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Concrete breakout risk assessment and method statement
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Concrete breakout RAMS template
A blank concrete breakout RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Concrete breakout 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Concrete breakout RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Concrete breakout, Unit 3, 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.
Removing concrete that supports a structure or contains an unplanned service
The breakout worker and people near the work
Use the current survey and method for the exact area. Escalate unexpected reinforcement, a void or any movement.
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.
Respirable silica dust reaches the worker or nearby people
The breakout worker and people nearby
Start dust control before the tool touches the concrete. Stop if the water, extraction or containment fails.
Vibration, noise or loss of control during powered breakout
The breakout worker and nearby trades
Use the lowest-vibration suitable equipment. 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. Report loss of control.
Flying fragments or unexpected movement of the remaining concrete
The breakout worker and people outside the zone
Maintain the exclusion area through the work. Stop and report movement, cracking or an unexpected void.
Strains, trips or dropped concrete during waste handling
The breakout team and people using the route
Use a trolley for awkward pieces. Do not leave loose debris where people pass.
Trips or an unprotected opening after breakout
The breakout team and following trades
Keep barriers or covers in place until the next work makes the area safe. Tell the next trade what was exposed or left incomplete.
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.
Concrete breakout, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Contracting Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- 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
- 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.
- 2Confirm the concrete and boundaryRead the current information and mark only the local area approved for breakout. Stop if the structure, material or boundary differs from the record.
- 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 boards, coatings or insulation around the concrete. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 4Find 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.
- 5Control concrete dust at sourceUse the agreed water, extraction or contained method while breaking. Use the RPE required by the assessment and keep people out of the dusty area.
- 6Use a suitable, maintained toolUse the agreed hand tool or light breaker for the concrete and boundary. Keep the tool maintained and stop if the material needs more force or a different method. 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.
- 7Keep fragments inside the work zoneBreak in the agreed sequence and use screens where fragments could travel. Keep the remaining concrete stable as the area is opened.
- 8Remove fragments by the planned routeCarry small pieces or use the planned trolley route without blocking access. Keep waste stable and clear the route as the breakout continues.
- 9Protect and hand back the areaCheck the exposed area and leave it protected for the next trade. Barrier or cover any exposed edge or hole before handback.
- 10Clear 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 concrete breakout RAMS covers
Breaking out non-structural concrete, and removing a concrete element the engineer has confirmed is released. Not covered: breaking out structural concrete under a temporary works design.
- Local nonstructural breakout
- Released concrete element
Suggested steps and hazards for concrete breakout
Suggested for local nonstructural breakout before any questions are answered.
Confirm the concrete and boundary
- Read the current information and mark only the local area approved for breakout.
- Stop if the structure, material or boundary differs from the record.
Hazard
Removing concrete that supports a structure or contains an unplanned service
Who might be harmed and how
The breakout worker and people near the work
Controls in place
- Use the current survey and method for the exact area.
- Escalate unexpected reinforcement, a void or any movement.
The marked boundary keeps local breakout inside the approved non-structural area.
HSE: Demolition Control concrete dust at source
- Use the agreed water, extraction or contained method while breaking.
- Use the RPE required by the assessment and keep people out of the dusty area.
Hazard
Respirable silica dust reaches the worker or nearby people
Who might be harmed and how
The breakout worker and people nearby
Controls in place
- Start dust control before the tool touches the concrete.
- Stop if the water, extraction or containment fails.
Concrete breakout can make respirable silica dust, so control it at source before relying on RPE.
HSE: Construction dust Use a suitable, maintained tool
- Use the agreed hand tool or light breaker for the concrete and boundary.
- Keep the tool maintained and stop if the material needs more force or a different method.
- 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.
Hazard
Vibration, noise or loss of control during powered breakout
Who might be harmed and how
The breakout worker and nearby trades
Controls in place
- Use the lowest-vibration suitable equipment.
- 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.
- Report loss of control.
A suitable maintained tool limits vibration, noise and uncontrolled damage.
How employers can protect workers from hand-arm vibration
What the builder asks about concrete breakout
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What has been confirmed about the concrete?
- What keeps the remaining structure safe?
Where
- Where must the debris stay?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run through, behind or beside the concrete?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What will you use to break it?
- How will broken concrete leave the area?
- How will you control dust and noise?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What your concrete breakout 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.