Free to use · PDF download
Core drilling RAMS Builder
Core drilling risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for diamond core drilling through walls and floors, by hand or from a rig.
- Free to use
- No account needed
- Questions follow HSE guidance
- Saves in this browser
Checking this browser for your work…
How is the coring machine held?
More details
The answer changes the support and movement checks.
Core drilling RAMS template
A blank core drilling RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Core drilling 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Core drilling RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Core drilling, 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 for asbestos before you disturb anythingAsk for the asbestos survey or register before you start. Read what it says about old boards, coatings, ceiling voids and linings. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 3Stop 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.
- 4Carry the materials and equipment 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.
- 5Protect the far side before coringCheck the other side before drilling and keep people out where the bit or core can emerge. Plan how the core will be held before the hole breaks through.
- 6Secure the stand or machineFix the stand or set the handheld machine exactly as its current manual requires. Check it cannot move before starting.
- 7Control dust and slurry for the whole coreUse the selected wet collection or dry extraction from the first cut to the last. Keep collected material contained for removal.
- 8Stop a jam safelyStop downward pressure and turn off the tool before investigating a jam. Remove the cause before restarting.
- 9Leave the opening safeRemove the core in a controlled way and leave the finished hole covered and marked. Tell the site who is sealing or making good the opening.
- 10Clear 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.
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.
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.
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.
The core or bit breaks through onto a person or occupied area
The driller and people on either side
Barrier the far side and below the work. Do not rely on somebody waiting below to catch the core.
The machine rotates, tips or pulls out of its support
The driller and people nearby
Use an anchor suited to the base material and check the fixing. Do not use an unapproved overhead vacuum fixing.
Breathing silica dust or slipping on slurry
The driller and people in the area
Keep others out of the dust or slurry area. Stop if collection fails or water reaches the machine.
The bit snatches or the operator loses control when it jams
The driller
Stop before investigating the jam. Isolate the machine before removing the core or stripping it down.
An open hole or loose core causes a fall or strikes someone later
The drilling team and people using the building
Keep the barrier up until the opening is safe. Do not leave cores or slurry where another trade can trip on them.
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 Core drilling RAMS covers
Diamond core drilling through an authorised opening, with the far side controlled and the core held. Not covered: sawing openings in a slab.
Suggested steps and hazards for Core drilling
Suggested for core drill before any questions are answered.
Stop things falling on people below
- Fence 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.
Hazard
Materials and tools falling onto people below
Who might be harmed and how
People below, including the public
Controls in place
- Lower waste in bags or a chute, never throw it.
- Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.
Falling objects are a leading cause of harm to the public near construction.
HSE: Protecting the public Protect the far side before coring
- Check the other side before drilling and keep people out where the bit or core can emerge.
- Plan how the core will be held before the hole breaks through.
Hazard
The core or bit breaks through onto a person or occupied area
Who might be harmed and how
The driller and people on either side
Controls in place
- Barrier the far side and below the work.
- Do not rely on somebody waiting below to catch the core.
The far side needs protection before the bit or core can break through.
PUB_5501754_000.pdf Secure the stand or machine
- Fix the stand or set the handheld machine exactly as its current manual requires.
- Check it cannot move before starting.
Hazard
The machine rotates, tips or pulls out of its support
Who might be harmed and how
The driller and people nearby
Controls in place
- Use an anchor suited to the base material and check the fixing.
- Do not use an unapproved overhead vacuum fixing.
The machine must not move when its support takes the drilling torque.
HSE: Temporary Works Control dust and slurry for the whole core
- Use the selected wet collection or dry extraction from the first cut to the last.
- Keep collected material contained for removal.
Hazard
Breathing silica dust or slipping on slurry
Who might be harmed and how
The driller and people in the area
Controls in place
- Keep others out of the dust or slurry area.
- Stop if collection fails or water reaches the machine.
The chosen control must contain dust or slurry for the whole core.
What the builder asks about Core drilling
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- How is the coring machine held?
- Which way does the hole go?
Where
- 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 ceiling?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will you control the water or dust?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
- How will the materials and equipment get to the work?
What your Core drilling 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.