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Plastering RAMS Builder
Plastering risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for hand-applied gypsum plaster, skim coats, patching and masonry render, with the mixing beforehand.
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Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.
Plastering RAMS template
A blank plastering RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Plastering 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Plastering RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Plastering, 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 mortar, render, boards and sealants being disturbed. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 3Check the background firstUse the product only on a background the selector says is suitable. Remove dust, loose material and contamination before the first coat.
- 4Prepare the mixing and coating areaKeep clean water, tools and materials within reach without blocking the route. Protect floors and nearby finishes from wet plaster, render and splashes.
- 5Mix the plaster as instructedAdd clean water to the mixing bucket. Gradually add the plaster while mixing.
- 6Carry the materials 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.
- 7Let coats set and protect themApply coats and finish them in the sequence and times the product gives. Protect the new surface while it dries or cures before decorating or exposing it.
- 8Clear 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.
Plaster or render failing on an unsuitable background
Plasterers and people using the building later
Stop if the background is not suitable for the named product. Repair or report a loose or wet background before coating it.
Trips, splashes or contamination of the new finish
Plasterers, labourers and people using the area
Keep the work area tidy as coats are applied. Clear spilled material before it becomes a slip hazard.
Powder exposure or a weak plaster mix
The person mixing and nearby plasterers
Follow the current product instructions. Keep other people away while powder is tipped.
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.
Cracking, detachment or damage from working over a coat too soon
Plasterers and people using the finished room or wall
Do not re-mix material that has started to set. Keep other trades and water away until the stated handover condition.
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 Plastering RAMS covers
Hand-applied undercoat, skim and patch plastering inside, render on masonry, and mixing the material. Not covered: spray or pumped plaster and render, and external wall insulation.
- Plaster/render
- Mix mortar
Suggested steps and hazards for Plastering
Suggested for plaster/render before any questions are answered.
Check the background first
- Use the product only on a background the selector says is suitable.
- Remove dust, loose material and contamination before the first coat.
Hazard
Plaster or render failing on an unsuitable background
Who might be harmed and how
Plasterers and people using the building later
Controls in place
- Stop if the background is not suitable for the named product.
- Repair or report a loose or wet background before coating it.
The product must suit the background before the first coat is applied.
British Gypsum: Thistle MultiFinish instructions Prepare the mixing and coating area
- Keep clean water, tools and materials within reach without blocking the route.
- Protect floors and nearby finishes from wet plaster, render and splashes.
Hazard
Trips, splashes or contamination of the new finish
Who might be harmed and how
Plasterers, labourers and people using the area
Controls in place
- Keep the work area tidy as coats are applied.
- Clear spilled material before it becomes a slip hazard.
A clean, protected work area lets the plasterer apply the finish without creating new hazards.
HSE: Slips and trips guidance (slips02) Let coats set and protect them
- Apply coats and finish them in the sequence and times the product gives.
- Protect the new surface while it dries or cures before decorating or exposing it.
Hazard
Cracking, detachment or damage from working over a coat too soon
Who might be harmed and how
Plasterers and people using the finished room or wall
Controls in place
- Do not re-mix material that has started to set.
- Keep other trades and water away until the stated handover condition.
Each coat needs the stated time and protection before the next use or finish.
British Gypsum: Thistle MultiFinish instructions
What the builder asks about Plastering
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- How is the material supplied?
- What are you putting on, and on to what?
- What is the background like?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run the wall or background where you will cut, rake or fix?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will you mix it?
- Are you taking off old plaster or render first?
- How will the materials get to the work?
What your Plastering 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.