RAMS for painters and decorators

For decorators the risks are mostly access, chemicals and dust: ladders and towers, solvent-based paints, sanding old lead paint and working around the client's furniture and family.

Painter and decorator preset: 10 hazards with controls, 8 steps of work, PPE and plant, ready to edit and download as a PDF.

Make RAMS for painters and decorators

Hazards and controls

These are the hazards the painter and decorator 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

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

Lead poisoning from dust, fumes or contact

Lead: old pipework, flashings and paint · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Low

Old paint tested before sanding; no dry sanding or burning of lead paint
Gloves worn handling lead; hands and face washed before eating, drinking or smoking
No eating or drinking in the work area

Breathing in wood dust (asthma, cancer from hardwood dust)

Dust: cutting and sanding timber and board · Who: Operatives · Residual risk: Medium

Saws and sanders with extraction to an M-class vacuum
FFP3 mask worn for dusty tasks; cutting done outside or in a ventilated area
Dust cleaned by vacuum, not sweeping

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

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

Sequence of work

Agree the rooms, furniture moves and drying times with the client
Move and cover furniture; lay dust sheets and mask fittings
Test old paintwork for lead before sanding (pre-1970s buildings)
Prepare surfaces: fill, sand with extraction or wet abrade
Apply primers and paints with good ventilation; keep products away from children
Work at height from a podium, tower or stepladder as planned
Clean brushes and dispose of waste paint correctly (not down drains)
Remove protection, replace furniture and walk round with the client

PPE

Safety boots, Eye protection, Gloves, FFP3 dust mask (face-fit tested), Overalls.

Plant and equipment

Podium steps or mobile tower (PASMA-trained person)
Stepladders (BS EN 131)
Sander with dust extraction
Dust sheets and masking

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 decorators need COSHH assessments?

Yes for hazardous products such as solvent-based paints, strippers and fillers. RAMS Maker includes a COSHH section; check each product's safety data sheet.

How should old lead paint be handled?

Assume paint in pre-1970s buildings may contain lead. Avoid dry sanding and burning off; use wet methods or chemical strippers and keep the area clean.

Other trades: Roofers · Plumbers and heating engineers · Carpenters and joiners · Plasterers and dryliners · Groundworkers and landscapers · all trades

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