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Core drilling RAMS example

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Core drilling RAMS example

Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wall

One 125 mm wet core, rig fixed to the inner leaf, through an external wall of a single-storey extension, with the core caught outside.

See the method statement on its ownDownload PDFDownload Word

What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • What the wall is and what is in the cavity
  • Where the hole sits against lintels and the cavity tray
  • Hole size and core weight
  • The rig’s fixing for this block
  • What is under the hole outside
  • Who sleeves and seals the hole
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTCore drilling a flue hole through a cavityblockwork wallHollins & Reed Diamond Drilling Ltd · 24 November 2026 (one morning) · In charge: Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Diamond Drilling LtdSite and work area6 Alma Road, Stockport: rear extensionPlanned dates24 November 2026 (one morning)CustomerThornley Vale Estates LtdIn charge on siteDan HollinsTeamTwo people: Dan Hollins fixes the rig and drills; Tom Ellis stays outsideby the cones until the outer core is down, on the phone to Dan from thefirst cut, then helps carry out.WorkCore drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallPrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesCore one 125 mm flue hole from the inside, wet. Areas: Inside face of the rear extension wall, withthe floor below the hole; Paving outside under the holeWorking arrangementAccess: the floor or ground.What the hole goes through: A cavity blockwork wall.Coring machine: On a stand fixed to the structure.The work area will be kept clear of other people.The tenant stays in the house with the door to the extension shut; nobody else goes in theextension. The wall is the 2018 extension’s external wall: 100 mm dense block inside, a 100 mmcavity with mineral wool batts, 100 mm rendered block outside. The heating engineer’s drawingWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 5
  2. Example: Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallComplyOnSiteputs the hole centre 1.6 m above the floor, reached from the floor, 900 mm below the lintel lineand clear of the cavity tray. The extension’s socket circuit runs in the wall 600 mm from the holeon the electrician’s drawing. A cable detector on both faces agrees, and a CAT scan along thefoot of the wall outside shows nothing rising up it near the hole. The heating engineer’s drawingshows no gas or water pipe in this wall. The landlord’s electrician locks that circuit off at theconsumer unit while we drill, and puts it back on when the rig is off the wall, so the transformerruns from a hall socket on the house circuit, with the lead taped down under the door. One holetakes under an hour with the door to the garden open, so water does the work and no mask isneeded. Each core is 125 mm across, 100 mm long and about 2.5 kg, taking a dense block atabout 2,000 kg/m³. Both are lifted by hand once the bit has stopped. The heating engineersleeves and seals the hole when the flue goes in.Emergency arrangementsAnyone hurt, or an electric shock: stop the rig and switch off at the transformer, then Tom Ellis rings999, or Dan Hollins if Tom is the one hurt, and gives 6 Alma Road, rear extension. Whoever ringsstays with the casualty. Dan Hollins is the first aider, and the kit is in the van on the drive. The tenantmeets the crew at the front gate and brings them round the side path, which stays clear. Fire: leaveby the door to the garden, go round to the front gate, and ring 999.Planned method1Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active workarea. Keep entrances and escape routes clear.2Confirm the hole on the drawingTake the hole position and size from the drawing, and record who authorised it. Keep the holeaway from lintels and the cavity tray. If it has to move, stop and go back to whoever drew it.3Find and isolate the socket circuitFind the cable before you disturb anything: the drawing, then a detector on both faces of thewall. Mark what you find. Have the circuit locked off and proved dead before the rig goes on. Ifthe detector and the drawing disagree, stop.4Carry the materials and equipment safelyPlan the route, clear it, and get help with anything long or heavy. Store materials close to thework so nobody carries further than they need to.5Clear the outside before coringCone off the ground under the hole outside, and stand a catch box of sand under it to take theouter core. Keep one person outside by the cones. Nobody goes inside them until the drillersays the core is down.6Fix the rig to the wallFix the rig to the inner leaf with an anchor suited to dense block, as the rig’s manual and theanchor maker say. This is a horizontal hole, so add the second fixing the manual asks for, suchas a chain to an anchor. Check it cannot move before starting.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 5
  3. Example: Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallComplyOnSite7Assess vibration from the core drillNote how long each person's hands are on each tool while it runs. Take the tool's vibrationfigure from the maker or HSE's table and check it fits how you use it. Points per hour timeshours 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-vibrationkit or less time, and never pass 400. Write the result down. Sharing the work does not replacethis.8Keep the water on and collect itThis job is wet coring: keep the water on from the first cut to the last. Fit the water collector tothe wall and keep a wet vacuum beside it. Sheet the floor before the water goes on. Bag theslurry and the catch box sand for disposal. It does not go down a drain.9Keep the electrics out of the waterRun the rig at 110 V from a transformer plugged into an RCD-protected socket. Test the RCDbefore each use. Stand the transformer away from the water. Check the leads, keepconnections out of the slurry, and run the lead back from the machine. Isolate before you cleara fault.10Drill the coreTurn the water on before the bit touches, and keep it on for the whole cut. Wear eye, hearingand hand protection. Stop at the cavity, draw the bit back, and take out the inner core and thepiece of batt behind it, in gloves, before you drill on. Tell the person outside beforebreak-through. The outer core drops out into the catch box.11Stop a jam safelyStop feeding the bit and turn off the rig before you look at a jam. Remove the cause beforerestarting.12Leave the hole safeTake out the cores, vacuum the slurry and dry the floor. Cover the hole on both faces withtaped board until the flue goes in.13Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell thecustomer or whoever runs the site when the work is complete.Risk assessmentHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placePeople entering thework area or trippingover materialsStep 1Workers,occupants andvisitorsMark or barrier the active work area. Store tools and materialsaway from access routes.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 3 of 5
  4. Example: Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeA hole through a lintelor cavity trayweakens the wall orlets water inStep 2Everyone usingthe buildingCheck the position from inside and outside before the rig goeson. Stop if the hole moves from the drawing.Hitting a live cable orgas pipe causesshock, fire or gasescapeStep 3The person doingthe work andeveryone nearbyCheck again wherever the work moves. If you hit something,stop, keep clear and report it.Back and shoulderinjury from carryingheavy or long itemsStep 4Everyone handlingmaterialsUse 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.The outer core dropsonto a person outsideStep 5The driller andpeople outsideAgree the call before break-through, and stop if anyone comesinside the cones. Nobody catches a core by hand.The rig turns or pullsoff the wallStep 6The drillerStop if the anchor will not hold in the block.Hand-arm vibrationfrom the core drillStep 7The drillerKeep the tools maintained and hands warm. Gloves do not stopvibration. Give health checks to anyone above the action value.Silica dust if thewater stops, andslipping on slurryStep 8The driller andpeople in the areaStop if the water or collection stops. Keep others out of theroom while the rig runs.Electric shock from awet machine, lead orconnectionStep 9The driller andanyone standing inthe waterNever bypass or disable an RCD. Stop if the water reaches themotor or a connection.A core falls or ishandled badly whenit comes freeStep 10The driller and theperson outsideStop the bit before you reach for a core. Work out the weightof each core before you lift it.The bit snatches orthe rig kicks when itjamsStep 11The drillerStop before investigating the jam. Isolate the machine beforeremoving the core or stripping it down.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 5
  5. Example: Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeAn open hole lets rainin, or a wet floor orloose core hurtssomeone laterStep 12The drilling teamand people usingthe buildingKeep the cones up until the core and catch box are gone. Tellthe customer who sleeves and seals the hole, and when.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 13Workers,occupants andvisitorsRemove waste by the agreed route. Record and protect anyunfinished work.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 5 of 5

Method statement and risk assessment, side by side

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.

Use an example, then make it yours

HSE says not to just copy an example and put your company name on it: that would not satisfy the law or protect your people.

The builder asks about your site and rewrites the hazards and steps.

RAMS example questions

Are these real jobs?

No. Every job, company, person and address here is made up. Each one is a worked example written with our builder, and every page says so.

Can I use one as it is?

No. Your site, your people and your emergency arrangements will be different. Change it to fit your job before anyone works to it.

Why do they carry ComplyOnSite branding?

They are made with our builder and printed in its standard design. A RAMS you build yourself carries your company name.

Word or PDF?

Both. Word if you will change the wording yourself, PDF to read or print. Or press Use this and edit it in the builder, then download your own copy.

Where is the blank?

On the RAMS template page. These examples are all filled in.

How were they checked?

Each one is read against published guidance, mainly from HSE, for its facts, the order of the work and its emergency arrangements. The sources are listed beside it. If a document changes, it comes off this page until it has been checked again. The check covers the example, not your job.