SiteSorted
Carpentry · United Kingdom

Method statement for timber frame erection

By SiteSortedBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of timber frame erection and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are falling from height, falling through a floor opening or void, saw cuts and kickback and wood and MDF dust.

Make this RAMS nowWord templatePDF

RAMS example: timber frame erection

This is a complete RAMS for timber frame erection, with 6 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Wall framing · Carpentry · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  • Slips and trips
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, Visitors, PublicMedium (8)
  • Plan walkways and keep them clear of materials, hoses and leads. Eliminate
  • Run leads and hoses overhead on hooks or stands, or along walls, not across walkways. Control (engineering)
  • Fill or cover holes, and lay boards or mats on muddy access paths. Control (engineering)
  • Clean up offcuts, packaging and spills as you go, not at the end of the day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep work areas, stairs and access paths well lit. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety boots with good grip, laced up. PPE
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low (4)
2Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  • Saw cuts and kickback
  • Wood and MDF dust
  • Loud noise
Workers, People nearbyHigh (12)
  • Keep blade guards fitted and working, and use the riving knife on table saws. Control (engineering)
  • Use push sticks and clamps, and support long pieces so they do not pinch the blade. Control (engineering)
  • Use a sharp, undamaged blade made for the material. Control (procedures)
  • Stand to one side of the blade line, out of the kickback path. Control (procedures)
  • Let the blade stop fully before reaching in or putting the saw down. Control (procedures)
  • Buy pre-cut or pre-finished timber where you can. Reduce / substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a well-ventilated area away from others. Isolate
  • Use saws and sanders with dust extraction connected to an M-class (or better) vacuum. Control (engineering)
  • Clean up with a vacuum, not a broom or compressed air. Control (procedures)
  • Do a COSHH assessment for hardwood and MDF dust. Control (procedures)
  • Wear an FFP3 dust mask for cutting and sanding. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Reduce / substitute
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Isolate
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Control (engineering)
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Control (procedures)
  • If you have to shout to be heard by someone 2 metres away, the noise is probably 85 dB(A) or more: wear hearing protection. Control (procedures)
  • Assess noise. At 85 dB(A) or more, hearing protection is required and the zone must be marked. Control (procedures)
Medium (8)
3Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  • Nail gun injuries
  • Compressed air
  • Eye injuries
Workers, People nearbyHigh (12)
  • Use a nail gun with a sequential (single shot) trigger, not a contact or bump trigger. Reduce / substitute
  • Disconnect the air or battery before clearing jams, adjusting or moving between work areas. Control (engineering)
  • Keep your free hand at least 30 cm from the nailing point. Control (procedures)
  • Never point the gun at anyone or carry it with your finger on the trigger. Control (procedures)
  • Train new users before they use a nail gun, and check for pipes, cables and metal behind the surface. Control (procedures)
  • Fit whip checks (safety cables) on hose joints and check hoses before use. Control (engineering)
  • Fit a pressure regulator and keep pressure to the tool's rating. Control (engineering)
  • Turn off and bleed the line before disconnecting. Control (procedures)
  • Never use compressed air to clean clothes or skin, or point it at anyone. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. PPE
  • Use tool guards and screens to stop flying particles. Control (engineering)
  • Use dust extraction and water to keep dust out of the air. Control (engineering)
  • Keep others out of the area when cutting, grinding or chipping. Control (procedures)
  • Keep an eye wash station or eye wash bottles on site. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses at all times, goggles for dust and chemicals, and a face shield for grinding. PPE
Medium (8)
4Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Strong wind and storms
Workers, Occupants, PublicHigh (12)
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Reduce / substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Control (procedures)
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Control (procedures)
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Control (engineering)
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Control (procedures)
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Control (procedures)
  • Check the forecast each morning and plan work at height and lifting around the weather. Eliminate
  • Tie down or weigh down loose sheets, panels, boards and rubbish at the end of each shift. Control (engineering)
  • Set wind limits for roof work, platforms and cranes, using the manufacturer's limits, and stop when they are reached. Control (procedures)
  • Stop work and get down in lightning. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up. Control (procedures)
  • Check scaffold, fencing and edge protection after strong wind before anyone uses them. Control (procedures)
Medium (6)
5Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
  • Falling from height
Workers, Visitors, People belowVery high (20)
  • Cover every hole and penetration with a fixed, secured cover marked "HOLE" or "DANGER". Isolate
  • Put guardrails with toe boards around stairwells, lift shafts, voids and open edges. Isolate
  • Install stairs early and fit temporary handrails as soon as they go in. Control (engineering)
  • Never remove a cover or guardrail without approval. Put it back straight away. Control (procedures)
  • Inspect covers and barriers daily and after other trades have been through. Control (procedures)
  • Keep lighting good enough to see openings, especially on lower floors and in the evening. Control (procedures)
  • Use a harness clipped to a rated anchor when working right next to an open void. PPE
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile tower or MEWP instead of working off a ladder. Control (engineering)
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Control (engineering)
  • Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE
Medium (5)
6Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
  • Slips and trips
Workers, Visitors, PublicMedium (8)
  • Poor housekeeping and waste: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Slips and trips: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Low (4)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  2. Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  3. Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  4. Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  5. Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  6. Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day

PPE

Safety bootsSafety glassesEar defendersRigger glovesSafety helmetFFP3 dust maskSafety gogglesFace shield

Plant and equipment

Nail gunCircular sawMitre sawAir compressorPodium step

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this RAMS.

Free RAMS template for timber frame erection

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this RAMS

Pre-start checklist for timber frame erection

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  2. Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  3. Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  4. Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  5. Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  6. Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day

Hazards to watch on timber frame erection

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 3Compressed airAn air hose whips when a fitting fails, or air blown at skin or eyes drives dirt in and causes injury.
Step 2Wood and MDF dustSawing and sanding timber, MDF and treated wood makes fine dust that causes asthma, skin problems and some cancers.
Step 3Nail gun injuriesA nail gun fires by accident, or a nail goes through the timber or ricochets and hits the user or someone nearby.
Step 4Strong wind and stormsWind blows sheets, panels and people off roofs and scaffolds, and storms and lightning make work at height and lifting unsafe.
Step 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 5Falling through a floor opening or voidA worker steps into an open hole, stairwell, lift shaft or penetration and falls to the level below.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on timber frame erection: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes unlikely and major injury).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Why RAMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for timber frame erection?

You must assess the risks of timber frame erection and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for timber frame erection?

Usually Safety boots, Safety glasses, Ear defenders, Rigger gloves, Safety helmet, FFP3 dust mask, Safety goggles, Face shield. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More carpentry RAMS

RAMSRoof Truss Installation6 stepsRAMSDecking Installation6 stepsRAMSInternal Door Hanging5 stepsRAMSKitchen Installation6 stepsRAMSSkirting and Trim Installation5 stepsRAMSStaircase Installation5 stepsRAMSWood Flooring Installation6 steps

Related jobs in other trades

BricklayingBrickworkAlso involves falling from heightRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves strong wind and stormsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves falling from heightDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves structural collapse during alterations

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at HeightToolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkSlips, Trips and FallsToolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

Blank RAMS template: free RAMS templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources