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Excavation and earthworks · United Kingdom

Method statement for site strip and levelling

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

You must assess the risks of site strip and levelling 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, road traffic and being hit by mobile plant.

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RAMS example: site strip and levelling

This is a complete RAMS for site strip and levelling, with 6 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)
Site cut and levelling · Excavation and earthworks · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get utility plans, check for overhead power lines and plan truck movements
  • Hitting underground services
  • Contact with overhead power lines
  • Road traffic
Workers, Public, Plant operators, Road usersVery 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)
  • Ask the distribution network operator (DNO) to turn off, move or insulate the lines before work starts. Eliminate
  • Use non-conductive (fibreglass) ladders near any power lines. Reduce / substitute
  • Mark the safe distance with flags, tape or goal posts and keep all plant and people outside it. Isolate
  • Follow HSE GS6: barriers, goal posts under the lines and a permit for work near them. Control (procedures)
  • Use a dedicated spotter whenever plant moves or raises anything near lines. Control (procedures)
  • Treat all lines as live. If plant touches a line, stay in the cab and keep everyone well away. Control (procedures)
  • Do the work at low-traffic times, or close the road or lane with approval. Eliminate
  • Put solid barriers between the work and traffic where speeds are high, not just cones. Isolate
  • Use a truck-mounted attenuator or buffer vehicle on high speed roads. Control (engineering)
  • Set up signs and cones to Chapter 8 (Traffic Signs Manual) by trained operatives. Control (procedures)
  • Get a street works permit or licence from the highway authority before you start. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
2Set up a spotter and exclusion zones for machines
  • 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)
3Cut the site, battering or retaining cut faces
  • Trench or excavation collapse
  • Structural collapse during alterations
Workers, OccupantsVery 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
  • 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
Medium (5)
4Watch neighbouring fences and footings near the cut
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Public entering the work area
Workers, Occupants, Public, ChildrenHigh (12)
  • Structural collapse during alterations: see step 3 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • 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)
5Control dust with water
  • General dust
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
Workers, Occupants, People nearbyVery high (20)
  • Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Reduce / substitute
  • Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Isolate
  • Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Control (engineering)
  • Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Control (engineering)
  • Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a dust mask and safety glasses. PPE
  • 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
Medium (5)
6Load trucks and clean the street
  • Road traffic
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, Road users, Public, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Park work vehicles to shield the work zone, with beacons on. Control (procedures)
  • Wear Class 2 or 3 hi-vis clothing (EN ISO 20471). PPE
  • Road traffic: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • 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
Medium (5)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans, check for overhead power lines and plan truck movements
  2. Set up a spotter and exclusion zones for machines
  3. Cut the site, battering or retaining cut faces
  4. Watch neighbouring fences and footings near the cut
  5. Control dust with water
  6. Load trucks and clean the street

PPE

Safety bootsHi-vis vestSafety helmetEar defendersFFP3 dust maskSafety glassesHalf-mask respirator (P3 filters)Rigger gloves

Plant and equipment

Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator cardSkid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer cardSite dumper: CPCS or NPORS forward tipping dumper cardWacker plate

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 site strip and levelling

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 site strip and levelling

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, check for overhead power lines and plan truck movements
  2. Set up a spotter and exclusion zones for machines
  3. Cut the site, battering or retaining cut faces
  4. Watch neighbouring fences and footings near the cut
  5. Control dust with water
  6. Load trucks and clean the street

Hazards to watch on site strip and levelling

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

Step 1, 6Road trafficPassing cars and trucks hit workers or plant working on or next to a road.
Step 3Trench 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 1Contact with overhead power linesA ladder, MEWP, crane, tipper or long length of material touches or gets close to an overhead line and electrocutes people.
Step 3, 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.
Step 2Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on site strip and levelling: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes very unlikely and fatal).

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
  • Skid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer card
  • Site dumper: CPCS or NPORS forward tipping dumper 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; HSE GS6 Avoiding danger from overhead power lines; Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice (Red Book); CDM Regulations 2015 and PUWER 1998; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 22 (excavations); CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19 (stability of structures); CDM Regulations 2015; COSHH Regulations 2002.

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 site strip and levelling?

You must assess the risks of site strip and levelling 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 site strip and levelling?

Usually Safety boots, Hi-vis vest, Safety helmet, Ear defenders, FFP3 dust mask, Safety glasses, Half-mask respirator (P3 filters), Rigger gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More excavation and earthworks RAMS

RAMSTrench Excavation10 stepsRAMSFoundation Excavation5 stepsRAMSSwimming Pool Excavation8 stepsRAMSSurface Water Drainage Installation5 stepsRAMSPost Hole Digging5 stepsRAMSBackfill and Compaction5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

ScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves contact with overhead power linesRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves contact with overhead power linesDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves general dustBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plantElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves general dust

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkExcavation and Trench Safety

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

Sources