Chimneys RAMS Builder
Chimney work risk assessment and method statement
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Chimneys RAMS template
A blank chimneys RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Chimneys 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Chimneys RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Chimneys, 14 Mill Street, Stockport: rear chimney stack
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.
Loose masonry falls or the repair damages the existing stack
Chimney masons and people below
Use the agreed repair information and keep people below clear. Do not start until an unsafe defect has been dealt with.
An incompatible repair cracks, sheds material or damages the existing masonry
Chimney masons and building occupants
Follow the repair specification and approved sample. Stop if the existing build-up differs from the brief.
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 bricks, pots and tools 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.
Bricks, pots and rubble 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.
A worker falls or the access system fails under the work load
Chimney masons and people below
Use competent people for erection, alteration and inspection. Do not overload a platform or use it as structural support.
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.
A load falls from the hoist onto someone below
People below the hoist
Secure the bricks, pots, mortar and rubble before the lift. One person controls the lift and everyone can hear them.
Masonry loosens or dust and fragments reach the team and people below
Chimney masons and people below
Work in small sections and keep the exclusion zone in place. Use the dust controls for the tool and mortar.
Chimney waste blocks drainage or falls onto people below
Chimney masons, roofers and people below
Use the agreed debris controls and waste route. Keep the exclusion zone in place until the roof and ground are checked.
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.
Chimneys, 14 Mill Street, Stockport: rear chimney stack
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Roofing Ltd
- Site and work area
- 14 Mill Street, Stockport: rear chimney stack
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two roofers: Dan Hollins leads and works on the stack; Priya Shah mixes and hoists from the scaffold.
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 stack and repair scopeInspect the stack, point out loose masonry and confirm the repair details before taking anything out. Stop if the stack or the agreed repair is different from what you find.
- 3Match the repair materialUse the specified brick, mortar, pot or flashing that is compatible with the existing stack. Agree a sample where the colour, joint or finish matters.
- 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 the old stack, flue, mortar and sealants. 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 bricks, pots and tools 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 bricks, pots and rubble. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
- 8Use designed and inspected accessUse the scaffold or other access system designed for the stack and the materials it will carry. Check it before use and after anything changes.
- 9Work 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.
- 10Use the hoistCheck the hoist's thorough examination report is in date and it can take the weight. Keep people out from underneath while a load is up.
- 11Rake and repoint the jointsRemove loose mortar carefully and repoint to the specified joint profile and finish. Keep sound bricks and the flue opening from being damaged.
- 12Clear waste and check guttersRemove mortar, brick and packaging from the roof and access system. Check the rainwater system before handover and do not sweep waste into gutters.
- 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 chimneys RAMS covers
Repointing, rebuilding and re-flaunching a stack, or taking it down course by course with the rubble lowered. Not covered: flue liners and appliances.
- Repair a chimney stack
- Dismantle a chimney stack
Suggested steps and hazards for chimneys
Suggested for repair a chimney stack before any questions are answered.
Check the stack and repair scope
- Inspect the stack, point out loose masonry and confirm the repair details before taking anything out.
- Stop if the stack or the agreed repair is different from what you find.
Hazard
Loose masonry falls or the repair damages the existing stack
Who might be harmed and how
Chimney masons and people below
Controls in place
- Use the agreed repair information and keep people below clear.
- Do not start until an unsafe defect has been dealt with.
A chimney can look sound from the ground but be loose or damaged at the roof line.
Department for Communities: Chimneys, flues and hearths Match the repair material
- Use the specified brick, mortar, pot or flashing that is compatible with the existing stack.
- Agree a sample where the colour, joint or finish matters.
Hazard
An incompatible repair cracks, sheds material or damages the existing masonry
Who might be harmed and how
Chimney masons and building occupants
Controls in place
- Follow the repair specification and approved sample.
- Stop if the existing build-up differs from the brief.
Compatible materials keep the repair from damaging the existing stack.
Department for Communities: Chimneys, flues and hearths Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix bricks, pots and tools in strong wind.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- Rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the bricks, pots and tools 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 chimneys
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What part of the chimney needs repair?
- What will be left above the roof?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run inside or beside the chimney stack?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What is happening to the flue or appliance?
- What is happening to the flue or appliance?
- Will you use a flame or make sparks on the roof?
- How will the bricks, pots, mortar and rubble get to the work?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What your chimneys 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.