Workplace Safety and Housekeeping (5S)
Safety and housekeeping questions test whether you can name the hazard, name the control and apply 5S to a real tiling workplace - not recite slogans.
Hazards specific to tile setting
- Respirable crystalline silica: dry-cutting porcelain, stone or cement board releases fine dust. Control it with wet cutting or dust extraction, and wear at least an FFP2/N95 respirator; never dry-cut indoors in an occupied area.
- Cement and adhesive burns: wet cement is alkaline. Use nitrile gloves, long sleeves and eye protection; wash skin immediately and know where the eyewash is.
- Manual handling: 20–25 kg adhesive bags and large-format tiles need team lifts, trolleys and suction cups.
- Electrical: grinders and wet saws near water require RCD/GFCI protection and undamaged cords.
- Slips and cuts: slurry on the floor, sharp tile edges, off-cuts underfoot.
5S in practice
Seiri (sort): remove tools not needed for the day from the work area. Seiton (set in order): one place for the cutter, the grinder, the mixing station, and a marked waste bay. Seiso (shine): clean slurry before it sets; sweep with a damp method, not a dry broom. Seiketsu (standardize): a photographed layout for the cutting station. Shitsuke (sustain): daily checks and a named person responsible.
Worked example
A bathroom on level 3 needs 60 cuts in porcelain. Dry-cutting with a grinder would fill a closed room with silica dust. Reason through the hierarchy: substitute with a wet saw or score-and-snap where the edge allows; engineer with water feed and local extraction; administer by limiting task time and posting signage; then PPE - respirator, goggles, hearing protection. PPE is the last line of defence, not the first.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating a dust mask as the only control.
- Dry sweeping dust back into the air.
- Leaving water and cords together without RCD protection.
- Not knowing the assembly point or who the first-aider is.