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Plastering RAMS example

Worked examples for common jobs, written with our builder. Read, download, adapt.

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Skimming and patching walls in an occupied house

Ground floor living room of a 2006 house, family at home, plaster mixed in the room with the door shut, from a hop-up.

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What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • What the background is and how it takes suction
  • The plaster product and its data sheet
  • Where the mixing happens
  • Who lives in the house
  • Hop-up or other low access
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTSkimming and patching walls in an occupiedhouseHollins & Reed Plastering Ltd · 12 to 14 October 2026 · In charge: Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Plastering LtdSite and work area6 Larch Close, Stockport SK2 5TH: living roomPlanned dates12 to 14 October 2026CustomerMr and Mrs LewisIn charge on siteDan HollinsTeamTwo people: Dan Hollins plasters and is the first aider; Priya Shah mixes,carries and is his deputy.WorkSkimming and patching walls in an occupied housePrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesFill the old fixing holes and skim four walls of one room. Areas: Ground floor living room, four wallsNot our work:The ceiling, woodwork, sockets and switch, and the rest of the house. Nothing electrical isunscrewed or moved.Working arrangementAccess: A hop-up with a 450 mm platform, not steps.Working height: walls to the ceiling at 2.4 m.Ground or floor: level timber floor under dust sheets.The work area will be kept clear of other people.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 5
  2. Example: Skimming and patching walls in an occupied houseComplyOnSiteThe Lewis family, two adults and two children, live in the house throughout. The living room isshut off to them for the three days, with the door closed, and they use the kitchen and the backdoor. The hall has a dust sheet down for the bags and water. We use their downstairs toilet andbasin. The house was built in 2006 and its plaster is sound under old emulsion. Nothing is hackedoff, nothing is cut and no fixings go in. The old television bracket and picture hook holes arefilled, then the four walls, about 34 m², get a coat of Thistle Bond-it and a two-coat skim ofThistle MultiFinish. Five 25 kg bags come in one at a time on a sack truck to the living room door.Its data sheet gives no burns warning, but it can irritate the eyes, skin and lungs.Emergency arrangementsPriya Shah rings 999 and gives 6 Larch Close, SK2 5TH; Dan Hollins does if Priya is the one hurt.Dan is the first aider and the kit is on the hall table. Whichever of us is not hurt stays with thecasualty, and Mrs Lewis, or whoever is at home, opens the front door and waits to bring the crew in.Plaster in the eye: rinse with clean water from the bottle by the door and get medical advice. Fire:shout, get everyone out of the front door, meet on the pavement by the 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.2Check the walls firstGo over each wall for loose or hollow plaster, flaking paint and damp, and stop if you find any.Clean off dust and grease.3Shut the room offShut the living room door and open the window before the first bag is opened. Keep the doorshut while plaster is tipped and mixed, so the dust stays out of the house.4Set up access equipmentUse access equipment suited to the task and work area. Check the equipment before use.Keep the area below the work controlled.5Work from the hop-up, not stepsThe 450 mm hop-up gives both feet a platform for the top of each wall. Stand in the middle ofit and face the wall. Keep a hand free as you step up, with the hawk passed up or set on theplatform first. Get down and move it rather than reach. Never stack anything on it to gainheight.6Carry the materials 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.7Prepare the mixing and coating areaKeep clean water, tools and materials within reach without blocking the route. Protect floorsand nearby finishes from wet plaster, render and splashes.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 5
  3. Example: Skimming and patching walls in an occupied houseComplyOnSite8Tape over the sockets and switchTape over the two sockets and the light switch before any wet work. The faceplates stay onand nothing is unscrewed. Plaster up to the plate, not over it, and take the tape off once theskim has set. If water gets into one, switch it off at the consumer unit and leave it off until anelectrician has looked at it.9Fill the holes, then seal the wallsPull any old plugs and fill the bracket and hook holes with a ready-mixed filler, as its tub says.Stir the Bond-it and put one coat on by hand over clean, dry walls. One 10 litre tub does 45 m².Keep the room above 5°C and let it dry fully before the first coat of plaster.10Run the paddle mixer safelyThe paddle runs at low speed from a 110 V transformer in the hall, with the lead under the door.A full bag takes 11.5 litres of clean water. Wear an FFP2 mask, fit tested, to tip the plaster lowinto the water, with goggles and waterproof gloves. Stop the paddle before taking it out of thebucket, and switch off at the plug before cleaning it.11Mix the plaster as instructedAdd clean water to the mixing bucket. Gradually add the plaster while mixing.12Skim the wallsLay on the first coat and the second to about 2 mm, and trowel up as the plaster sets. Keepgoggles on for the top of the wall. It sets in about 1.5 hours, so mix only what will go on in thattime.13Let coats set and protect themApply coats and finish them in the sequence and times the product gives. Protect the newsurface while it dries or cures before decorating or exposing it.14Wash tools in a bucket, not the sinkWash tools and buckets straight after each mix, in a bucket kept for it. Nothing goes down thesink or a drain. Let it settle, and take it away in the van with the bagged waste.15Rub down nibs by handA trowelled skim should need no sanding. If a nib is left, rub it off by hand with the windowopen and the FFP2 mask on. No power sanding. Vacuum the floor with an M Class vacuum,and do not sweep.16Clear 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.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 3 of 5
  4. Example: Skimming and patching walls in an occupied houseComplyOnSiteRisk 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.New plaster failing ona loose, damp ordusty wallStep 2Plasterers and thepeople living withthe wallStop if a wall is not sound. Agree any extra repair with thecustomer before coating it.Gypsum dustreaching the family inthe rest of the houseStep 3The familyDoor shut, window open. Keep the children and pets out untilthe room has been cleaned.Falling from theaccess equipment;tools or materialsfalling from theplatformStep 4The person on theplatform, if it is setup on anunsuitable surfaceand shifts underthem. Anyonepassing or workingunderneath.Place access equipment on a firm, level surface. Keep toolsand materials secure while working above ground.A fall from thehop-up whenreaching or steppingbackStep 5The plastererCheck its feet and locks each morning. Keep the floor under itclear of sheets rucked up. Move it, do not reach.Back and shoulderinjury from carryingheavy or long itemsStep 6Everyone handlingmaterialsUse a trolley or sack truck on the flat where the load suits one.Trips, splashes orcontamination of thenew finishStep 7Plasterers,labourers andpeople using theareaKeep the work area tidy as coats are applied. Clear spilledmaterial before it becomes a slip hazard.Water or wet plastergetting into a livesocket or switchStep 8The plasterer andthe familyTape on before wet work. Keep buckets away from them. Ifwater gets into one, switch it off at the consumer unit andleave it off until an electrician has looked at it.New plaster comingaway from a smoothpainted wallStep 9The plasterer andthe people livingwith the wallClean, dry walls. Bond-it fully dry first. Keep it off the socketsand woodwork.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 5
  5. Example: Skimming and patching walls in an occupied houseComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placePlaster dust andsplashes in the lungsand eyes; handscaught in the paddle;electric shockStep 10The person mixingMask, goggles and gloves on for tipping and mixing. Switch offat the plug before cleaning the paddle.Powder exposure ora weak plaster mixStep 11The person mixingand nearbyplasterersFollow the current product instructions. Keep other peopleaway while powder is tipped.Wet plaster on thefloor and hop-up,and plaster in the eyefrom overheadstrokesStep 12The plastererWipe up splashes as they land. Keep goggles on for the top ofthe wall. Rinse any plaster in the eye with clean water.Cracking,detachment ordamage fromworking over a coattoo soonStep 13Plasterers andpeople using thefinished room orwallDo not re-mix material that has started to set. Keep othertrades and water away until the stated handover condition.Plaster blocking thehouse drains, andslips on spilled waterStep 14The family and theteamOne wash bucket, with a lid for the van. Mop any spill at once.Gypsum dust fromrubbing down andclearing upStep 15The plasterer, andthe family if itleaves the roomHand rubbing only. Door shut, mask on, vacuum not brush.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 16Workers,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.