Stonework RAMS Builder
Stonework risk assessment and method statement
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Stonework RAMS template
A blank stonework RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Stonework 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Stonework RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Stonework, Hill Farm Barn, Bollington: front garden 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.
Failure, rework or unstable stonework from the wrong system
Stoneworkers and people nearby
Use the agreed material information and laying details. Do not substitute stone or mortar without approval.
Wind catches the stone panels and walling 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.
Silica and board dust from power cutting damage the lungs
The person cutting and anyone downwind
Use the kit that fits the tool. Cut in one place, away from other trades. 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.
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.
Falling stone, collapse or cement contact
Stoneworkers and people nearby
Keep unfinished work stable. Use the specified gloves and eye protection.
Dust exposure, slips or contaminated run-off
Stoneworkers, cleaners and people nearby
Clean promptly and keep the route clear. Collect slurry and debris rather than washing it into drains.
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.
Stonework, Hill Farm Barn, Bollington: front garden boundary
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Stonework Ltd
- Site and work area
- Hill Farm Barn, Bollington: front garden 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 stone and mortarConfirm the specified stone and mortar before setting out the wall or facing. Stop if the material information is missing or unclear.
- 3Check the weather before you startStop handling stone panels and walling when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 4Carry the stone and worktops 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.
- 5Control the dust when cuttingNever cut dry in the open. Wear an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3) when you cut: fit tested and clean-shaven. Keep other people out of the dust.
- 6Wet cuttingThis job is wet cutting: keep water on and collect the slurry.
- 7Use 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.
- 8Limit 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.
- 9Lay and point the stoneLay the stone in the agreed bond and mortar sequence. Keep unfinished work stable as it rises and protect fresh mortar.
- 10Clean down with wet methodsClean dust and mortar residue with wet methods before leaving the area. Keep slurry out of drains and use the agreed waste route.
- 11Clear 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 stonework RAMS covers
Building mortared stone walls, fixing stone cladding, and moving and fitting stone worktops. Not covered: dry stone walling.
- Build mortared stonework
- Fit stone cladding
- Install stone worktops
Suggested steps and hazards for stonework
Suggested for build mortared stonework before any questions are answered.
Check the stone and mortar
- Confirm the specified stone and mortar before setting out the wall or facing.
- Stop if the material information is missing or unclear.
Hazard
Failure, rework or unstable stonework from the wrong system
Who might be harmed and how
Stoneworkers and people nearby
Controls in place
- Use the agreed material information and laying details.
- Do not substitute stone or mortar without approval.
The specified stone and mortar set the method before the wall is built.
Stone cladding standards Lay and point the stone
- Lay the stone in the agreed bond and mortar sequence.
- Keep unfinished work stable as it rises and protect fresh mortar.
Hazard
Falling stone, collapse or cement contact
Who might be harmed and how
Stoneworkers and people nearby
Controls in place
- Keep unfinished work stable.
- Use the specified gloves and eye protection.
The agreed sequence keeps the new stonework stable while mortar is fresh.
Stone cladding standards Clean down with wet methods
- Clean dust and mortar residue with wet methods before leaving the area.
- Keep slurry out of drains and use the agreed waste route.
Hazard
Dust exposure, slips or contaminated run-off
Who might be harmed and how
Stoneworkers, cleaners and people nearby
Controls in place
- Clean promptly and keep the route clear.
- Collect slurry and debris rather than washing it into drains.
Wet cleaning controls dust and the waste route prevents slurry entering drainage.
What the builder asks about stonework
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What stone and mortar are specified?
- What fixing system is specified?
- What material is the worktop?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run behind the wall or under the worktop?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- Does the worktop need changing on site?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
- How will the stone and worktops get to the work?
What your stonework 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.