CPCCCA2011 — Handle carpentry materials

Everything this unit asks of you, in plain words. Read it end to end (about 8 minutes), keep it for revision, or print it as a handout.

Australian WHS laws apply Prerequisite: white card (CPCCWHS2001) ~8 min read

☰What this unit is about

This unit covers moving, sorting, stacking, storing and protecting the materials a carpenter works with — timber, sheet products, steel, insulation and more — safely by hand, and getting them secured and ready for mechanical handling on a pallet.

It matters because materials handling is where a huge share of construction injuries happen, and where thousands of dollars of stock gets warped, cracked or water-damaged before it's ever used.

1Plan and prepare

Read the work instructions first — job sheets, plans, delivery dockets — and work out the order you'll do things in before you touch a single length of timber. What arrives, where it's needed, what's used first.
Plan the job to comply with Australian WHS laws and regulations, environmental requirements (dust, runoff, waste), manufacturers' specifications for the materials, and your workplace's own procedures — including the SWMS and anything raised at the toolbox talk.
Select the right tools and equipment for the task, check they're serviceable before use, and report any faults — a faulty item gets tagged out of service, never quietly used anyway.
Choose and wear the PPE that suits each part of the task: gloves for splintery timber and steel, eye protection when cutting strapping, hi-vis around mobile plant, steel-capped boots always. Different task, different PPE — reassess as the job changes.
Inspect the work area before you start: locate services (overhead power lines, underground pipes and cables), assess the hazards, and put risk controls in place — including signage and barricades around stacking zones, unloading areas and any exclusion zone for plant.

On the jobPlanning is not paperwork for its own sake. Deciding where a pack of timber lands is the difference between carrying it once and carrying it three times.

2Manually handle, sort, stack and store

Lift it safely

Size up the load before you lift: weight, length, shape, grip, and the path you'll carry it along.
Use correct technique: feet apart, bend the knees, keep the load close to your body, lift with the legs, and never twist while loaded — move your feet instead.
If the material is long, heavy or awkward, get help — a team lift with clear communication ("lift on three"), or a mechanical aid like a trolley or wheelbarrow. Asking is competence, not weakness.

Sort and stack it smart

Sort by material type and size so anyone can identify and retrieve what they need without pulling a stack apart.
Stack clear of access ways, walkways and emergency exits — and position stacks to suit the task sequence and task location: what's needed first goes on top or nearest the work.
Keep stacks stable: level ground, heaviest at the bottom, no leaning towers.

Protect it

Keep materials off the ground on bearers (dunnage) so air circulates and moisture can't wick up.
Cover against rain but allow ventilation — trapped moisture warps timber and stains sheets.
Protect against physical damage too: corners of sheets, edges of joinery units, faces of finished material. Plasterboard and fibre cement sheeting are stored flat and dry, never on edge in the weather.

3Prepare materials for mechanical handling

Stack to suit both the material and the machine that will lift it — forklift, pallet jack, truck or crane all have different needs for balance and access.
Build the stack on a sound Australian standard pallet (1165 × 1165 mm): weight centred, nothing overhanging that will foul the tynes.
Place gluts (spacers) between layers, aligned vertically over the bearers below, so the load transfers straight down through the stack instead of bowing the timber.
Secure the load — strapping, banding or shrink wrap — before anything mechanical touches it. An unsecured stack is a falling-object hazard the moment it moves.
When unloading, moving or locating materials: agree the drop point in advance, keep an exclusion zone around operating plant, stay visible to the operator, and use a spotter where sight lines are poor. Forklift operators need a high risk work licence.

Watch the stack build in the right order: pallet → layer → gluts → layer → gluts → layer → straps. The dashed line shows the load transferring straight down through aligned gluts and bearers.

What you'll be assessed onYou'll safely sort and stack varying lengths of timber (at least 0.5 m³) and different sizes and types of sheet material (at least 0.1 m³) onto an Australian standard pallet — secured ready for mechanical handling.

4Check and store tools and equipment

Check every tool and piece of equipment at the end of the task — damage, wear, missing parts — and report any faults. Faulty gear gets an out-of-service tag so nobody else picks it up.
Store everything according to workplace requirements: cleaned, in its designated spot, secure from weather and theft. A tidy store is next job's head start.

★Know this cold

WHS law: Commonwealth and state or territory WHS legislation applies to handling carpentry materials — everyone has a duty of care, hazardous manual tasks are specifically regulated, and codes of practice guide how to control the risks. Know which regulator covers your state or territory.
Safety data sheets (SDS): for hazardous substances such as paints, sealants and adhesives. The SDS tells you the hazards, handling, storage, PPE and first aid. Know where they're kept on site and check before handling.
Workplace quality policies: your site's own standards for how materials are received, checked against the docket, stacked and protected — damage costs money and delays.
Safety requirements for handling: assess the load first, correct lifting technique, PPE, clear travel paths, and exclusion zones around plant.
Methods of securing materials: strapping and banding, shrink wrap, gluts and bearers (dunnage), and stacking patterns that keep the load stable and balanced.
Handling tools and their uses: hammers (assembling and dismantling crates and formwork), pallets (the base unit of mechanical handling), pinch bars (levering heavy items and prising open packs), tin snips (cutting metal strapping and banding — mind the sharp recoil), wheelbarrows (moving loose or heavy material by hand).
Handling methods: when size, weight or shape means you need another worker; correct lifting and carrying; using pallets and controlling waste; and preparing loads for forklifts, pallet jacks and trucks.

Materials and their handling quirks

Material	Key handling points
Timber	Off the ground on bearers, gluts between layers aligned vertically, covered but ventilated. Long lengths are a team carry.
Sheet materials	Plaster and fibre cement sheeting stack flat, dry and fully supported — they snap under their own weight and soak up water. Carry sheets on edge, two people.
Reconstituted timber (MDF, particleboard, LVL)	Heavy for their size and very moisture-sensitive — keep flat, keep dry.
Metal sheeting	Sharp edges — gloves on. Wind can turn a sheet into a sail; secure stacks and don't carry loose sheets in gusts.
Structural steel sections	Heavy, awkward — mechanical handling first choice; chock so sections can't roll.
Reinforcement (bar and mesh)	Springy with sharp ends — cap or barricade protruding bar; team lifts for mesh.
Concrete components	Deceptively heavy — use mechanical aids; keep hands and feet clear of pinch points when landing.
Scaffolding components	Sort by component type; stack tubes so they can't roll; don't mix damaged parts back into stock.
Joinery units	Finished surfaces — protect faces and corners, store inside or fully covered, keep clean.
Insulation	Light but bulky — awkward to carry and easily wind-blown; keep dry and compressed packs secured. PPE for itchy fibres.
Paints and sealants	Check the SDS first. Store upright, sealed, out of sun and away from drains; contain and dispose of waste correctly.

!Where people slip up

Lifting long or heavy stock solo to save time.Fix: size up every load first. If it's long, heavy or awkward, it's a team lift or a mechanical aid — no exceptions, no hero lifts.

Standing plasterboard or fibre cement on edge in the open.Fix: these sheets stack flat, fully supported, and dry. On edge they bow and fall; wet fibre cement and plaster are ruined stock.

Scattering gluts randomly between layers.Fix: gluts must line up vertically over the bearers below so the load transfers straight down. Misaligned gluts bow the timber and destabilise the stack.

Stacking materials in the handiest spot — which is usually the walkway.Fix: stacks go clear of access ways, planned around task sequence and location. Blocked access is a trip hazard and an emergency-exit breach.

Using a dodgy tool anyway because reporting it feels like a hassle.Fix: faulty gear gets tagged out of service and reported, full stop. The next person to grab it won't know what you know.

AaMini-glossary

Bearer (dunnage): Timber laid on the ground under a stack to keep materials off the deck, level, and clear of moisture.
Glut: A spacer placed between layers in a stack — allows airflow and strap clearance, and must align vertically with the bearers below.
Australian standard pallet: The standard 1165 × 1165 mm hardwood pallet used across Australian transport and construction.
Mechanical handling: Moving materials with plant — forklifts, pallet jacks, trucks or cranes — rather than by hand.
SWMS: Safe work method statement — the document setting out high-risk work steps, hazards and controls before work starts.
SDS: Safety data sheet — the manufacturer's information on a hazardous substance: hazards, handling, storage, PPE and first aid.
PPE: Personal protective equipment — gloves, eye protection, hi-vis, hard hat, steel-capped boots — matched to each part of the task.
Pinch bar: A steel lever used to shift heavy items and prise open packs and crates.
Exclusion zone: A signed, barricaded area keeping people clear of operating plant or overhead loads.
Out-of-service tag: A tag fixed to faulty tools or equipment so nobody uses them until they're repaired or replaced.
High risk work (HRW) licence: The licence required to operate certain plant — including forklifts — under Australian WHS law.

✓That's the lot

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