SafetyPaperwork
Plastering and dry lining · United Kingdom

Method statement for ceiling boarding

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

You must assess the risks of ceiling boarding 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 falling from height, scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold, electric shock from live wiring and lifting and carrying heavy loads.

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RAMS example: ceiling boarding

This is a complete RAMS for ceiling boarding, 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)
Ceiling sheeting · Plastering and dry lining · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up a mobile scaffold or trestles at the right height
  • Falling from height
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold
Workers, People below, PublicVery high (20)
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile tower or MEWP instead of working off a ladder. Control (engineering)
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Control (engineering)
  • Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE
  • Scaffold is built, altered and taken down only by CISRS-carded scaffolders, to TG20 or a specific design. Control (engineering)
  • Fit guardrails, mid rails and toe boards on every working platform. Control (engineering)
  • Use mobile scaffolds only on firm, level ground with castors locked and outriggers fitted. Never move one with anyone on it. Control (engineering)
  • Mobile towers are built by PASMA-trained workers. Control (procedures)
  • Inspect the scaffold before first use, after any change or bad weather, and at least every 7 days. Record it on the tag and register. Control (procedures)
  • Do not overload platforms. Know the duty rating and keep material stacks over the standards. Control (procedures)
  • Never remove ties, braces, guardrails or boards. Only the scaffolder alters the scaffold. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots on and around the scaffold. PPE
Medium (5)
2Check for cables and pipes in the ceiling space
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Workers, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not work live. Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Prove dead at the point of work with an approved voltage indicator (GS38), and prove the tester before and after. Control (engineering)
  • Only competent, qualified electricians do electrical work, following a safe isolation procedure. Control (procedures)
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Control (procedures)
  • If live work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools. Control (procedures)
  • Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE
Medium (5)
3Lift sheets with a sheet lifter and two people
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Falling tools and materials
Workers, Public, People belowHigh (12)
  • 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)
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
  • Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Isolate
  • Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Control (engineering)
  • Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Control (engineering)
  • Tether hand tools when working at height. Control (engineering)
  • Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Control (procedures)
  • Lower materials with a hoist, chute or rope. Never throw or drop anything down. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat anywhere objects could fall. PPE
Medium (8)
4Fix sheets and support until fixed
  • Injury from power tools
  • Repetitive work and awkward postures
Workers, People nearbyMedium (9)
  • Keep all guards fitted and working. Never tie back or remove a guard. Control (engineering)
  • Clamp or secure the work piece. Do not hold it by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Only trained, competent people use power tools, following the maker's instructions. Control (procedures)
  • Check tools before use. Unplug or remove the battery before changing blades or bits. Control (procedures)
  • No loose clothing, jewellery or long hair near spinning parts. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. Do not wear loose gloves on drills or other rotating tools. PPE
  • 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)
  • Wear knee pads for kneeling work and gloves for grip. PPE
Medium (6)
5Clean up
  • 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. Set up a mobile scaffold or trestles at the right height
  2. Check for cables and pipes in the ceiling space
  3. Lift sheets with a sheet lifter and two people
  4. Fix sheets and support until fixed
  5. Clean up

PPE

Safety bootsSafety glassesSafety helmetFFP3 dust maskHi-vis vestRigger glovesEar defendersKnee pads

Plant and equipment

Podium stepMobile access tower: PASMA certificatePower drillHand tools

Permits and plans

Work at height permit

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 ceiling boarding

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 ceiling boarding

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Set up a mobile scaffold or trestles at the right height
  2. Check for cables and pipes in the ceiling space
  3. Lift sheets with a sheet lifter and two people
  4. Fix sheets and support until fixed
  5. Clean up

Hazards to watch on ceiling boarding

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

Step 1Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldA scaffold that is badly built, overloaded or altered collapses or tips, or a worker falls from an unguarded platform.
Step 4Injury from power toolsDrills, saws, routers and sanders kick back, catch clothing or throw debris, causing cuts, broken bones and eye injuries.
Step 4Repetitive work and awkward posturesDoing the same movement for hours, kneeling or working overhead causes long-term damage to joints, muscles and tendons.
Step 1Falling from heightA worker falls from any height where a fall could cause injury, such as an edge, platform or opening.
Step 3Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 2Electric shock from live wiringContact with live wires, distribution boards or equipment gives an electric shock or arc flash burn that can kill.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on ceiling boarding: 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 major 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 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 MEWP (scissor lift or cherry picker)?
  • Was the building built before 2000?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

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

  • Mobile access tower: PASMA certificate

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: Work at Height Regulations 2005; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 10 (falling objects); Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

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 ceiling boarding?

You must assess the risks of ceiling boarding 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 ceiling boarding?

Usually Safety boots, Safety glasses, Safety helmet, FFP3 dust mask, Hi-vis vest, Rigger gloves, Ear defenders, Knee pads. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More plastering and dry lining RAMS

RAMSDry Lining9 stepsRAMSTaping and Jointing5 stepsRAMSCoving Installation4 stepsRAMSPlasterboard Repair5 stepsRAMSExternal Rendering5 stepsRAMSSuspended Ceiling Installation4 steps

Related jobs in other trades

RoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves electric shock from live wiringScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves electric shock from live wiring

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at HeightToolbox talkScaffold SafetyToolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power Tools

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

Sources