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Bricklaying RAMS Builder
Bricklaying risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for laying bricks and blocks, mixing mortar, repointing and local masonry repairs.
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Bricklaying RAMS template
A blank bricklaying RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Bricklaying 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Bricklaying RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Bricklaying, 14 Beech Avenue, Sale: rear extension
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Brickwork Ltd
- Site and work area
- 14 Beech Avenue, Sale: rear extension
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two bricklayers and a labourer: Dan Hollins leads and checks the scaffold each morning; Priya Shah lays with him; Tom Reed mixes and carries.
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.
- 2Stop things falling on people belowFence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the materials and tools. Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.
- 3Confirm the wall supportCheck the current drawing, set-out and receiving support before laying the first course. Keep the temporary works or restraint arrangement on site.
- 4Set down units close to the wallPut packs on firm level ground near the point of use. Keep the route and working area clear before moving the next pack.
- 5Work from the scaffoldCheck the scaffold tag or handover shows an inspection within the last 7 days. Use only the lifts and access that were handed over. Keep materials within the loading the scaffold was built for. Keep off in high wind or ice, or when sheeting has come loose.
- 6Lay the wall to the drawingBuild to the specified bond, line and level. Fit the ties, cavity details, openings and movement joints shown on the drawing.
- 7Carry the materials safelyPlan the route, clear it, and carry long items upright with two people. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to.
- 8Keep the work face tidyKeep mortar, tools and units within easy reach without blocking the access route. Clear broken units and mortar before they become trip hazards.
- 9Keep the fresh wall safeDo not lean boards, sheets or materials against fresh masonry. Fit the agreed restraint and cover the top when the lift ends.
- 10Check the wall before leaving itCheck the last course, ties, openings and temporary restraint before the team leaves. Leave materials and access equipment where they cannot strike or load the fresh wall.
- 11Control the dust when cuttingCut with water suppression or on-tool extraction, never dry in the open. Wear an FFP3 mask when you cut and keep other people out of the dust.
- 12Use the grinder or disc cutter safelyCheck the disc is the right type and speed for the tool and the material. Keep the guard on and both hands on the tool.
- 13Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders when cutting and share the cutting between people. Take breaks from vibrating tools and keep them maintained.
- 14Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the person in charge when the work is complete.
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.
Materials and tools falling onto people below
People below, including the public
Lower waste in bags or a chute, never throw it. Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.
Collapse or movement when masonry is built without the designed support or sequence
Bricklayers and everyone near the wall
Stop if the drawing, support or wall base is missing or different. Use the agreed build sequence and do not remove restraint early.
Strains, trips and falling packs while bricks or blocks are moved around the site
Bricklayers, labourers and people using the route
Use pallet trucks or sack trucks where possible. Keep packs stable and do not double stack unless the site arrangement allows it.
Falling from a scaffold that has been altered; materials falling from the scaffold
Anyone working on the lift, where a guardrail, board or tie has been taken out to get the work done. Anyone passing or working underneath, including the public where the scaffold is over a footpath.
Never remove boards, ties, guardrails or bracing; ask the scaffolding contractor to alter it. Report damage or a missing tag and keep off until it is checked. Fit brick guards or netting where materials could fall on people below.
Later wall failure from wrong bond, missing ties or building off the wrong support
Bricklayers and people using the building
Check line, level and gauge as you go. Stop and ask if the set-out or support is not what the drawing shows.
Back and shoulder injury from carrying heavy or long items
Everyone handling materials
Use a trolley or sack truck on the flat. Never carry up a ladder; hand items up or hoist them.
Trips or strains while working around scattered materials
The bricklaying team and people using the route
Use a stable board or tub for mortar. Move empty pallets and waste out of the work face promptly.
A fresh wall overturning or being knocked over before the mortar sets
Bricklayers and everyone near the wall
Keep people away from unrestrained work. Stop building if wind or a missing restraint makes the wall unsafe.
An unfinished wall is left unstable or is damaged by the next activity
The bricklaying team and other workers
Tell the supervisor what is complete and what must remain protected. Do not remove restraint or barriers until the wall is ready.
Silica and board dust from power cutting damage the lungs
The person cutting and anyone downwind
Use the extraction or water kit that fits the tool. Cut in one place, away from other trades, and clear up with a vacuum not a brush.
A disc bursts or the tool kicks back and cuts the user
The person cutting
Only someone trained to change discs fits them. Stop and swap any cracked or worn disc.
Hearing damage and hand-arm vibration from power tools
The person cutting
Use sharp blades and discs, which cut faster with less vibration. Warn people nearby before you start cutting.
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.
What a Bricklaying RAMS covers
Laying bricks and blocks, mixing mortar, repointing and patch repairs to masonry. Not covered: fitting or replacing lintels.
- Lay units
- Mix mortar
- Repoint
- Local repair
Suggested steps and hazards for Bricklaying
Suggested for lay units before any questions are answered.
Confirm the wall support
- Check the current drawing, set-out and receiving support before laying the first course.
- Keep the temporary works or restraint arrangement on site.
Hazard
Collapse or movement when masonry is built without the designed support or sequence
Who might be harmed and how
Bricklayers and everyone near the wall
Controls in place
- Stop if the drawing, support or wall base is missing or different.
- Use the agreed build sequence and do not remove restraint early.
The wall needs its designed support and sequence before the first course is laid.
HSE: Temporary Works Set down units close to the wall
- Put packs on firm level ground near the point of use.
- Keep the route and working area clear before moving the next pack.
Hazard
Strains, trips and falling packs while bricks or blocks are moved around the site
Who might be harmed and how
Bricklayers, labourers and people using the route
Controls in place
- Use pallet trucks or sack trucks where possible.
- Keep packs stable and do not double stack unless the site arrangement allows it.
Putting units close to the work reduces avoidable carrying and keeps the route clear.
HSE: Blocks and masonry units Lay the wall to the drawing
- Build to the specified bond, line and level.
- Fit the ties, cavity details, openings and movement joints shown on the drawing.
Hazard
Later wall failure from wrong bond, missing ties or building off the wrong support
Who might be harmed and how
Bricklayers and people using the building
Controls in place
- Check line, level and gauge as you go.
- Stop and ask if the set-out or support is not what the drawing shows.
The drawing sets the bond, ties and details that keep the finished wall sound.
HSE: Temporary Works
What the builder asks about Bricklaying
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What are you building?
- How is the material supplied?
- What is the existing wall and mortar?
- What are you replacing?
- What work will receive this mix?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run the wall or background where you will cut, rake or fix?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What holds the wall steady as it rises?
- How will you mix it?
- How will you get the old mortar out?
- Is anything resting on the part you will remove?
- Is the wall stable before you start?
- How will you open the damaged patch?
What your Bricklaying 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.
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. 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 the PDF is made on your device.
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.