilities maintenance teams, floor care contractors, and site supervisors responsible for managing strip and seal floor cleaning works in workplaces, schools, healthcare, retail, and commercial buildings.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Model Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks – Guidance on identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing controls for strip and seal activities
• Model Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace – Requirements for safe handling, storage, and use of chemical strippers, sealers, and cleaning agents
• Model Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities – Ventilation, amenities, and safe access during floor cleaning operations
• Model Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks – Control measures for lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling associated with cleaning equipment and materials
• AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment – Guidance for testing and tagging of portable electrical cleaning equipment
• AS 1319 Safety signs for the occupational environment – Requirements for warning signage and barricading around wet or treated floors
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017