Landscaping RAMS Builder

Risk assessment and method statement

Landscaping, 27 Orchard Close, Wilmslow: rear garden

Company

Hollins & Reed Landscapes Ltd

Site and work area

27 Orchard Close, Wilmslow: rear garden

Planned dates

12 to 14 October 2026

In charge on site

Dan Hollins

Team

Two landscapers: Dan Hollins leads and checks the garden each morning; Priya Shah works with him.

Method statement

1. 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.
2. 2Find buried services before diggingGet the service plans, scan and mark the ground before breaking it. Do not dig until an unsafe or unknown service has been dealt with.
3. 3Check the paving deliveryInspect units for damage and confirm this job's product before installation. Hold damaged or unsuitable units out of the work.
4. 4Check the weather before you startStop handling materials and equipment when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
5. 5Carry the blocks, sand and stone 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.
6. 6Keep the cutter and compactor away from peopleSet a clear exclusion area before starting the disc cutter or plate compactor. Stop the machine when anyone enters the area.
7. 7Look after the fuelKeep petrol and oil in their own labelled cans, away from drains and hot exhausts. Refuel with the engine off and cool, and keep a spill kit with you.
8. 8Keep people off open pavingSeparate the work from people using the route. Keep unfinished edges and materials controlled until the surface is safe.
9. 9Set the paving build-upBase the paving design on the ground conditions and expected loads. Do not guess the base, bedding or falls.
10. 10Separate and remove the paving wasteKeep broken units, offcuts, spoil and packaging apart as you go. Keep cutting slurry, cement and sand out of gullies and drains; remove the waste before people return.
11. 11Dig out to the depth of the build-upDig to the depth of the sub-base, sand and blocks together, and keep the finished level at least 150 mm below the damp proof course. Dig with an insulated spade or shovel near any marked service, working alongside it and never spiking the ground. Stop if you find a pipe, cable, marker tape or old footing the check did not show.
12. 12Set the edge restraint firstSet the edging before any sub-base goes in, with a firm vertical face down past the sand. Wear waterproof gloves with wet concrete and wash any off your skin straight away.
13. 13Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders on the compactor and 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.
14. 14Lay and compact the sub-baseSpread the sub-base in layers of no more than 75 mm and compact each one with the plate compactor before the next. Build the falls into the sub-base, not the sand. Wear ear defenders on the compactor and keep a note of each person's time on the handle for the vibration assessment.
15. 15Screed the sand laying courseSpread the sand to an even depth, compact it, then screed it, 30 mm when compacted. Lay out only what you will cover in this working period, and leave no more than 1 m uncovered at the end of the day. Do not use the sand to level up. Cover any exposed sand overnight and in bad weather.
16. 16Lay the blocks from the laid surfaceDraw blocks from at least three packs and lay the whole blocks first, working off the laid surface. Leave cut blocks to the edges and obstacles, and cut none smaller than a quarter of a block. Kneel on knee pads or a kneeling board, and stand up and change task through the day.
17. 17Control the dust when cuttingSplit blocks with a block splitter where you can, and keep saw cuts to the ones it cannot do. Saw cuts: water or H or M Class extraction, plus an APF 20 mask (FFP3), fit tested and clean-shaven.
18. 18Wet cuttingThis job is wet cutting: keep water on and collect the slurry.
19. 19Use the disc cutter safelyCheck the disc is the right type and speed for the tool and the material. Keep the guard on and both hands on the tool. Wear impact-rated eye protection.
20. 20Fill the joints and compact the blocksFit the rubber or neoprene sole plate to the compactor. Brush dry jointing sand into every joint before the final compaction. Run the plate compactor over the blocks, then top up the joints.
21. 21Clear 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.

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.

• A spade, fork or machine hits a live cable, gas pipe or water main

  Landscapers, workers nearby and the public

  Use the agreed detector and safe digging method. Stop, keep clear and report anything unexpected.

• A damaged unit fails during handling or leaves an unsafe finished surface

  Landscapers and people using the area

  Check the actual product instructions. Do not substitute a different laying method.

• Wind catches the materials and equipment and blows them onto people nearby

  The team and people nearby

  Check the forecast before you start and agree when the wind stops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.

• 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.

• A machine, thrown object or moving part injures a worker, child, pet or passer-by

  Operators, workers, residents, pets and passers-by

  Use guards and the operator instructions. Keep people out until the machine has stopped.

• Petrol spilled near a hot engine catches fire

  The person refuelling and people nearby

  Never keep fuel in an unmarked bottle. Soak a spill up straight away and keep it out of drains.

• Someone trips on an open edge or disturbs unfinished paving

  Landscapers, residents and visitors

  Provide an agreed alternative route. Check the area before removing the separation.

• Paving moves or cannot carry the expected use

  Landscapers, residents and visitors

  Use the agreed design. Stop if the ground, loads or drainage design is not settled.

• Broken units, spoil or bags cause trips, and slurry or cement blocks drains

  Landscapers, residents, visitors and waste carriers

  Keep spoil and rubble apart from packaging and from anything contaminated. Cover gullies near the cutting and mixing area and leave no waste where it can wash into a drain.

• A strike on a service nobody found, a trip into the dig, or strain from moving spoil

  Landscapers, residents and visitors

  Barrow spoil on boards and keep loads small. Mark the edge of the dig and leave it closed off at the end of each day.

• Wet concrete burns the skin, or an edging unit traps fingers

  Landscapers

  Keep wet concrete off skin and out of boots. Lower each unit into place, do not drop it.

• Hearing damage and hand-arm vibration from power tools

  The person on the compactor or cutter

  Use sharp blades and discs, which cut faster with less vibration. Warn people nearby before you start cutting.

• Noise and hand-arm vibration from the plate compactor, or the plate runs onto a foot

  The person on the compactor

  Walk behind the handle with feet clear of the plate. Stop the engine before moving it across the garden.

• Wet or disturbed sand lets the blocks settle unevenly and leaves a trip edge

  Landscapers and people using the area

  Keep off the screeded sand. Work from the blocks already laid.

• Knee and back strain from long spells kneeling and bending

  Landscapers

  Keep the packs close to the laying edge. Share the laying and barrowing so nobody kneels all day.

• Silica dust from power cutting damages the lungs

  The person cutting and anyone downwind

  Cut in one place, downwind of the house and well away from anyone else. Keep people out until the cutting has stopped and the slurry is cleared. Collect any slurry while it is wet. Clear any dry dust with an H or M Class vacuum, not a brush.

• Silica dust if the water stops, and slipping on slurry

  The person cutting and anyone nearby

  Stop cutting if the water stops.

• A disc bursts or the tool kicks back and cuts the user

  The person cutting

  Only someone trained to change discs fits them. Stop and swap any cracked or worn disc.

• Blocks move, or the plate runs onto a foot on the finished surface

  Landscapers and people using the area

  Keep people off until the joints are full. Wear ear defenders on the compactor.

• 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.