RAMS for general builders

A general builder's job covers many trades, so the RAMS covers more hazards than most: access, dust, noise, asbestos, deliveries and working around the people who live there.

General builder preset: 16 hazards with controls, 9 steps of work, PPE and plant, ready to edit and download as a PDF.

Make RAMS for general builders

Hazards and controls

These are the hazards the general builder preset starts with. Residual risk is after the controls, on a 5 × 5 likelihood and severity scale.

Falls from ladders or stepladders

Work at height: ladders and stepladders · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

Ladders used only for short-duration (up to 30 minutes in one position), light work where a tower or podium is not reasonably practicable
Professional ladders to BS EN 131, checked before use (stiles, feet, rungs, locking bars) and taken out of use if damaged
Ladder set at 1 in 4, on firm level ground, tied or footed; extends 1 m above the landing point
Three points of contact kept; no overreaching, belt buckle stays inside the stiles
No work from the top three rungs of a ladder or the top two treads of a stepladder

Tools or materials falling from height

Work at height: ladders and stepladders · Who: Operatives, client, public · Residual risk: Low

Area below kept clear or coned off
Tools carried in a belt or pouch, not in the hands while climbing
Nothing left on top of stepladders

Falls from the working platform

Work at height: mobile access towers and podiums · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

Tower erected, altered and dismantled by a PASMA-trained person following the manufacturer's instructions
Guardrails and toe boards fitted on every working platform
Tower inspected before first use, after alteration and after any event that could affect it; inspection recorded

Tower overturning or collapsing

Work at height: mobile access towers and podiums · Who: Operatives, others nearby · Residual risk: Medium

Castors locked and outriggers or stabilisers fitted; base on firm, level ground
Tower never moved with people or materials on it
Safe working load and height-to-base ratio not exceeded; no ladders or steps used on the platform
Not used in high winds or near overhead power lines

Cuts, entanglement and flying particles from tools

Hand and power tools · Who: Operatives, others nearby · Residual risk: Medium

Tools suitable for the task, maintained, with guards fitted
Only trained and competent people use powered tools
Blades and discs changed with the tool unplugged or battery removed
Eye protection worn when cutting, drilling or grinding

Electric shock from tools and leads

Hand and power tools · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

110 V (centre-tapped) or battery tools on site; leads checked before use
Portable equipment inspected and tested at suitable intervals
Leads routed away from water and sharp edges

Back and muscle injuries from lifting and carrying

Manual handling · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

Loads assessed before lifting; mechanical aids (trolleys, sack trucks, hoists) used where possible
Heavy or awkward loads lifted by two people
Loads broken down into smaller units; materials delivered close to where they are needed
Operatives shown good lifting technique

Breathing in silica dust (lung disease)

Dust: cutting, chasing and drilling masonry and concrete · Who: Operatives, client, others nearby · Residual risk: Medium

Tools with on-tool extraction to an M- or H-class vacuum, or water suppression
FFP3 mask, face-fit tested, worn as well as extraction
Work area closed off and ventilated; others kept away
Dust cleaned with an M-class vacuum, never by dry sweeping or compressed air

Hearing damage from noisy tools

Noise and hand-arm vibration · Who: Operatives, others nearby · Residual risk: Medium

Quieter tools and methods chosen
Hearing protection worn where noise is above 85 dB(A) or people must shout to be heard 2 m away
Others kept away from noisy work

Hand-arm vibration (HAVS, white finger)

Noise and hand-arm vibration · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

Low-vibration tools chosen and maintained
Trigger time limited using the tool's vibration level and the HSE exposure points system
Tasks rotated; breaks taken; hands kept warm
Symptoms reported; health surveillance where exposure is regular

Disturbing asbestos in buildings built before 2000 (lung disease)

Asbestos · Who: Operatives, client, occupants · Residual risk: Medium

Client asked for the asbestos register or survey before work; a refurbishment survey where work is intrusive
Operatives have asbestos awareness training
If suspected asbestos is found: stop work, keep people out of the area, tell the client and do not restart until it has been tested
Licensed work only by a licensed contractor

Striking hidden cables, pipes or gas mains when drilling, cutting or digging

Hidden and buried services · Who: Operatives, client · Residual risk: Medium

Service drawings and client information checked before work
Walls and floors scanned with a cable and pipe detector; buried services traced with a CAT and Genny
Hand-dug trial holes before machine digging near services
Water and gas located and the stopcock or ECV position confirmed before starting

Skin, eye or breathing harm from adhesives, sealants, solvents, cement and cleaning products

Hazardous substances (COSHH) · Who: Operatives, client · Residual risk: Medium

Safety data sheets and COSHH assessments available for products used
Less harmful products chosen where possible
Gloves, eye protection and good ventilation as the data sheet says
Wet cement and lime kept off skin; washing facilities used before eating
Products stored in their original containers, lids on, away from children

Injury to the client, children, pets or the public

Working in occupied homes and premises · Who: Client, occupants, public · Residual risk: Low

Work area agreed with the client and closed off with barriers or doors
Tools, materials and chemicals never left unattended in reach of children
Access routes and fire escape routes kept clear
Occupants told about noisy, dusty or disruptive work in advance
Services only isolated after warning the occupants

Slips, trips and falls on the same level

Slips, trips and housekeeping · Who: Operatives, client, public · Residual risk: Low

Work area kept tidy as work goes on; waste cleared at least daily
Leads and hoses routed away from walkways or covered
Good lighting on access routes; spills cleaned at once
Floor protection taped down at the edges

Being struck by vehicles reversing or delivering

Deliveries and vehicles on site · Who: Operatives, public · Residual risk: Medium

Deliveries planned and booked; unloading area agreed
Banksman used for reversing; pedestrians kept apart from vehicles
Hi-vis worn in vehicle areas

Sequence of work

Agree the programme, access, deliveries, welfare and working hours with the client
Check the asbestos survey and the service drawings before any demolition, drilling or digging
Set up the site: barriers, signage, skip, welfare and storage
Plan work at height; erect towers or arrange scaffold before high-level work
Carry out strip-out and building work in the planned sequence with dust and noise control
Coordinate other trades; brief everyone on the RAMS and site rules
Inspect access equipment, excavations and temporary works as required
Clean the site daily and remove waste
Snag, clean and hand over to the client

PPE

Safety boots, Hi-vis vest, Hard hat, Eye protection, Gloves, Hearing protection, FFP3 dust mask (face-fit tested).

Plant and equipment

Mobile tower or scaffold
Ladders and stepladders (BS EN 131)
110 V or battery power tools with dust extraction
Disc cutter with water suppression
Cable and pipe detector
Skip and site barriers

Every job is different: delete what does not apply, add site-specific hazards and name the people responsible before you issue the RAMS.

Questions

Do I need a construction phase plan as well?

Under CDM 2015 every construction project needs one, including domestic jobs. RAMS Maker has a separate construction phase plan generator.

Who prepares RAMS on a job with subcontractors?

Each contractor prepares RAMS for their own work. The principal contractor checks they fit together and coordinates the site.

Other trades: Roofers · Plumbers and heating engineers · Painters and decorators · Carpenters and joiners · Plasterers and dryliners · all trades

Checked against hse.gov.uk on 31 October 2026.