Carpentry RAMS Builder
Site carpentry risk assessment and method statement
Checking this browser for your work…
RAMS review
Check a RAMS
Carpentry RAMS template
A blank carpentry RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Carpentry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Carpentry RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Carpentry, First floor, Unit 8, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
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.
A frame is fixed to weak support or the work affects a load-bearing part
The carpenters and people in the room
Keep structural changes outside this operation. Get the fixing detail checked if the support is different.
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.
A fixing hits a hidden cable or pipe
The person doing the work and everyone nearby
Check again wherever the work moves. If you hit something, stop, keep clear and report it.
Falling from the access equipment; tools or materials falling from the platform
The person on the platform, if it is set up on an unsuitable surface and shifts under them. Anyone passing or working underneath.
Place access equipment on a firm, level surface. Keep tools and materials secure while working above ground.
Back and shoulder injury from carrying heavy or long items
Everyone handling materials
Use a trolley or sack truck on the flat where the load suits one.
A length or board causes a strain, crushes fingers, or falls onto someone
The carpenters and people nearby
Keep materials out of doorways and walkways. Use help before the load becomes awkward.
Wood and MDF dust from power cutting harms the lungs and can cause asthma
The person cutting and anyone downwind
Connect an M-class extractor that fits the tool. Cut in one place, away from other trades, and clear up with a vacuum, not a brush or an air line.
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.
An incomplete frame moves or falls because its build order is wrong
The carpenters and people in the room
Follow the agreed build sequence. Stop if the frame moves or the support cannot take the fixing.
The part-built frame overturns and strikes someone
The carpenters and people nearby
Use support suited to the foreseeable load. Check bracing before work and after it is disturbed.
An unfinished frame moves later or is loaded before it is ready
The carpenters and following trades
Keep unfinished work marked and protected. Do not let anyone load or alter it outside the detail.
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.
Carpentry, First floor, Unit 8, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Carpentry Ltd
- Site and work area
- First floor, Unit 8, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two carpenters: Dan Hollins leads, sets out the partition and checks the bracing; Priya Shah works with him.
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 drawing and supportConfirm the frame is non-loadbearing and the supports are agreed. Check the fixing line for hidden services and old fabric. Stop if the frame or support differs from the drawing.
- 3Check 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 doors, trim, boards and linings. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 4Find hidden servicesCheck the drawings, then use a detector, along any fixing line into a wall or floor. Mark what you find and keep fixings clear of it. If you are not sure what is there, do not drill.
- 5Set up access equipmentUse access equipment suited to the task and work area. Check the equipment before use. Keep the area below the work controlled.
- 6Carry the doors, timber, boards and units safelyPlan the route, clear it, and get help with anything long or heavy. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to.
- 7Move timber and boards into placeClear the route before carrying lengths and boards. Use help or a trolley for anything you cannot control alone. Stand unused material where it cannot fall into the route.
- 8Control the dust when cuttingRun every saw, router and planer on on-tool extraction to an M Class extractor, and never cut in a closed room without it. Wear an FFP3 mask (APF 20) when you sand or cut for any length of time, fit tested and clean-shaven, and keep other people out of the dust.
- 9Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders when cutting. Note how long each person's hands are on each tool while it runs. Take the tool's vibration figure from the maker or HSE's table and check it fits how you use it. Points per hour times hours on the trigger, added up for the day, gives the exposure: 100 points is the action value, 400 is the limit. HSE's vibration calculator does the sum. Over 100, cut it with lower-vibration kit or less time, and never pass 400. Write the result down. Sharing the work does not replace this. Keep the tools maintained.
- 10Build in a stable sequenceFix the floor and head plates to the agreed supports. Fit studs and openings in the planned sequence. Keep the area clear while the frame is part-built.
- 11Brace the frame until it is fixedInstall the agreed braces or props before the frame can be pushed. Keep them until the top and bottom fixings are complete. Do not load the part-built frame.
- 12Check the frame before hand-backCheck the planned fixings are complete and the frame does not move. Remove braces only when permanent fixings are complete. Tell the next trade about unfinished work.
- 13Clear 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 carpentry RAMS covers
Non-loadbearing stud framing, cutting and fixing boards, hanging non-fire doors and fixing trim. Not covered: structural timber such as joists, trusses and roofs.
- Light frame
- Cut boards
- Hang non-fire door
- Trim
Suggested steps and hazards for carpentry
Suggested for light frame before any questions are answered.
Check the drawing and support
- Confirm the frame is non-loadbearing and the supports are agreed.
- Check the fixing line for hidden services and old fabric.
- Stop if the frame or support differs from the drawing.
Hazard
A frame is fixed to weak support or the work affects a load-bearing part
Who might be harmed and how
The carpenters and people in the room
Controls in place
- Keep structural changes outside this operation.
- Get the fixing detail checked if the support is different.
A light frame must not be used to guess at a structural change or weak support.
HSE: Temporary Works Move timber and boards into place
- Clear the route before carrying lengths and boards.
- Use help or a trolley for anything you cannot control alone.
- Stand unused material where it cannot fall into the route.
Hazard
A length or board causes a strain, crushes fingers, or falls onto someone
Who might be harmed and how
The carpenters and people nearby
Controls in place
- Keep materials out of doorways and walkways.
- Use help before the load becomes awkward.
Long timber and boards are difficult to control in a busy room.
HSE: Manual handling solutions in woodworking Build in a stable sequence
- Fix the floor and head plates to the agreed supports.
- Fit studs and openings in the planned sequence.
- Keep the area clear while the frame is part-built.
Hazard
An incomplete frame moves or falls because its build order is wrong
Who might be harmed and how
The carpenters and people in the room
Controls in place
- Follow the agreed build sequence.
- Stop if the frame moves or the support cannot take the fixing.
The frame is least stable before its planned fixings and bracing are complete.
HSE: Temporary Works
What the builder asks about carpentry
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Is the door leaf already glazed?
- What is the trim made of?
- What will the frame be fixed to?
- Which material are you cutting?
- Is the frame ready for the hinges?
- Is an old door coming off first?
Where
- What pipes or cables run behind or through the fixing and cutting area?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will you fix the trim?
- How will you keep it stable while part-built?
- How will you support the board and offcut?
- Which compatible hardware are you fitting?
- How will you fix the timber?
What your carpentry 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.