SafetyPaperwork
Bricklaying · United Kingdom

Method statement for garden wall construction

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of garden wall construction and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles, hitting underground services, trench or excavation collapse and being hit by mobile plant.

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RAMS example: garden wall construction

This is a complete RAMS for garden wall construction, with 5 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Build a brick fence · Bricklaying · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get utility plans and set up a barrier from the footpath
  • Hitting underground services
  • Public entering the work area
Workers, Public, ChildrenVery high (15)
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Do a CAT and Genny scan before digging and mark services on the ground. Control (engineering)
  • Hand dig trial holes to find services before machine digging (safe digging practice). Control (engineering)
  • Get utility plans before digging and check them against what you see on site. Control (procedures)
  • Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Control (procedures)
  • If you hit a service, stop, get everyone clear, and call the owner and emergency services. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety boots, gloves and hi-vis when digging. PPE
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Control (engineering)
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Control (procedures)
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Control (procedures)
  • Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
2Dig and pour the footing
  • Trench or excavation collapse
  • Wet concrete and cement burns
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Workers, Visitors, PublicVery high (15)
  • Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Eliminate
  • Barricade or cover the excavation so people and plant cannot fall in. Isolate
  • Support or batter back the sides of any excavation where collapse could happen. Use trench boxes or sheet piling for deeper trenches. Control (engineering)
  • Keep spoil, materials and plant at least 1 metre back from the edge. Control (engineering)
  • Provide a safe way in and out, such as a ladder near where people work. Control (engineering)
  • Inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after rain or anything that could weaken it. Record it. Control (procedures)
  • Use long-handled tools and pumps to cut down contact. Control (engineering)
  • Wash concrete off skin straight away with clean water. Control (procedures)
  • Have clean water and eye wash where concrete or mortar is mixed and used. Control (procedures)
  • Do a COSHH assessment for cement, lime and mortar, and check hands regularly for early signs of dermatitis. Control (procedures)
  • Wear waterproof gloves, long sleeves and waterproof boots with trousers worn over the top. PPE
  • Wear safety glasses or goggles to stop splashes. PPE
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Control (engineering)
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Control (procedures)
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Control (procedures)
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
3Lay bricks with wet cutting
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Repetitive work and awkward postures
Workers, People nearbyVery high (20)
  • Order materials cut to size, or use low-dust methods such as score and snap or a block splitter. Reduce / substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a separate area, with other people well away and upwind. Isolate
  • Use water on the blade or on-tool dust extraction connected to an H-class vacuum. Control (engineering)
  • Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Control (procedures)
  • Do a COSHH assessment and keep exposure below the workplace exposure limit (0.1 mg/m3 respirable crystalline silica, 8 hours). Control (procedures)
  • Workers regularly exposed to silica dust get health surveillance (COSHH reg 11, HSE G404). Control (procedures)
  • Wear a fit-tested FFP3 mask. PPE
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Reduce / substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Control (procedures)
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Control (procedures)
  • Use tools that cut the effort: powered screwdrivers, long-handled tools and extension poles for overhead work. Reduce / substitute
  • Set work up at waist height on benches or trestles where you can. Control (engineering)
  • Use light tools with good grips, and keep blades and bits sharp. Control (engineering)
  • Rotate tasks and take short breaks every hour on repetitive work. Control (procedures)
  • Warm up before heavy physical work and report aches and pains early. Control (procedures)
Medium (6)
4Brace piers and walls until cured
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Strong wind and storms
Workers, Occupants, PublicHigh (12)
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Control (engineering)
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Control (procedures)
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots. PPE
  • Check the forecast each morning and plan work at height and lifting around the weather. Eliminate
  • Tie down or weigh down loose sheets, panels, boards and rubbish at the end of each shift. Control (engineering)
  • Set wind limits for roof work, platforms and cranes, using the manufacturer's limits, and stop when they are reached. Control (procedures)
  • Stop work and get down in lightning. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up. Control (procedures)
  • Check scaffold, fencing and edge protection after strong wind before anyone uses them. Control (procedures)
  • Do not carry large sheets on roofs in wind. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat with a chin strap at height in windy conditions. PPE
Medium (5)
5Clean up and reopen the footpath
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
  • Sun exposure (UV)
Workers, VisitorsHigh (12)
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
  • Plan outdoor work for early morning or late afternoon when UV is lower. Eliminate
  • Put shade covers over fixed work areas. Control (engineering)
  • Check the UV index each day. Use sun protection when it is 3 or higher. Control (procedures)
  • Check your skin regularly and see a doctor about any new or changing spots. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a broad-brim hat or hard hat brim, long sleeves, sunglasses and SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours. PPE
Medium (6)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans and set up a barrier from the footpath
  2. Dig and pour the footing
  3. Lay bricks with wet cutting
  4. Brace piers and walls until cured
  5. Clean up and reopen the footpath

PPE

Safety bootsChemical-resistant glovesSafety glassesFFP3 dust maskHi-vis vestSun protection (sunscreen and neck cover)Safety gogglesKnee padsSafety helmetHalf-mask respirator (P3 filters)Ear defendersRigger gloves

Plant and equipment

Cement mixerCut-off saw (Stihl saw)Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator cardHand tools

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this RAMS.

Free RAMS template for garden wall construction

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this RAMS

Pre-start checklist for garden wall construction

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans and set up a barrier from the footpath
  2. Dig and pour the footing
  3. Lay bricks with wet cutting
  4. Brace piers and walls until cured
  5. Clean up and reopen the footpath

Hazards to watch on garden wall construction

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 2Trench or excavation collapseThe trench walls cave in and bury or crush a worker. Any excavation can collapse, however shallow. Sides must be supported or battered back wherever a collapse could hurt someone.
Step 5Sun exposure (UV)Long hours in the sun cause sunburn, eye damage and skin cancer.
Step 2Wet concrete and cement burnsWet concrete, mortar and cement burn skin and eyes. Burns can be deep and are often not felt until later.
Step 4Strong wind and stormsWind blows sheets, panels and people off roofs and scaffolds, and storms and lightning make work at height and lifting unsafe.
Step 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on garden wall construction: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes unlikely and lost time injury).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator card

Employers must assess the risks of their work and record the significant findings (required where you employ 5 or more people). On CDM projects, contractors give their RAMS to the principal contractor before starting, and brief the workers on it.

Rules that apply: HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services; CDM Regulations 2015; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 22 (excavations); CDM Regulations 2015 and PUWER 1998; COSHH Regulations 2002; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19 (stability of structures).

Why RAMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for garden wall construction?

You must assess the risks of garden wall construction and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for garden wall construction?

Usually Safety boots, Chemical-resistant gloves, Safety glasses, FFP3 dust mask, Hi-vis vest, Sun protection (sunscreen and neck cover), Safety goggles, Knee pads, Safety helmet, Half-mask respirator (P3 filters), Ear defenders, Rigger gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More bricklaying RAMS

RAMSBrickwork10 stepsRAMSBlockwork6 stepsRAMSRepointing4 stepsRAMSCrack Stitching5 stepsRAMSBrick Cleaning5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

RoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves strong wind and stormsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves public entering the work areaDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves structural collapse during alterationsElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves repetitive work and awkward postures

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkExcavation and Trench SafetyToolbox talkUnderground Services and CAT and GennyToolbox talkMobile Plant and Spotters

Blank RAMS template: free RAMS templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources