SafetyPaperwork
Tiling · United Kingdom

Method statement for wall tiling

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

You must assess the risks of wall tiling 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, electric shock from live wiring, saw cuts and kickback and working in an occupied home or building.

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RAMS example: wall tiling

This is a complete RAMS for wall tiling, with 4 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)
Kitchen splashback tiling · Tiling · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Isolate power to sockets in the splashback
  • 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)
2Protect benches and appliances
  • Working in an occupied home or building
Residents, Children, Staff, WorkersMedium (9)
  • Plan noisy, dusty or risky work for when the building is empty. Eliminate
  • Close off the work area with barriers, plastic sheeting or locked doors, and put up signs. Isolate
  • Keep fire exits and paths clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Tell occupants before you turn off power, water or gas, and before noisy or dusty work. Control (procedures)
  • Lock away tools, chemicals and materials each day, out of reach of children. Control (procedures)
  • Clean up dust and debris at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
Low (3)
3Cut tiles wet and drill holes with water
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
  • Saw cuts and kickback
  • Eye injuries
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
  • Keep blade guards fitted and working, and use the riving knife on table saws. Control (engineering)
  • Use push sticks and clamps, and support long pieces so they do not pinch the blade. Control (engineering)
  • Use a sharp, undamaged blade made for the material. Control (procedures)
  • Stand to one side of the blade line, out of the kickback path. Control (procedures)
  • Let the blade stop fully before reaching in or putting the saw down. Control (procedures)
  • Use tool guards and screens to stop flying particles. Control (engineering)
  • Use dust extraction and water to keep dust out of the air. Control (engineering)
  • Keep others out of the area when cutting, grinding or chipping. Control (procedures)
  • Keep an eye wash station or eye wash bottles on site. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses at all times, goggles for dust and chemicals, and a face shield for grinding. PPE
Medium (8)
4Set, grout and clean
  • Hazardous chemicals
  • Cuts from sharp edges
Workers, OccupantsMedium (9)
  • Choose the least harmful product that does the job, for example water-based instead of solvent-based. Reduce / substitute
  • Use chemicals in well-ventilated areas, or use fans and extraction in closed rooms. Control (engineering)
  • Do a COSHH assessment and read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before use. Control (procedures)
  • Keep chemicals in labelled containers. Never decant into drink bottles. Control (procedures)
  • Store chemicals away from heat, food and drink, and keep products that react with each other apart. Control (procedures)
  • Have eye wash and a spill kit nearby, and wash hands before eating. Control (procedures)
  • Wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses or goggles as listed on the SDS. PPE
  • Use a respirator with the right cartridge if the SDS calls for one. PPE
  • Deburr or cover sharp edges, and fit edge protectors on exposed sheet metal. Control (engineering)
  • Use knives with retractable or self-retracting blades. Control (engineering)
  • Cut away from your body and keep your other hand clear. Control (procedures)
  • Put used blades in a blade bin or sharps container. Control (procedures)
  • Use two people to handle large sheets of metal or glass. Control (procedures)
  • Wear cut-resistant gloves and long sleeves. PPE
Medium (6)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Isolate power to sockets in the splashback
  2. Protect benches and appliances
  3. Cut tiles wet and drill holes with water
  4. Set, grout and clean

PPE

Safety glassesFFP3 dust maskChemical-resistant glovesHalf-mask respirator (P3 filters)Ear defendersSafety gogglesFace shieldCoverallsCut-resistant gloves

Plant and equipment

Wet tile cutterHand toolsPower drill

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 wall tiling

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 wall tiling

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Isolate power to sockets in the splashback
  2. Protect benches and appliances
  3. Cut tiles wet and drill holes with water
  4. Set, grout and clean

Hazards to watch on wall tiling

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

Step 2Working in an occupied home or buildingResidents, staff or children wander into the work area and get hurt, or the work blocks exits or cuts off power or water while people are inside.
Step 3Eye injuriesFlying chips, dust, chemicals or sparks get into the eye and cause damage or blindness.
Step 3Saw cuts and kickbackCircular saws, drop saws and table saws cut fingers and hands or throw material back at the user.
Step 4Hazardous chemicalsGlues, sealants, solvents, acids, cleaners and cement burn skin and eyes or cause breathing problems and poisoning.
Step 3Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tilesCutting, grinding or drilling concrete, brick, stone, tiles or fibre cement makes fine silica dust that causes silicosis and lung cancer.
Step 4Cuts from sharp edgesSheet metal, glass, blades, cable tray and offcuts cut hands and arms.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on wall tiling: 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 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?

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 wall tiling?

You must assess the risks of wall tiling 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 wall tiling?

Usually Safety glasses, FFP3 dust mask, Chemical-resistant gloves, Half-mask respirator (P3 filters), Ear defenders, Safety goggles, Face shield, Coveralls, Cut-resistant gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More tiling RAMS

RAMSBathroom Tiling5 stepsRAMSFloor Tiling5 stepsRAMSTanking9 stepsRAMSTile Removal9 stepsRAMSBalcony Tiling5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

DemolitionSoft StripAlso involves hazardous chemicalsBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves eye injuriesElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves working in an occupied home or buildingRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves cuts from sharp edges

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at HeightToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkWorking in Cold WeatherToolbox talkWorking Near Traffic

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

Sources