A sprayed seal is a bitumen binder sprayed from a calibrated sprayer truck and covered with stone, so the plant and crew shape the result. Before engaging a bitumen spraying subcontractor in Queensland, check the sprayer’s current Queensland Sprayer Certificate, any prequalification your contract names, a hot bitumen SWMS, traffic management, insurances and the spray records the specification requires.
Updated 25 September 2026.
Programming a council or civil sealing job? Send your spec or tender. Based in Cooroy, working across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie, Brisbane north, Moreton Bay, the Fraser Coast, the Burnetts, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Western Downs. See our service areas.
On a Queensland council or TMR-specification job, a bitumen spraying subcontractor should be able to show a current Queensland Sprayer Certificate for each sprayer it will use, any prequalification or panel status the contract names, a hot bitumen SWMS, a traffic management arrangement, current insurances and the spray records the specification asks for.
The head contract and the council’s own specification set the final list, and councils can build on TMR’s specifications: Brisbane City Council’s S330, for example, asks for a sprayer with a current Queensland Sprayer Certificate. To send us a job, see council and civil spray sealing. Sealing a home driveway? Read how to check a sealing contractor before you pay.
| Check | Why it matters | Where to check | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprayer certificate for each sprayer | A plant requirement on TMR works | TMR’s Current Queensland Sprayer Certificates list | TMR QSRS; MRTS11 |
| Calibration or inspection certificate | The sprayer certificate rests on it: NATA-accredited, from the last 12 months | The subcontractor | TMR QSRS |
| Prequalification or council register | The tender may name a category, level or register | TMR’s prequalification status list; the council’s procurement pages | TMR TIPDS Volume 3; Local Government Regulation 2012 (Qld) |
| Licence question | Decides whether a QBCC licence applies | QBCC | QBCC Regulation 2018, schedule 1 |
| Operator competency | Operator skill affects application rates | Statement of attainment or verification of competency (VOC) | Austroads AP-T262-19; training.gov.au |
| SWMS and SDS | Live traffic or moving plant makes it high risk construction work | The SWMS; each product’s SDS | WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) |
| Traffic management | On TMR works, no traffic changes until the plan is approved | Traffic management plan (TMP) and traffic guidance schemes (TGS) | TMR MRTS02 |
| Environmental controls | Procedures to prevent primer wash-off, and all reasonably practicable measures to prevent or minimise other harm | The subcontractor’s procedures | TMR MRTS11; Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) |
| Insurances (types only) | Workers must be insured; check other cover and levels against the head contract or subcontract | Certificates of currency | Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); the head contract |
| Records | Spray sheets and lot records show conformance | Spray sheets and lot records | TMR MRTS11; the council’s specification |
Source: the authority in each row, at the editions listed under Sources, checked 25 September 2026.
They cover different things. TMR prequalification rates a contracting company for road, bridge or asphalt contracts, and the tender names the level. A Queensland Sprayer Certificate covers one sprayer truck. A QBCC licence covers building work, and the QBCC Regulation lists laying bitumen as work that is not building work. Operator competency covers the person at the controls.
| Credential | What it covers | Issued by | Held by | How to check | When it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMR prequalification | Road (R1 to R5), bridge (B1 to B4) and Queensland asphalt (A1 to A4) work, with financial levels | TMR (TIPDS Volume 3) | The contracting company | Contractor Prequalification Status list | When the tender names it |
| Queensland Sprayer Certificate | One sprayer, as calibrated | TMR (QSRS) | The legal entity that owns the sprayer | Current Queensland Sprayer Certificates list | TMR works under MRTS11 and MRTS12, and council specifications that call it up |
| Council register or preferred supplier arrangement | Eligibility for that council’s contracts | The council | The company | The council’s procurement pages | Council contracts |
| QBCC licence | Building work | QBCC | Company or individual | QBCC licensee register | Only for building work |
| Operator competency | The operator’s skills | Assessed against the national unit | The person | Statement of attainment or VOC | Every job |
| AfPA membership | Association membership, not a licence | AfPA | The company | AfPA membership directory | A trust signal only |
Source: TMR TIPDS Volume 3 and Contractor Prequalification Status; TMR QSRS; Local Government Regulation 2012 (Qld); QBCC Regulation 2018; training.gov.au; AfPA. Checked 25 September 2026.
TMR prequalifies contracting companies. TIPDS Volume 3 (November 2024) lists road, bridge and asphalt categories with financial levels and no separate spray-sealing category, and the Contractor Prequalification Status list as at 25 August 2026 has only Road, Bridge, Asphalt and Financial columns. For the spraying itself, TMR’s control is the registered sprayer:
AI answers disagreed on this point as at September 2026, so confirm the category for your job with TMR or the contract administrator.
A Queensland council may contract from its own register of pre-qualified suppliers, or through a preferred supplier arrangement, and councils may also use TIPDS Volume 3 on their road projects. The tender documents say which applies.
Schedule 1, item 36 of the QBCC Regulation 2018 lists “Laying of asphalt or bitumen” as work that is not building work. QBCC calls its licensing guidance a general guide only, so check with QBCC where the bitumen work sits inside a wider building contract. This is the regulation’s wording, not legal advice.
Look the sprayer up on TMR’s Current Queensland Sprayer Certificates list. Each row gives the registered owner, sprayer ID, calibration authority, certificate number, expiry date and whether it is current. Match the owner to the company you are contracting, the sprayer ID to the truck booked for your job, and the expiry to your works dates.
The list is linked from TMR’s Pavements, materials and geotechnical page.
Queensland Sprayer Certificates are not transferable: registration belongs to the legal entity that owns the sprayer. A change of owner voids it, and the new owner must apply for a new certificate. If the registered owner differs from the company on your subcontract, ask how the two are related and whose sprayer will arrive.
Certificates expire and are reissued, so note the list’s “as of” date on the day you award; the edition online can be weeks old. Being on the list is not enough: the 7 August 2026 edition has 100 rows, and 7 are flagged No in the Current Certificate column, all past their expiry dates. Read that column and the expiry date for the specific sprayer.
Ask for a safe work method statement (SWMS) covering hot bitumen work, the safety data sheet (SDS) for each binder and additive on the job, the PPE worn at the sprayer and hand lance, and how the crew fits your site’s WHS arrangements. On a construction project, the principal contractor and the subcontractor each carry WHS duties.
In the circumstances the WHS Regulation sets out, a business must obtain the current SDS for a hazardous chemical from its manufacturer, importer or supplier. Ask for one for every binder, cutter and adhesion agent, because hazards differ: one supplier’s cutback bitumen SDS, for example, lists a flammable liquid with skin irritation and aspiration hazards.
Engaging a sprayer does not hand over your own WHS duties. More than one business can hold the same duty, and each must, so far as is reasonably practicable, consult, cooperate and coordinate with the others.
Settle it in the subcontract. On a road open to traffic, someone must supply a traffic management plan (TMP) and traffic guidance schemes (TGS) to the specification, usually MRTS02 on state-controlled roads. TMR works require procedures preventing primer wash-off (MRTS11); other harm needs all reasonably practicable measures to prevent or minimise it. Hot bitumen transport can bring dangerous goods duties.
| Item to settle in the subcontract | What to check |
|---|---|
| TMP and TGS | On TMR works, the TMP goes in at least 21 days before use unless the contract annexure says otherwise, and no traffic changes happen until it is approved (Hold Point 1) |
| Traffic controllers | On TMR works, only organisations registered in TMR’s Traffic Management Registration Scheme, with accredited traffic controllers |
| Primer wash-off and clean-up | MRTS11 requires procedures that prevent wash-off, notice of any wash-off, and making good any contamination |
| Hot bitumen delivery | Queensland’s dangerous goods road transport laws, and section 14 of each product’s SDS |
Source: TMR MRTS02 (November 2025), clauses 5.3 and 5.6; TMR MRTS11 (July 2025), clauses 5.2 and 12.1; Business Queensland, dangerous goods road and rail laws.
MRTS02 Provision for Traffic governs traffic control through TMR roadworks, with the safety of road workers and road users as its primary principle; TMR’s Queensland Guide to Temporary Traffic Management sits alongside it.
Beyond MRTS11’s wash-off rules, Queensland’s general environmental duty requires all reasonably practicable measures to prevent or minimise environmental harm. Ask how the crew protects drains and waterways if rain threatens a freshly primed surface, and who pays to make good any wash-off.
Road transport of dangerous goods in Queensland falls under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 and the Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Dangerous Goods) Regulation 2018, which adopt many standards of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code. Check section 14 of each product’s SDS for its transport classification.
Ask for certificates of currency, not a statement that the business is insured. Every Queensland employer must insure its workers under a WorkCover policy or as a licensed self-insurer. Check public liability and motor vehicle and plant cover against what your head contract or subcontract requires, at the levels it sets, and check the insured name and dates match your subcontractor.
Agree the records before spraying starts. On TMR work, MRTS11 expects a settled seal design, the sprayer certificate sighted, a spray sheet for each spray run, binder temperatures recorded at delivery and lot records for conformance. A council’s own specification can set its own records, hold or witness points and notice periods; Brisbane’s S330 is one example.
| Record or submission | When, under MRTS11 | Point |
|---|---|---|
| Documented procedures and inspection and test plan (ITP) | At least 7 days before use | Hold Point 1 |
| Seal design report, where the contractor designs the seal (otherwise the Principal does) | At least 7 days before spraying | Hold Point 3 |
| Details of all plant, including the sprayer | At least 3 days before sealing | Hold Point 4 |
| Current Queensland Sprayer Certificate | Sighted | Witness Point 5 |
| Binder temperature | Recorded at delivery to site | Witness Point 2 |
| Spray sheet for each spray run | Available to the Administrator within one day | Clause 16 |
| Conformance records for each lot (the spray runs on one calendar day) | Compiled on the spraying record sheet | Clause 5.3 |
Source: TMR MRTS11 Sprayed Bituminous Treatments (Excluding Emulsion), July 2025, clauses 5, 6, 9, 12 and 16.
Each MRTS11 spray sheet records at least:
Brisbane’s S330, for example, asks for a spraying record sheet after each spray run. Seal design detail sits in the specification and in Austroads’ guide, AGPT Part 4K (edition 1.4, February 2026). For how the treatment goes down on the day, see how a road is sealed, step by step.
On the morning, confirm that the certified sprayer and crew named in the paperwork are the ones on site, the SWMS has been briefed, traffic control is in place, the surface has been inspected and accepted, the weather and pavement are within the specification’s limits, and the spray rates are approved. Hold the start until every item is met.
Print these 15 checks for the job file; most point back to their section. For rain, cold and heat through the year, see weather limits on sealing days.
Before award
Before mobilisation
On the morning
After spraying
On TMR work, MRTS11 sets the hold and witness points above. On a council road, read the council’s own specification for its points; Brisbane’s S330, for example, also bars spraying when rain is likely before the stone is spread and rolled. Pricing the work too? See what drives spray seal costs.
On a subdivision, check the head contract for who engages the sprayer. Your council’s approval and specification can set hold points and acceptance steps.
Building an estate road or hardstand? Send your plans for a quote.
To send us a council or civil job, see council and civil spray sealing.
TMR’s TIPDS Volume 3 prequalifies contracting companies for road, bridge and asphalt work and lists no separate spray-sealing category. For the spraying, TMR’s contracts require specialist suppliers from its registers, and the sprayer must be registered before award to the head contractor. Confirm the category with TMR or your contract administrator, and see TMR’s Contractor Prequalification Status list.
It is TMR’s registration of one bitumen sprayer, issued to its owner against a NATA-accredited calibration from the last 12 months, and a plant requirement on TMR works under MRTS11 and MRTS12. It expires with that calibration, unless TMR grants an extension of up to two months. Check it on TMR’s Current Queensland Sprayer Certificates list: match the owner, sprayer ID and expiry, and read the Current Certificate column.
The QBCC Regulation 2018 lists “Laying of asphalt or bitumen” in schedule 1, item 36, and work stated in schedule 1 is not building work. QBCC’s guidance says the schedule 1 exemptions take work out of building work and so remove the need for a contractor’s licence, but it calls itself a general guide only. Check with QBCC where the bitumen work sits inside a wider building contract. This is not legal advice.
Where the work is next to live traffic or among moving plant, yes: that is high risk construction work under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). A SWMS must be prepared before the work starts, and the work must follow it. On a construction project, the principal contractor must also take all reasonable steps to obtain a copy.
The subcontract should name who prepares the traffic management plan and traffic guidance schemes and who supplies the traffic controllers, but that does not move the head contractor’s own duties. On TMR works, MRTS02 Provision for Traffic has the Contractor, meaning the head contractor, submit the plan at least 21 days before use, unless the annexure says otherwise. WHS duties are shared, and traffic control there must come from a TMR-registered organisation with accredited controllers.
This guide cannot say whether your job needs a separate approval, but duties apply either way. The general environmental duty requires all reasonably practicable measures to prevent or minimise environmental harm, and on TMR works MRTS11 requires procedures to prevent primer wash-off. Hot bitumen transport can bring dangerous goods duties: road transport of dangerous goods in Queensland falls under laws that adopt many standards of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (Business Queensland). Check section 14 of each product’s SDS for its transport classification.
On the spraying side, MRTS11 (July 2025) requires a sprayer with a current Queensland Sprayer Certificate, used within its certified spray bar width and sighted at a witness point. Hand spraying is allowed only where the sprayer cannot reach. Plant details are due at least 3 days before sealing, and a spray sheet for each run within one day.
Published by Cuzkell Pty Ltd, based in Cooroy, Queensland. Every regulatory point was checked against the source named under Sources on 25 September 2026. Specifications, registers and legislation change, so check the current edition before you rely on it.
Based in Cooroy, working across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie, Brisbane north, Moreton Bay, the Fraser Coast, the Burnetts, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Western Downs. See our service areas.
All checked 25 September 2026.
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