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Bird proofing risk assessment and method statement
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Bird proofing RAMS template
A blank bird proofing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Bird 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Risk assessment
| Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action |
|---|---|---|---|
Bird proofing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Bird proofing, Unit 7, Ashton Trading Estate, Stockport: loading bay
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.
The proofing comes loose or leaves a gap because the wrong product or fixing is used
The installation team, building users and people below
Stop if the approved product or surface instructions are missing. Do not substitute a system without agreement.
Birds are trapped or disturbed by exclusion work
Wild birds and the installation team
Stop and seek wildlife advice if a bird, nest or egg is present. Keep the area open until the check is complete.
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 netting, mesh and loose proofing materials or blows someone off balance at height
The team and people below
Agree a wind limit for this work and check the forecast before you start. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.
Netting, mesh, tools and fixings falling onto people below
People below
Bring waste down by hand or in bags. Never throw it. Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.
The installer falls while fixing netting or ledge proofing
The installer and people below
Follow the work-at-height hierarchy. Stop if the planned access does not reach the fixing points safely.
The MEWP overturning; contact with overhead power lines; tools or materials dropped from the platform
The operator, and anyone beside the machine, where the ground gives way or it is worked outside its limits. The operator, and anyone touching the machine, from shock or burns. Anyone passing or working underneath.
Use a trained operator and follow the machine limits. Stop when the wind reaches the machine’s limit. Keep the agreed rescue arrangement available. Check for overhead lines before raising the platform and keep the agreed clearance. Barrier the area below so the public and other workers cannot walk under the platform.
Loose proofing falls, fails to exclude birds or creates a snagging hazard
Wild birds, the installation team and people below
Use this job's clips and fixings for the surface. Check each fixing before moving to the next section.
Birds get behind the proofing or become trapped in a hidden space
Wild birds and the building user
Inspect the full perimeter before leaving. Do not seal a gap until you have checked it is clear.
A loose fixing, sharp end or missed gap harms people or lets birds behind the proofing
Wild birds, workers and building users
Repair defects before leaving. Record the inspection and any part that needs follow-up.
Failed proofing or harm to birds is missed after installation
Wild birds, the client and maintenance workers
Record who owns the follow-up. Repair failed or damaged proofing.
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.
Bird proofing, Unit 7, Ashton Trading Estate, Stockport: loading bay
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Pest Proofing Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 7, Ashton Trading Estate, Stockport: loading bay
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two operatives: Dan Hollins leads and works the MEWP controls; Priya Shah is the ground person. Both hold MEWP operator cards.
Method statement
- 1Set 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.
- 2Check the approved proofing systemHave the system instructions and the agreed area with you before fixing. Check the surface, clips, fixings and spacing match the system.
- 3Check birds before closing the areaCheck the whole area again before fixing or closing it. Do not start displacement during the breeding season or close an area that birds are using.
- 4Check 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 soffits, roof edges, sheets and sealants where the proofing is fixed. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 5Find 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.
- 6Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix netting, mesh and loose proofing materials in strong wind. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 7Stop things falling on people belowKeep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the netting, mesh, tools and fixings. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
- 8Use safe accessAvoid height where possible and otherwise use the planned equipment correctly. Keep people out from below the work.
- 9Use the MEWPCheck the MEWP and work area before use. Look up for overhead lines and check the wind limit before raising the platform. Set up on suitable ground within the machine limits. Keep the platform within the planned work zone. Lower and secure the machine after use.
- 10Fit the system as specifiedFix netting, ledge proofing or an entry guard at the spacing and tension the instructions require. Keep the system tight, secure and clear of sharp loose ends.
- 11Close hidden gaps and entry pointsCheck corners, returns, joins and service openings as the proofing goes in. Close only the agreed areas and leave no route behind the system.
- 12Inspect the finished proofingWalk the full perimeter and check every fixing, join, corner and exit route. Remove loose wire, offcuts and tools before the area is handed back.
- 13Check the proofing after installationArrange a follow-up check to see whether the proofing is working. Carry out remedial work if it has failed or birds are still being affected.
- 14Clear 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.
What a bird proofing RAMS covers
Surveying where birds roost and perch, then fitting netting, mesh or spikes, usually at height. Not covered: culling, trapping and licensed bird control.
- Bird site survey
- Install bird exclusion
Suggested steps and hazards for bird proofing
Suggested for install bird exclusion before any questions are answered.
Check the approved proofing system
- Have the system instructions and the agreed area with you before fixing.
- Check the surface, clips, fixings and spacing match the system.
Hazard
The proofing comes loose or leaves a gap because the wrong product or fixing is used.
Who might be harmed and how
The installation team, building users and people below
Controls in place
- Stop if the approved product or surface instructions are missing.
- Do not substitute a system without agreement.
Netting and ledge systems only work when their fixings and spacing match the surface.
Code of Best Practice for Bird Management and Control Check birds before closing the area
- Check the whole area again before fixing or closing it.
- Do not start displacement during the breeding season or close an area that birds are using.
Hazard
Birds are trapped or disturbed by exclusion work.
Who might be harmed and how
Wild birds and the installation team
Controls in place
- Stop and seek wildlife advice if a bird, nest or egg is present.
- Keep the area open until the check is complete.
A final bird check prevents closing an area around birds.
Wild birds: advice for making planning decisions Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix netting, mesh and loose proofing materials in strong wind.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- Rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the netting, mesh and loose proofing materials or blows someone off balance at height
Who might be harmed and how
The team and people below
Controls in place
- Agree a wind limit for this work and check the forecast before you start.
- Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.
Wind is the main weather cause of falls and dropped loads in outside work at height.
HSE: Work at height
What the builder asks about bird proofing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What bird signs are present?
- What is the bird position before you close the area?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run in the wall, soffit or roof edge where you drill or fix?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- Which proofing system is approved for the job?
- What proofing method is proposed?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What your bird 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.
The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF. Your logo on Pro and Team.
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).
- 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).
HSE guidance: the steps to manage risk and what contractors must do under CDM. 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 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.