# Rodent proofing RAMS Builder > Rodent proofing RAMS builder for building exclusion and drain and service proofing. Answer a few questions, or download a free template or example PDF. > Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=rodent-proofing Rodent proofing risk assessment and method statement ## RAMS review [Check a RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-review) ![A RAMS page with passages highlighted and numbered review comments beside them](https://complyonsite.com/art/rams-review-highlight.webp) ## Rodent proofing RAMS template A blank rodent proofing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record. Risk assessment and method statement Rodent proofing RAMS - **Company**: left blank to fill in - **Site and work area**: left blank to fill in - **Planned dates**: left blank to fill in - **In charge on site**: left blank to fill in - **Team**: left blank to fill in Method statement 1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4 5. 5 6. 6 Risk assessment | Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [Download the templatePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/rodent-proofing-rams-template.pdf) ## Rodent proofing RAMS example The same RAMS, filled in for one job. Risk assessment and method statement Rodent proofing, Unit 7, Mill Lane Trading Estate, Stockport: food prep unit Risk assessment - People entering the work area or tripping over materials Workers, occupants and visitors Mark or barrier the active work area. Store tools and materials away from access routes. - People using the building or passing by walking into the work or over what it leaves Occupants, visitors, members of the public and workers Keep the barriers and signs up while the work is active. Give people a clear way round where their normal route is blocked. - A second entry route remains open and the proofing does not work Workers, occupants and the building Do not call the building proofed if access was incomplete. Keep an unexamined route open for a separate decision. - The control used does not stop rodents entering The operator, occupants and wildlife Choose the method that fits the site and rodent risk. Do not add chemical treatment to this method. - Breathing asbestos fibres from old boards, sheets, sealants or insulation The team and anyone in the building Do not cut, drill or break any material until it is confirmed asbestos free. Licensed work is not for this method; hand it to a licensed contractor. - Hitting a live cable or gas pipe causes shock, fire or gas escape The person doing the work and everyone nearby Check again wherever the work moves. If you hit something, stop, keep clear and report it. - Wind catches the mesh, barriers and loose materials and blows them onto people nearby The team and people nearby Check the forecast before you start and agree when the wind stops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave. - Rodents are trapped inside or move to another part of the building Workers, occupants and rodents Record the control decision before closure. Do not start closure while activity is present or unclear. - The material fails, leaves a route open or blocks a service Workers, occupants and the building Follow the agreed material detail. Stop if the route or service interface does not match the method. - The repair creates a new route or shelter for rodents Workers, occupants and the building Do not hide a new gap in the finish. Record work that needs a separate repair. - A small gap remains or the proofing blocks a service after handback Workers, occupants and the building Repair defects before leaving. Record any part needing a separate follow-up. - People, animals or the building are harmed by unfinished proofing Workers, occupants, visitors and the public Remove loose offcuts and fixings. Keep unfinished work marked and protected. - Debris, tools or unfinished work left in the area Workers, occupants and visitors Remove waste by the agreed route. Record and protect any unfinished work. Rodent proofing, Unit 7, Mill Lane Trading Estate, Stockport: food prep unit - **Company**: Hollins & Reed Pest Proofing Ltd - **Site and work area**: Unit 7, Mill Lane Trading Estate, Stockport: food prep unit - **Planned dates**: 12 to 14 October 2026 - **In charge on site**: Dan Hollins - **Team**: Two operatives: Dan Hollins leads and checks the area each morning; Priya Shah works with him. Method statement 1. 1 Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active work area. Keep entrances and escape routes clear. 2. 2 Keep people clear of the workAgree how people get past or around the work while it is going on. Put barriers or signs where a route crosses the work. Do not leave open work unattended. 3. 3 Inspect the building interfacesCheck accessible walls, wall voids, roofs, service areas and nearby external or storage areas for routes. Record any part you could not inspect. 4. 4 Choose the proofing methodUse a physical barrier or another agreed non-chemical control method. Keep rodenticide decisions in the pest-control method. 5. 5 Check for asbestos before you disturb anythingCheck the asbestos survey covers exactly what you will disturb, to the full depth. Register only, or nothing: get a refurbishment survey or a sample first. Read what it says about old walls, roof voids, doors, drains and sealants where proofing is fixed. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked. 6. 6 Find and isolate hidden servicesFind cables and pipes before you disturb anything: drawings, then a detector. Mark what you find. Not sure what is there? Turn the supply off, or do not start. Have cables and gas isolated by the right person and prove them dead before you start. 7. 7 Check the weather before you startStop handling mesh, barriers and loose materials when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning. 8. 8 Control activity before closingConfirm the current pest-control position before sealing the building entry point. Keep treatment work separate from physical proofing. 9. 9 Fit the specified building barrierUse this job's mesh, metal, mortar, lime or seal at the agreed entry point. Keep required ventilation, doors and services functional. 10. 10 Avoid creating new routesCheck the finished work and nearby building changes for gaps or harbourage created by the proofing job. Keep the area tidy and report any new route. 11. 11 Check the finished closureInspect the full interface for small gaps beside the new barrier. Check that doors, vents and services still work as required. 12. 12 Leave the building safe between shiftsDo not leave an open hole, loose mesh or sharp fixings at the end of the shift. Guard or cover unfinished work and leave the agreed area secure. 13. 13 Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the customer or whoever runs the site when the work is complete. [Download the examplePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/rodent-proofing-rams-example.pdf) ## What a rodent proofing RAMS covers Sealing gaps in the building with mesh and barriers, and proofing drains and service entries. Not covered: baiting and trapping. - Building rodent exclusion - Drain and service proofing ## Suggested steps and hazards for rodent proofing Suggested for building rodent exclusion before any questions are answered. 1. ### Inspect the building interfaces - Check accessible walls, wall voids, roofs, service areas and nearby external or storage areas for routes. - Record any part you could not inspect. Hazard A second entry route remains open and the proofing does not work. Who might be harmed and how Workers, occupants and the building Controls in place - Do not call the building proofed if access was incomplete. - Keep an unexamined route open for a separate decision. Checking the accessible interfaces finds routes that would otherwise leave the building unproofed. [Code of Practice: prevention and control of rodent infestations on poultry farms](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-prevention-and-control-of-rodent-infestations-on-poultry-farms/code-of-practice-prevention-and-control-of-rodent-infestations-on-poultry-farms) 2. ### Choose the proofing method - Use a physical barrier or another agreed non-chemical control method. - Keep rodenticide decisions in the pest-control method. Hazard The control used does not stop rodents entering. Who might be harmed and how The operator, occupants and wildlife Controls in place - Choose the method that fits the site and rodent risk. - Do not add chemical treatment to this method. The proofing method must fit the route without turning this job into rodenticide work. 3. ### Control activity before closing - Confirm the current pest-control position before sealing the building entry point. - Keep treatment work separate from physical proofing. Hazard Rodents are trapped inside or move to another part of the building. Who might be harmed and how Workers, occupants and rodents Controls in place - Record the control decision before closure. - Do not start closure while activity is present or unclear. Closing a route before activity is controlled can trap rodents or move them elsewhere. [Code of Practice: prevention and control of rodent infestations on poultry farms](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-prevention-and-control-of-rodent-infestations-on-poultry-farms/code-of-practice-prevention-and-control-of-rodent-infestations-on-poultry-farms) ## What the builder asks about rodent proofing Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. The job - Have the rats or mice been cleared out yet? - Which opening needs protecting? - Where is the building entry route? Where - Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them. - What pipes or cables run in the wall, roof, ground or service opening where you drill or fix? How it’s done - What will you stand on to reach the work? - Which barrier will you fit? - What are you blocking the hole with? - Will you cut anything on site, and with what? What you’ve been told - Can you check the route without entering it? ## What your rodent proofing RAMS includes ### Method statement The work in order, step by step. ### Risk assessment Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. ### PDF The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF. Your logo on Pro and Team. - ### [Pest work RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=pest-work) - ### [Bird proofing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=bird-proofing) - [All trades and tasks](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder) ## What the law asks for ### What a RAMS is A risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment records what could cause harm on the job, who could be harmed and how, and the controls that keep the risk down. The method statement sets out how the work will be done, step by step, in the order it happens. A client or main contractor will usually ask for one before you start. RAMS is a site term, not a legal one: the law asks for the risk assessment and for the work to be planned, and a method statement is the usual way to show that plan for one job. ### What the law asks for - Employers, and self-employed people doing construction work, must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their own people and to anyone else affected by the work ([Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/3)). - An employer with five or more employees must record the significant findings and any group of employees it finds especially at risk. The assessment must be reviewed if there is reason to think it is no longer valid, or the work has changed significantly. - Every contractor must plan, manage and monitor its work so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, it is done without risks to health and safety, and must give its workers the information and instructions they need, including the hazards the risk assessment found ([Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 15](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/15)). HSE guidance: [the steps to manage risk](https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm) and [what contractors must do under CDM](https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/contractors.htm). This is the law in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent regulations. ### What the builder does You choose the work and answer questions about how the job will be done, such as what you will stand on and what else is going on nearby. Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. Many suggestions link to the HSE guidance they draw on. Your work is kept in this browser and, signed in, on your account with its photos; the PDF is made on your device. A briefing you send to phones goes through your account. ### Separate documents A COSHH assessment, lifting plan, permit to work, asbestos survey and the principal contractor’s construction phase plan are separate from the RAMS. ### Reviewing a RAMS before work starts [RAMS review](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-review) reads a RAMS PDF, yours before you send it or one a subcontractor sends you, and lists the points to raise, each marked on the page it comes from. Quick reviews are free.