Rear Extension RAMS Example (Completed)

This is an example for a fictional job. The company, people, address and phone number are made up. Do not copy it for real work: write your own RAMS for the actual job, site and team, and have a competent person check it.

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Company name: Example Building Co. Ltd (fictional)
Client: Mr and Mrs Example, homeowners (fictional)
Job and site address: Rear extension, 8 Specimen Road, Exampletown ZZ1 1ZZ (fictional)
Start date and expected duration: On the agreed start date. About 12 weeks.
Prepared by: Site supervisor, Example Building Co.
Date: Before work starts
Principal contractor (if there is one): Example Building Co. Ltd (us)
Date of next review: If the work, the team or the site conditions change

Description of the work

Build a 4 m by 5 m single-storey rear extension with a flat roof to a 1960s semi-detached house (fictional), and open up the rear wall into the kitchen with a steel beam to the structural engineer's design. Dig strip foundations with a hired mini digger and operator. Build cavity walls in block and brick. Our subcontract electrician and plumber do the first and second fix. The family live in the house during the work. Access to the rear garden is down a 1 m wide side path.

Part 1: Risk assessment

Striking buried services when digging
Who might be harmed and how
Workers could be hurt by electric shock, gas escape or flooding. The household could lose supplies.
Controls in place
Get service plans before digging. Scan the area with a cable avoidance tool and signal generator and mark what is found. Dig by hand near any known or suspected service. Treat every service found as live.
Further action needed
Get service plans and scan the area. (Site supervisor, before digging)
Collapse of the foundation trench
Who might be harmed and how
Workers in the trench could be buried or crushed.
Controls in place
Nobody enters the trench unless it has been checked as safe. The trench is supported or battered back where people need to go in. Spoil, materials and the digger are kept back from the edge. The trench is checked at the start of every shift and after heavy rain.
Further action needed
None.
Falls into the open trench
Who might be harmed and how
Workers, the household and children could fall in.
Controls in place
Barriers round the trench where people could fall in. The garden gate is locked outside working hours. Concrete goes in as soon as the trench has been inspected, including by building control where they have asked to see it.
Further action needed
None.
Being struck by the mini digger
Who might be harmed and how
Workers could be struck or crushed by the digger or its bucket.
Controls in place
Trained operator with a valid card. Nobody inside the digger's working area while it moves. The household is kept out of the garden while it works.
Further action needed
Check the operator's card. (Site supervisor, on arrival)
Collapse when the opening is made in the rear wall
Who might be harmed and how
Workers and the household could be crushed if the wall above is not supported.
Controls in place
Temporary support is installed as shown on the structural engineer's design before the wall is cut. Nobody stands on the other side of the wall while it is taken down. The wall is taken out by hand in small sections. Supports are not removed until the engineer's design says the steel can take the load.
Further action needed
Get the temporary works design from the structural engineer. (Site supervisor, before the wall is opened)
Falls from the scaffold and the flat roof edge
Who might be harmed and how
Workers could fall when building the walls and the roof.
Controls in place
Scaffold with guard rails and toe boards round the extension, erected only by the scaffolding contractor and inspected before first use, at least every 7 days and after anything that could affect it. Edge protection stays in place until the roof is finished.
Further action needed
None.
Carrying blocks, bags and the steel beam down the side path
Who might be harmed and how
Workers could hurt their backs.
Controls in place
Materials are moved down the side path on a barrow, not carried by hand. Bags of cement are lifted from pallet height. The steel beam is moved and lifted with a lifting aid, not by hand.
Further action needed
Agree delivery times so the side path is clear. (Site supervisor, before each delivery)
Dust from cutting blocks, bricks and the existing wall
Who might be harmed and how
Workers and the household could breathe in silica dust, which can cause serious lung disease.
Controls in place
Disc cutters are used with water suppression. Workers wear FFP3 masks that have been face-fit tested. The kitchen is sealed with a dust screen when the rear wall is opened. Clean up with an M-class or H-class vacuum or damp down, never by dry sweeping.
Further action needed
None.
Asbestos hidden in the rear wall, kitchen or existing outbuildings
Who might be harmed and how
Workers and the household could breathe in fibres if material containing asbestos is disturbed.
Controls in place
The client's refurbishment asbestos survey of the rear wall, kitchen and the old shed found no asbestos in the areas to be worked on (example). Everyone on the job has asbestos awareness training. If anyone finds or suspects asbestos, they stop work on it, keep people away and tell the site supervisor. Work does not restart until it has been assessed and controlled.
Further action needed
Check the survey covers every area to be opened up. (Site supervisor, before work starts)
Electric shock from power tools and leads
Who might be harmed and how
Workers could get an electric shock from damaged tools or leads.
Controls in place
Cordless tools, or tools run from a 110V centre-tapped to earth (CTE) transformer. Tools and leads are checked before use and taken out of use if damaged. Leads are run where they will not be damaged or trip anyone.
Further action needed
None.
Household and visitors near the work
Who might be harmed and how
The homeowners, children and visitors could be hurt by tools, materials, dust or falling objects.
Controls in place
The rear garden is fenced off from the house. The family use the front door. The kitchen is screened off when the rear wall is opened. Tools and materials are not left out where children can reach them. The work area is left safe and tidy at the end of each day.
Further action needed
Agree with the homeowners which rooms and routes they will use. (Site supervisor, before work starts)

Part 2: Method statement

Sequence of work

Step 1: Set up: welfare, skip, site fence and barriers. Brief the team on this RAMS.
Who: Site supervisor
Plant, equipment and materials: Fencing, barriers
Controls for this step: Check the asbestos survey, service plans and engineer's drawings are on site.
Step 2: Scan for services and mark them. Set out the extension.
Who: Site supervisor
Plant, equipment and materials: Cable avoidance tool and signal generator
Controls for this step: Hand dig near any known or suspected service.
Step 3: Dig the foundation trench.
Who: Digger operator, labourer
Plant, equipment and materials: Mini digger
Controls for this step: Nobody near the digger while it moves. Spoil kept back from the edge.
Step 4: Trench inspected (by building control too, if they have asked to see it). Pour the concrete foundations.
Who: Bricklayer, labourer
Plant, equipment and materials: Ready-mix concrete
Controls for this step: Gloves and eye protection with wet concrete. Barriers stay up.
Step 5: Build the walls up to ground floor level. Lay the floor slab.
Who: Bricklayer, labourer
Plant, equipment and materials: Mixer, disc cutter with water
Controls for this step: Wet cutting. FFP3 masks when cutting.
Step 6: Scaffold erected. Build the walls up to roof level.
Who: Scaffolding contractor, bricklayer
Plant, equipment and materials: Scaffold
Controls for this step: Inspection tag checked before use.
Step 7: Build the flat roof and fit the covering.
Who: Carpenter, roofer
Plant, equipment and materials: Cordless tools
Controls for this step: Edge protection in place throughout.
Step 8: Install temporary support and open the rear wall. Fit the steel beam.
Who: Bricklayer, carpenter, labourer
Plant, equipment and materials: Props, lifting aid
Controls for this step: Supports exactly as the engineer's design. Dust screen to the kitchen.
Step 9: Remove temporary supports once the engineer's design allows it.
Who: Bricklayer
Plant, equipment and materials: Hand tools
Controls for this step: Supervisor confirms before any support comes out.
Step 10: First fix, plaster, second fix and decorate.
Who: Electrician, plumber, plasterer
Plant, equipment and materials: Cordless tools
Controls for this step: Electrician's own safe isolation procedure.
Step 11: Strike the scaffold. Clean up and hand over.
Who: Scaffolding contractor, site supervisor
Plant, equipment and materials: Vacuum
Controls for this step: Leave no waste or tools behind.

People and competence

Site supervisor (example), Supervisor. CSCS card. Site supervisor training. Emergency first aid at work. Asbestos awareness.
Bricklayer (example), Bricklayer. CSCS card. Asbestos awareness.
Labourer (example), Labourer. CSCS card. Asbestos awareness.
Carpenter (example), Carpenter. CSCS card. Asbestos awareness.
Roofer (example), Roofer. CSCS card. Asbestos awareness.
Plasterer (example), Plasterer. CSCS card. Asbestos awareness.
Digger operator (example hire), Plant operator. Valid plant operator card for the mini digger (for example CPCS or NPORS).
Scaffolders (example subcontractor), Scaffolders. CISRS cards.
Electrician and plumber (example subcontractors), Electrician, plumber. Qualified in their trades. Asbestos awareness.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Safety boots, hard hat and hi-vis: All steps outside
FFP3 mask (face-fit tested): Steps 5 and 8 (cutting)
Gloves: Steps 4, 5 and 8
Eye protection and hearing protection: Steps 5 and 8 (cutting)

Emergencies

Record the arrangements for any foreseeable emergency, including how to evacuate the site.

First aider: Site supervisor (example)
First aid kit location: In the welfare unit in the rear garden
Nearest A&E (name and address): [Before work starts, find and write in the nearest A&E department and its address]
Assembly point: Front garden, by the gate
How to raise the alarm: Shout to everyone on site and in the house. Call 999.
Site contact and phone number: Site supervisor: 01632 960123 (fictional number)

If there is serious and imminent danger, workers should stop work immediately, report it and go to a place of safety.

Who workers report danger to: Site supervisor (example)

Briefing record

Brief everyone doing the work on this RAMS before the work begins. Each person signs to confirm.

In the PDF, each person below signs and dates the briefing record: Site supervisor (example); Bricklayer (example); Labourer (example); Carpenter (example); Roofer (example); Plasterer (example); Digger operator (example); Scaffolders (example); Electrician (example); Plumber (example).

Approval

Prepared by Site supervisor (example). Approved by Director, Example Building Co. (example).

Based on

HSE's five steps to managing risk; CDM 2015, regulations 15 and 30; the Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 6; HSE guidance on excavations, underground services (HSG47), temporary works, scaffolds, asbestos, construction dust, electricity and manual handling.

Single-storey rear extension RAMS example

Description of the work

Part 1: Risk assessment

Striking buried services when digging

Collapse of the foundation trench

Falls into the open trench

Being struck by the mini digger

Collapse when the opening is made in the rear wall

Falls from the scaffold and the flat roof edge

Carrying blocks, bags and the steel beam down the side path

Dust from cutting blocks, bricks and the existing wall

Asbestos hidden in the rear wall, kitchen or existing outbuildings

Electric shock from power tools and leads

Household and visitors near the work