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Security fencing risk assessment and method statement
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Security fencing RAMS template
A blank security fencing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Security fencing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Security fencing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Security fencing, Unit 12, Longford Trading Estate, Stockport: yard boundary
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.
The wrong or incomplete system leaves the fence weak or impossible to finish safely
The fencing team, site users and the fence owner
Stop if the parts do not match the specified system. Do not substitute fixings from another system.
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.
Wind catches the fence panels and pales 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. Where the work is up a level, hand items up or hoist them. Never carry them up a ladder.
An unauthorised person enters the work area or reaches an open foundation
The public, visitors and other workers
Use a physical barrier that cannot be moved casually. Check the boundary at the end of each work period.
Posts or panels are put in the wrong place and the fence cannot be aligned
The fencing team, site users and the fence owner
Use the supplied panel dimensions. Recheck corners, returns and gate positions before excavation.
Sparks, hot swarf and sharp burrs from power cutting metal or plastic
The person cutting and anyone nearby
Wear eye protection and cut-resistant gloves when cutting and handling cut edges. Keep a fire extinguisher to hand where sparks can land.
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.
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.
A person falls into an open hole or the posts do not have the required support
Fencers, other workers and the public
Do not change foundation sizes or spacing on site without agreement. Keep spoil and materials back from open holes.
A panel or post comes loose and falls or leaves the boundary insecure
The fencing team and people near the boundary
Support panels until their fixings are complete. Do not leave a partly fixed panel unattended.
A loose fixing, sharp edge or open foundation remains after the work
The fencing team, site users and the public
Repair defects before handover. Record any section that still needs work.
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.
Security fencing, Unit 12, Longford Trading Estate, Stockport: yard boundary
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Fencing Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 12, Longford Trading Estate, Stockport: yard boundary
- 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 the mesh systemCheck the delivered mesh, posts, rails, fixings and any gate interface against the job information. Keep the manufacturer instructions with the work.
- 3Find and isolate hidden servicesFind cables and pipes before you disturb anything: drawings, then a detector. Mark what you find. Not sure what is there? Turn the supply off, or do not start. Have cables and gas isolated by the right person and prove them dead before you start.
- 4Check the weather before you startStop handling fence panels and pales when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 5Carry the fence posts, panels and pales 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.
- 6Keep the boundary secureBarrier each open section and every open foundation while the fence is incomplete. Close or secure gaps before leaving the work area.
- 7Mark the mesh fence lineUse a string line and setting-out pegs to mark the agreed fence line. Mark post positions from the supplied panel width and check the line before digging.
- 8Control sparks, swarf and fume when cuttingCut with snips, a pipe cutter or a cold-cut saw where you can, and keep grinder sparks off anything that burns. Ask whether the site needs a hot works permit before you grind, and check the area for smouldering before you leave. Deburr cut edges and clear swarf and dust with a vacuum; wear an FFP3 mask if the cut makes dust or fume.
- 9Use the grinder or 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.
- 10Limit 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.
- 11Prepare the mesh post foundationsExcavate or prepare the agreed post fixing method to the system instructions. Keep holes and open foundations covered or guarded when the team is not working there.
- 12Erect and fix the meshSet posts plumb and at the specified spacing before fitting rails and panels. Fix each panel with the specified clips, bolts or brackets and check every connection.
- 13Inspect the mesh fenceWalk the finished run and check line, plumb, panel joints, fixings and sharp projections. Remove offcuts and leave no loose part or open hole behind.
- 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 security fencing RAMS covers
Setting posts and fixing welded mesh panels or palisade pales to the specified system. Not covered: electric fencing and gate automation.
- Mesh fence installation
- Palisade fence installation
Suggested steps and hazards for security fencing
Suggested for mesh fence installation before any questions are answered.
Check the mesh system
- Check the delivered mesh, posts, rails, fixings and any gate interface against the job information.
- Keep the manufacturer instructions with the work.
Hazard
The wrong or incomplete system leaves the fence weak or impossible to finish safely.
Who might be harmed and how
The fencing team, site users and the fence owner
Controls in place
- Stop if the parts do not match the specified system.
- Do not substitute fixings from another system.
The mesh, posts and fixings must work as one specified system.
Installation Instructions - Protek 358 Keep the boundary secure
- Barrier each open section and every open foundation while the fence is incomplete.
- Close or secure gaps before leaving the work area.
Hazard
An unauthorised person enters the work area or reaches an open foundation.
Who might be harmed and how
The public, visitors and other workers
Controls in place
- Use a physical barrier that cannot be moved casually.
- Check the boundary at the end of each work period.
A temporary boundary protects people until the permanent mesh fence is complete.
Protecting the public - HSE Mark the mesh fence line
- Use a string line and setting-out pegs to mark the agreed fence line.
- Mark post positions from the supplied panel width and check the line before digging.
Hazard
Posts or panels are put in the wrong place and the fence cannot be aligned.
Who might be harmed and how
The fencing team, site users and the fence owner
Controls in place
- Use the supplied panel dimensions.
- Recheck corners, returns and gate positions before excavation.
Accurate setting out prevents gaps, forced panels and a boundary in the wrong place.
Installation Instructions - Protek 358
What the builder asks about security fencing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Which mesh fence system are you fitting?
- Which palisade system are you fitting?
Where
- What pipes or cables run under the fence line and around post holes?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How are the mesh posts fixed?
- How are the palisade posts fixed?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
- How will the fence posts, panels and pales get to the work?
What your security fencing 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.