SiteSorted
Excavation and earthworks · United Kingdom

Method statement for post hole digging

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

You must assess the risks of post hole digging 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 hitting underground services, being hit by mobile plant, falling through a floor opening or void and public entering the work area.

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RAMS example: post hole digging

This is a complete RAMS for post hole digging, with 5 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)
Post hole boring and pier holes · Excavation and earthworks · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get utility plans and mark every hole
  • Hitting underground services
  • Gas and fuel lines
Workers, Public, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Do a CAT and Genny scan before digging and mark services on the ground. Control (engineering)
  • Hand dig trial holes to find services before machine digging (safe digging practice). Control (engineering)
  • Get utility plans before digging and check them against what you see on site. Control (procedures)
  • Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Control (procedures)
  • If you hit a service, stop, get everyone clear, and call the owner and emergency services. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety boots, gloves and hi-vis when digging. PPE
  • Isolate and purge the line before work, with the owner's approval. Eliminate
  • Lock off and tag the isolation valve. Isolate
  • Check for leaks with a gas detector before and during work, and ventilate the area. Control (engineering)
  • Only Gas Safe registered engineers work on gas fittings. Control (procedures)
  • Remove ignition sources: no smoking, no hot work and no sparking tools near the line. Control (procedures)
  • Know where the shut-off valve is and what to do if a leak happens. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses and gloves, and keep a fire extinguisher close by. PPE
Medium (5)
2Set up the auger machine on firm ground with an exclusion zone
  • Being hit by mobile plant
  • Contact with overhead power lines
Workers, Visitors, Public, Plant operatorsVery high (15)
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Control (engineering)
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Control (procedures)
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Control (procedures)
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Control (procedures)
  • Operators hold a CPCS, NPORS or equal card for the plant they use. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Control (procedures)
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
  • Ask the distribution network operator (DNO) to turn off, move or insulate the lines before work starts. Eliminate
  • Use non-conductive (fibreglass) ladders near any power lines. Reduce / substitute
  • Mark the safe distance with flags, tape or goal posts and keep all plant and people outside it. Isolate
  • Follow HSE GS6: barriers, goal posts under the lines and a permit for work near them. Control (procedures)
  • Use a dedicated spotter whenever plant moves or raises anything near lines. Control (procedures)
  • Treat all lines as live. If plant touches a line, stay in the cab and keep everyone well away. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
3Keep clear of the turning auger, no loose clothing
  • Injury from power tools
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Workers, People nearby, Visitors, PublicVery high (15)
  • Keep all guards fitted and working. Never tie back or remove a guard. Control (engineering)
  • Clamp or secure the work piece. Do not hold it by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Only trained, competent people use power tools, following the maker's instructions. Control (procedures)
  • Check tools before use. Unplug or remove the battery before changing blades or bits. Control (procedures)
  • No loose clothing, jewellery or long hair near spinning parts. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. Do not wear loose gloves on drills or other rotating tools. PPE
  • Being hit by mobile plant: see step 2 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Medium (6)
4Cover open holes straight away
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
  • Public entering the work area
Workers, Visitors, Public, ChildrenVery high (15)
  • 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
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Control (engineering)
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Control (procedures)
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Control (procedures)
  • Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
5Spread or remove spoil and clean up
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, VisitorsMedium (8)
  • 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)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans and mark every hole
  2. Set up the auger machine on firm ground with an exclusion zone
  3. Keep clear of the turning auger, no loose clothing
  4. Cover open holes straight away
  5. Spread or remove spoil and clean up

PPE

Safety bootsHi-vis vestEar defendersRigger glovesSafety helmetSafety glasses

Plant and equipment

Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator cardSkid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer cardHand tools

Permits and plans

Permit to dig

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 post hole digging

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 post hole digging

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans and mark every hole
  2. Set up the auger machine on firm ground with an exclusion zone
  3. Keep clear of the turning auger, no loose clothing
  4. Cover open holes straight away
  5. Spread or remove spoil and clean up

Hazards to watch on post hole digging

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

Step 2Contact with overhead power linesA ladder, MEWP, crane, tipper or long length of material touches or gets close to an overhead line and electrocutes people.
Step 1Gas and fuel linesDamaging or opening a gas or fuel line causes a leak, fire or explosion.
Step 1Hitting underground servicesDigging, drilling or driving pegs hits a buried power cable, gas pipe or water main, causing electrocution, explosion or flooding.
Step 4Falling through a floor opening or voidA worker steps into an open hole, stairwell, lift shaft or penetration and falls to the level below.
Step 2, 3Being hit by mobile plantExcavators, loaders, telehandlers and trucks run over or crush workers, especially when reversing or slewing.
Step 3Injury from power toolsDrills, saws, routers and sanders kick back, catch clothing or throw debris, causing cuts, broken bones and eye injuries.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on post hole digging: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and fatal becomes unlikely and lost time 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?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator card
  • Skid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer card

Employers must assess the risks of their work and record the significant findings (required where you employ 5 or more people). On CDM projects, contractors give their RAMS to the principal contractor before starting, and brief the workers on it.

Rules that apply: HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; CDM Regulations 2015 and PUWER 1998; HSE GS6 Avoiding danger from overhead power lines; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER); Work at Height Regulations 2005; CDM Regulations 2015.

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 post hole digging?

You must assess the risks of post hole digging 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 post hole digging?

Usually Safety boots, Hi-vis vest, Ear defenders, Rigger gloves, Safety helmet, Safety glasses. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More excavation and earthworks RAMS

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Related jobs in other trades

RoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves contact with overhead power linesScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves contact with overhead power linesElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves injury from power toolsDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves gas and fuel linesBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plant

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkUnderground Services and CAT and GennyToolbox talkMobile Plant and Spotters

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

Sources