Removing plaster RAMS Builder
Removing plaster risk assessment and method statement
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Removing plaster RAMS template
A blank removing plaster RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Removing plaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Removing plaster RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Removing plaster, 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.
Unplanned removal spreads dust or damages the backing
The plaster team and other people in the building
Limit the people in the work area. Stop if the wall is not as expected.
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.
Plaster dust becomes airborne and damages lungs or spreads to other rooms
The plaster team, occupants and other trades
Use the dust control that matches the tool and material. Keep the screen in place while dust remains.
Deafness, and hands that go numb and never come back
Everyone stripping plaster and anyone else in the room
Keep the chisels sharp and let the tool do the work. Report tingling or numb fingers straight away.
The backing is damaged or loose plaster falls without warning
The plaster team and people nearby
Keep both hands and the tool under control. Stop when the backing moves, cracks or does not match the plan.
The exposed wall or lath is weakened, damaged or left unsafe
The plaster team and people using the building later
Do not remove more than the agreed depth. Raise damaged or unstable backing before covering it again.
Plaster debris or dust escapes and injures or exposes someone nearby
The team, other trades, occupants and the public
Never throw debris from height. Keep waste contained and remove it by the agreed route.
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.
Removing plaster, 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.
- 2Plan the wall stripAgree the removal depth and the order before the first piece comes off. Screen the work area and keep other trades out.
- 3Check 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 the plaster, coatings and old linings being disturbed. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 4Find and isolate hidden servicesFind cables and pipes in the wall and get them isolated before you strip. Stop if you uncover one you did not expect.
- 5Control dust at the taskOpen windows or fit fans. Use water or on-tool extraction. Wear an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3): fit tested and clean-shaven. Clean with a vacuum, not a dry brush.
- 6Limit each person's time on the hammerNote 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. Wear ear defenders or plugs the whole time a hammer is running in the room.
- 7Remove plaster in controlled sectionsStart at a sound edge and work in small sections with the least aggressive tool that will do the job. Do not chase into the backing just to finish a section.
- 8Protect the backing as it is exposedLeave the brick, blockwork, board or lath sound as each section is opened. Cover or make safe exposed edges before the area is left.
- 9Clear wall debris without spreading itBag or lower debris in controlled loads and clear as the work moves. Keep the screen and boundary in place until the dust and debris are gone.
- 10Clear 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 removing plaster RAMS covers
Hacking off wall plaster and taking down ceiling plaster in sections, with the dust contained. Not covered: plaster or textured coatings that may contain asbestos.
- Remove wall plaster
- Remove ceiling plaster
Suggested steps and hazards for removing plaster
Suggested for remove wall plaster before any questions are answered.
Plan the wall strip
- Agree the removal depth and the order before the first piece comes off.
- Screen the work area and keep other trades out.
Hazard
Unplanned removal spreads dust or damages the backing
Who might be harmed and how
The plaster team and other people in the building
Controls in place
- Limit the people in the work area.
- Stop if the wall is not as expected.
A clear removal plan keeps the wall, dust and people under control.
Construction dust: Soft strip demolition Control dust at the task
- Open windows or fit fans.
- Use water or on-tool extraction.
- Wear an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3): fit tested and clean-shaven.
- Clean with a vacuum, not a dry brush.
Hazard
Plaster dust becomes airborne and damages lungs or spreads to other rooms
Who might be harmed and how
The plaster team, occupants and other trades
Controls in place
- Use the dust control that matches the tool and material.
- Keep the screen in place while dust remains.
Controlling dust at source reduces exposure while plaster is removed and cleared.
Construction dust: Soft strip demolition Limit each person's time on the hammer
- 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.
- Wear ear defenders or plugs the whole time a hammer is running in the room.
Hazard
Deafness, and hands that go numb and never come back
Who might be harmed and how
Everyone stripping plaster and anyone else in the room
Controls in place
- Keep the chisels sharp and let the tool do the work.
- Report tingling or numb fingers straight away.
Hammering plaster off all day is how plasterers lose their hearing and the feeling in their hands.
HSE: Hand-arm vibration, assessing the risks
What the builder asks about removing plaster
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What is behind the plaster?
- How much plaster is coming off?
Where
- What is above the ceiling?
- What do you know about old coatings or hidden material?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run behind the wall plaster or above the ceiling?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
What your removing plaster 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.