Joinery RAMS Builder
Joinery risk assessment and method statement
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Joinery RAMS template
A blank joinery RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Joinery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Joinery RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Joinery, Second floor offices, 14 Mill Street, 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.
People using the building or passing by walking into the work or over what it leaves
Occupants, visitors, members of the public and workers
Keep the barriers and signs up while the work is active. Give people a clear way round where their normal route is blocked.
A damaged or unsuitable leaf is fitted and later fails
The joiner and people using the doorway
Keep a damaged leaf out of the work area. Stop if a door or opening is marked as a fire door. It is outside this method.
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.
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.
Too much is trimmed and the door no longer fits
The joiner and the person using the door
Mark the cut clearly. Stop if the required trim is more than the guide allows.
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.
The leaf slips off the trestles or a tool kicks back
The joiner cutting
Check the trestles are stable before the leaf goes on. Unplug or remove the battery before changing a cutter or blade.
The leaf falls or fingers are trapped at the hinge edge
The joiners and people passing the doorway
Keep the doorway controlled while hanging the leaf. Keep hands clear of the hinge gap.
A latch or handle fails so the door will not open
People using or passing through the doorway
Use the supplied compatible hardware. Keep hands and tools clear while drilling and chiselling.
The door catches or will not latch
People using the doorway
Keep the doorway controlled until the check is complete. Correct the hinge position before final fixing.
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.
Joinery, Second floor offices, 14 Mill Street, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Joinery Ltd
- Site and work area
- Second floor offices, 14 Mill Street, Stockport
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two joiners: Dan Hollins hangs the doors and cuts the recesses; Priya Shah helps carry and trim them.
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.
- 2Keep people clear of the workAgree how people get past or around the work while it is going on. Put barriers or signs where a route crosses the work. Do not leave open work unattended.
- 3Check the door and fitting guideCheck the leaf for damage before moving it. Confirm from the building's fire door schedule and the door itself that it is an ordinary internal door, not a fire door. Read the fitting instructions for this door and hardware.
- 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 doors, trim, boards and linings. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 5Find 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.
- 6Carry the doors 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.
- 7Check the size before trimmingMeasure the opening and hold the door in the frame before cutting. Check the maker’s trimming allowance first.
- 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.
- 10Trim and rout the door on trestlesLay the leaf flat on trestles and clamp it, never on its edge against a wall. Plane or saw to the marked line, then rout the hinge recesses with the jig clamped down. Wait for the cutter or blade to stop before lifting the tool.
- 11Support the door while hanging itPut the leaf on wedges before lining up the hinges. Keep it supported until the hinge screws are secure.
- 12Fit the latch and handlesPilot and cut the latch recess to the hardware instructions. Fix the latch, handles and keep plate with compatible fixings.
- 13Check the finished doorOpen and close the door several times. Check the latch engages and the leaf clears the floor and frame. Tighten the remaining hinge screws after the position is right.
- 14Clear 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 joinery RAMS covers
Second-fix joinery: non-fire doors, kitchen and storage units, worktops, trim and local repairs. Not covered: fire doors.
- Hang non-fire door
- Fit units
- Trim
- Local repair
Suggested steps and hazards for joinery
Suggested for hang non-fire door before any questions are answered.
Check the door and fitting guide
- Check the leaf for damage before moving it.
- Confirm from the building's fire door schedule and the door itself that it is an ordinary internal door, not a fire door.
- Read the fitting instructions for this door and hardware.
Hazard
A damaged or unsuitable leaf is fitted and later fails
Who might be harmed and how
The joiner and people using the doorway
Controls in place
- Keep a damaged leaf out of the work area.
- Stop if a door or opening is marked as a fire door. It is outside this method.
A fire door is rated as a tested doorset, so it cannot be swapped like ordinary joinery.
JELD-WEN: How to fit an interior door Check the size before trimming
- Measure the opening and hold the door in the frame before cutting.
- Check the maker’s trimming allowance first.
Hazard
Too much is trimmed and the door no longer fits
Who might be harmed and how
The joiner and the person using the door
Controls in place
- Mark the cut clearly.
- Stop if the required trim is more than the guide allows.
Removing too much timber leaves a door that will not fit or work properly.
JELD-WEN: How to fit an interior door Support the door while hanging it
- Put the leaf on wedges before lining up the hinges.
- Keep it supported until the hinge screws are secure.
Hazard
The leaf falls or fingers are trapped at the hinge edge
Who might be harmed and how
The joiners and people passing the doorway
Controls in place
- Keep the doorway controlled while hanging the leaf.
- Keep hands clear of the hinge gap.
A door is awkward to hold while the first hinge fixings are made.
JELD-WEN: How to fit an interior door
What the builder asks about joinery
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Is the door leaf already glazed?
- What is the trim made of?
- Which units are going in?
- What needs repair?
- Is the frame ready for the hinges?
- Has the cause and repair extent been established?
- Is an old door coming off first?
Where
- Will any services be disconnected or covered?
- What do you know about old paint or boards?
- 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 hold it while you fix it?
What your joinery 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.