SafetyPaperwork
Excavation and earthworks · United Kingdom

Method statement for backfill and compaction

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

You must assess the risks of backfill and compaction 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 hitting underground services, being hit by mobile plant, trench or excavation collapse and loud noise.

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RAMS example: backfill and compaction

This is a complete RAMS for backfill and compaction, 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)
Backfill and compaction · Excavation and earthworks · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Check services are inspected before backfilling
  • Hitting underground services
Workers, PublicVery 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
Medium (5)
2Place fill in layers with the machine, keeping a spotter
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Workers, Visitors, PublicVery high (15)
  • 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)
  • Operators hold a CPCS, NPORS or equal card for the plant they use. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Control (procedures)
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
Medium (5)
3Compact each layer, rotating operators to limit vibration
  • Hand-arm and whole-body vibration
  • Loud noise
Workers, People nearbyHigh (12)
  • Use low-vibration tools and methods, such as a breaker on an excavator instead of a hand jackhammer. Reduce / substitute
  • Keep tools sharp and well maintained, and use anti-vibration handles and seats. Control (engineering)
  • Limit trigger time using the HSE vibration calculator to stay below the exposure action value, and rotate workers. Control (procedures)
  • Keep hands warm and dry, and take regular breaks. Control (procedures)
  • Report tingling, numbness or white fingers early. Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves to keep hands warm and dry. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Reduce / substitute
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Isolate
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Control (engineering)
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Control (procedures)
  • If you have to shout to be heard by someone 2 metres away, the noise is probably 85 dB(A) or more: wear hearing protection. Control (procedures)
  • Assess noise. At 85 dB(A) or more, hearing protection is required and the zone must be marked. Control (procedures)
  • Wear earplugs or earmuffs rated for the noise. PPE
Medium (6)
4Keep compactors away from trench edges
  • Trench or excavation collapse
WorkersVery 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)
  • Never work alone in a trench. Watch for water, cracks and bulging walls, and get out if you see them. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis and safety boots. PPE
Medium (5)
5Clean up and take compaction tests
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, VisitorsMedium (8)
  • 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
Low (4)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Check services are inspected before backfilling
  2. Place fill in layers with the machine, keeping a spotter
  3. Compact each layer, rotating operators to limit vibration
  4. Keep compactors away from trench edges
  5. Clean up and take compaction tests

PPE

Safety bootsHi-vis vestEar defendersRigger glovesSafety helmet

Plant and equipment

Wacker plateSkid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer cardExcavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator card

Permits and plans

Permit to dig

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 backfill and compaction

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 backfill and compaction

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Check services are inspected before backfilling
  2. Place fill in layers with the machine, keeping a spotter
  3. Compact each layer, rotating operators to limit vibration
  4. Keep compactors away from trench edges
  5. Clean up and take compaction tests

Hazards to watch on backfill and compaction

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

Step 4Trench 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 3Hand-arm and whole-body vibrationLong periods on jackhammers, grinders, compactors or riding plant cause white finger, numbness and back damage.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Step 2Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Step 3Loud noiseSaws, grinders, jackhammers and machines cause permanent hearing loss and ringing in the ears over time.
Step 5Poor housekeeping and wasteRubbish, offcuts and materials left lying around cause trips, cuts and fires, and block exits.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on backfill and compaction: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible 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:

  • Skid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer card
  • 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 and PUWER 1998; Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005; Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 22 (excavations).

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 backfill and compaction?

You must assess the risks of backfill and compaction 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 backfill and compaction?

Usually Safety boots, Hi-vis vest, Ear defenders, Rigger gloves, Safety helmet. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More excavation and earthworks RAMS

RAMSTrench Excavation10 stepsRAMSFoundation Excavation5 stepsRAMSSite Strip and Levelling6 stepsRAMSSwimming Pool Excavation8 stepsRAMSSurface Water Drainage Installation5 stepsRAMSPost Hole Digging5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

DemolitionSoft StripAlso involves loud noiseBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plant

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkHand-Arm VibrationToolbox talkExcavation and Trench SafetyToolbox talkUnderground Services and CAT and Genny

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

Sources