Controlled breakout RAMS Builder
Controlled breakout risk assessment and method statement
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Controlled breakout RAMS template
A blank controlled breakout RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Controlled 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Controlled breakout RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Controlled 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.
Collapse or movement of the remaining structure during breaking
The breaker team and people in the structure
Use the recorded support arrangement and keep people outside the zone. Stop and get a competent decision when the condition changes.
Loss of control, electric shock or increased vibration from unsuitable equipment
The breaker operator
Use the lowest-vibration equipment that can do the work. Remove damaged tools from service and follow the maker's instructions.
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.
Fragments, dust or a partial collapse reaching people outside the workface
The breaker operator and everyone near the work
Keep people outside the planned zone. Use screens or barriers where the surroundings need extra protection.
Hand-arm vibration injury and fatigue reducing tool control
The breaker operator
Stop when someone reaches their limit. Keep hands warm and do not rely on gloves as vibration protection.
Silica dust entering the air and fragments striking the operator
The breaker operator and nearby people
Use source control before relying on RPE, with the assessed RPE where required. Collect slurry or vacuum dust; do not dry sweep it.
Slurry spreads contamination, creates a slip or reaches electrical equipment
The breaker team and people using the area
Use the agreed collection route and stop if it cannot contain the slurry. Keep leads, plugs and electrical equipment dry and protected.
Collapse or falling fragments injure workers or others
The breaker team and nearby trades
Keep people outside the planned debris zone. Do not continue when debris or movement reaches outside the plan.
Strains, trips or a remaining structure left unstable or unprotected
The breakout team and following trades
Use the planned handling aid and keep routes clear. Record and report anything that differs from the agreed method.
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.
Controlled 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.
- 2Check the support and sequenceRead the agreed removal sequence and confirm the remaining work is safe before loosening it. Stop if the condition, support or boundary differs from the record.
- 3Choose and check the breakerUse the specified breaker and chisel for the material and boundary. Check the tool, lead, hose, guards and connections before use.
- 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 masonry, concrete, boards and sealants around the breakout. 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.
- 6Set the exclusion and debris zoneMark where people may stand and where fragments may land before starting. Change the zone if the breakout boundary or tool changes.
- 7Limit each person's vibration exposureNote 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 breaker off while repositioning. Report tingling, numbness or loss of control and stop the task.
- 8Keep dust control runningUse this job's water or extraction method for the whole time the dusty work is being done. Stop if dust control or the work-area separation fails.
- 9Contain the water and slurryKeep enough water at the tool for the whole breakout and collect the slurry as it forms. Keep wet waste away from electrical equipment and walking routes.
- 10Keep debris in the planned zoneFollow the agreed sequence and keep debris inside the defined area. Stop and report movement or an unexpected void.
- 11Clear the breakout and recheck itRemove debris by the planned route and inspect the remaining work before handback. Leave support, barriers or covers until the agreed release allows removal.
- 12Clear 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 controlled breakout RAMS covers
Breaking out a set area with hand tools or a handheld breaker, with the structure, people and finishes around it protected. Not covered: sawing an opening through a slab.
- Hand tool removal
- Handheld breaker
Suggested steps and hazards for controlled breakout
Suggested for handheld breaker before any questions are answered.
Check the support and sequence
- Read the agreed removal sequence and confirm the remaining work is safe before loosening it.
- Stop if the condition, support or boundary differs from the record.
Hazard
Collapse or movement of the remaining structure during breaking
Who might be harmed and how
The breaker team and people in the structure
Controls in place
- Use the recorded support arrangement and keep people outside the zone.
- Stop and get a competent decision when the condition changes.
The support and sequence control movement while the element is loosened.
Choose and check the breaker
- Use the specified breaker and chisel for the material and boundary.
- Check the tool, lead, hose, guards and connections before use.
Hazard
Loss of control, electric shock or increased vibration from unsuitable equipment
Who might be harmed and how
The breaker operator
Controls in place
- Use the lowest-vibration equipment that can do the work.
- Remove damaged tools from service and follow the maker's instructions.
A suitable, maintained breaker is easier to control and limits unnecessary vibration.
How employers can protect workers from hand-arm vibration Set the exclusion and debris zone
- Mark where people may stand and where fragments may land before starting.
- Change the zone if the breakout boundary or tool changes.
Hazard
Fragments, dust or a partial collapse reaching people outside the workface
Who might be harmed and how
The breaker operator and everyone near the work
Controls in place
- Keep people outside the planned zone.
- Use screens or barriers where the surroundings need extra protection.
The zone keeps people outside the area reached by fragments, dust or collapse.
What the builder asks about controlled breakout
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What is behind or supporting the part you are opening?
- What support has been agreed before you break?
Where
- How will the broken material leave the area?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run behind or through the wall, floor or element being broken out?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will you keep fragments and dust down?
- What will you use to control the breaker work?
- How will you control dust and fragments?
What your controlled 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.