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Free RAMS template · Bricklaying and blockwork

Brickwork method statement and bricklaying risk assessment

A bricklaying method statement and risk assessment, already filled in for laying brick and block from scaffold, heavy blocks, mortar, cutting dust and new walls in wind. Edit it for your site, then brief it.

Download the editable PDF Download the Word version

Editable PDF · 8 pages · 714 KB · Word 46 KB · Free to use and reuse · Terms

Law
Work at Height Regulations 2005
Blocks over 20 kg
Lighter block or machine handling
Format
Editable PDF and Word
Cost
Free, always

Do you need a method statement for bricklaying?

Yes, in practice. A brickwork method statement and a bricklaying risk assessment are expected before the first course goes down. The risk assessment is the legal duty; the method statement shows how the walls go up safely, and a principal contractor will expect to review both as a RAMS before work starts.

The risk assessment is required by regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and recorded if you employ five or more people. The Work at Height, Manual Handling and COSHH Regulations add duties for the scaffold, the blocks and the mortar and cutting dust.

A bricklaying RAMS should describe the walls in front of you. The scaffold and how it is loaded, the weight of the blocks, how units are cut, and how tall walls stand before they are tied in are what make it suitable, and what a reviewer looks for first.

Checked against legislation.gov.uk and HSE guidance on .

Bricklaying hazards and controls

17 hazards, rated before and after controls

The significant hazards on a typical brick and blockwork package, with the controls a reviewer expects to see. Delete what does not apply and add what your site has.

Falls from scaffold

Bricklayers and labourers on working lifts, at loading bays and at the gap to the wall.

  • Work only from scaffold with a handover certificate and a current inspection, with guard-rails, toe boards and brick guards in place.
  • Inside boards or the gap to the wall kept to the scaffold design as the wall rises; lift heights raised by the scaffolder, never by the team.
  • Loading bay gates closed except while materials are landed.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Falls from trestles and low platforms

Bricklayers building internal blockwork and low walls from trestles, hop-ups or staging.

  • Trestle platforms or towers with guard-rails, built to the instructions; housebuilder best practice limits unguarded trestles and hop-ups to 600 mm.
  • Platforms on firm, level ground, fully boarded and never extended with blocks, bricks or pallets.
  • Materials stacked so the walkway along the platform stays clear.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 8

Overloading the scaffold

Everyone on and below the scaffold, if stacked bricks, blocks or mortar exceed its load class.

  • Load class agreed with the scaffolder for the bricklaying lifts and shown on the tag; heavy duty bays designed where needed.
  • Materials landed in small, spread loads over the standards, not stacked in one bay or against guard-rails.
  • Pallets landed only on a designed loading bay, never on a working lift.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Falling bricks, blocks and tools

Labourers, other trades and the public below the scaffold and loading bays.

  • Brick guards or netting on working lifts, toe boards fitted, and nothing stacked above toe board height at the edge.
  • Exclusion zone below loading bays and working lifts, barriered and signed.
  • Nothing thrown or tipped from height; waste lowered by chute, hoist or skip.

BeforeHigh 16AfterMedium 8

Heavy blocks over 20 kg

Bricklayers lifting blocks repeatedly, often from low pallets up to high courses.

  • The lightest block that meets the specification, agreed with the designer; HSE no longer recommends two people laying blocks over 20 kg.
  • Mechanical handling for dense and specialist blocks, such as a block grab or vacuum lifter on suitable plant.
  • Pallets raised and platforms set so blocks are laid between knee and chest height.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 6

Manual handling of bricks, mortar and lintels

Labourers loading out, carrying mortar and lifting lintels and cavity trays.

  • Materials landed close to the work by telehandler or hoist; mortar moved by barrow or skip, not carried in tubs up ladders.
  • Heavy lintels and padstones placed by plant or lifting aid, or by a team lift planned for the weight.
  • Bags of cement and lime stored at waist height on pallets where possible.

BeforeMedium 8AfterLow 4

Cement and wet mortar on skin

Bricklayers and labourers mixing mortar and handling wet bricks, from burns and dermatitis.

  • Waterproof gloves suitable for alkalis, such as EN 374 class K, long and close fitting at the wrist.
  • Mortar washed off skin straight away; warm water, soap and towels at the welfare unit, and skin care products.
  • Cement bags used within their shelf date so the chromium VI reducer still works.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3

Cement and lime in the eyes

Labourers loading the mixer and bricklayers pointing and cleaning down.

  • Eye protection when tipping bags, mixing and raking out.
  • Eyewash at the mixing area and on the scaffold; anyone splashed rinses at once and is checked by the first aider.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3

Silica dust from cutting brick and block

Bricklayers and labourers cutting units, and anyone working nearby.

  • Fewer cuts by planning coursing and openings, cut units ordered from the supplier, and block splitters or bolsters where they work.
  • Cut-off saws with water suppression, or on-tool extraction to an M or H class unit; cutting in the open, away from others.
  • RPE of at least APF 20, such as FFP3, face fit tested, with users clean shaven where the mask seals.

BeforeHigh 16AfterMedium 8

Cut-off saws and abrasive wheels

Operators cutting units, from kickback, wheel bursts and noise.

  • Only trained operators use and change discs; the right disc for the material, with the guard set correctly.
  • Units cut on a stand or bench, held firm, never across the knee or on the scaffold lift.
  • Hearing and eye protection worn; trigger time kept within the vibration assessment; cutting away from walkways.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

Footings in trenches

Bricklayers and labourers laying blocks below ground in foundation trenches.

  • Trenches supported or battered where they could collapse; supported trenches inspected by a competent person at the start of each shift.
  • Spoil, blocks and plant kept back from the edge; barriers at the edge and a safe way in and out.
  • Trenches widened where needed so blocks are laid from inside, not by stooping from the edge.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

New walls collapsing in wind

Bricklayers and anyone near freestanding walls, gable peaks and party walls before they are tied in.

  • Building sequence planned so walls are tied in or restrained as they rise; freestanding walls propped to a temporary works design where needed.
  • Forecast checked daily; work stopped and the area cleared when wind makes the wall or handling unsafe.
  • Area beside tall freestanding walls fenced off until they are restrained.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Mortar mixers

Labourers loading and cleaning drum or paddle mixers.

  • Guards in place over the drive and paddles; hands and shovels kept out of a turning drum.
  • Mixer switched off and isolated before cleaning or clearing; electric mixers on a 110V supply.
  • Mixer on level, firm ground, away from the edge of excavations.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

Telehandlers and materials deliveries

Labourers, banksmen and others near plant loading out to the scaffold.

  • Telehandler driven by a card holder for the machine, with its LOLER thorough examination in date.
  • Pallets landed on designed loading bays, with a banksman and the area below kept clear.
  • Pedestrians and plant separated, with a reversing banksman.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Brick cleaning chemicals

Bricklayers cleaning down finished facework with acid or proprietary cleaners.

  • Cleaner chosen from the manufacturer's data sheet, tested on a small area, and used at the stated dilution.
  • Chemical gloves, eye protection and overalls as the data sheet specifies; runoff kept out of drains.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3

Cuts and crush injuries to hands

Bricklayers handling sharp units, wall ties and steel lintels.

  • Gloves with good grip for handling; ties and mesh stored bundled, not loose on the lift.
  • Fingers kept clear when placing heavy units and lintels.

BeforeMedium 6AfterLow 4

Slips and trips

Anyone on scaffold lifts, ground floor slabs and routes between the mixer and the work.

  • Mortar droppings and broken units cleared from lifts and walkways each day.
  • Banding, wrapping and pallets removed as they are emptied; routes kept clear and lit.

BeforeMedium 6AfterLow 4

Scores are likelihood times severity on the five by five matrix in the template. They are typical ratings for this work, a starting point for your own assessment of your site.

Bricklaying method statement: the sequence of work

The order of work, with the controls at each stage

The order the team works in on the day, with the controls built into each stage. If the sequence changes on site, revise the RAMS and brief it again.

Before the day

Review drawings, specification and block weights. Agree the scaffold design, load class and loading bays with the scaffolder, and the building sequence and any wall props with the site manager.

ControlsBlock weights checked against 20 kg; temporary works for freestanding walls; RAMS approved by the principal contractor.

Arrival and briefing

Sign in, attend the induction, then brief the team on this RAMS, the scaffold handover, the cutting area and the wind limit for the day.

ControlsBriefing signed against this revision; cards and face fit records checked; scaffold inspection report seen.

Set out the work area

Set up the mixer, cutting station and material stacks on firm, level ground, with welfare and eyewash close by.

ControlsCutting station away from others with water or extraction; mixer guards checked; exclusion zones barriered.

Load out

Land bricks, blocks and mortar onto loading bays or platforms by telehandler or hoist, and spread them along the lift.

ControlsLoad class respected; banksman for each lift; no pallets on working lifts.

Set out and first courses

Set out the walls, build footings in the trenches, lay damp proof courses and build the first courses from the ground or slab.

ControlsSupported trenches inspected that shift; gloves for mortar; blocks laid between knee and chest height where the platform allows.

Build from scaffold

Build up each lift, fixing ties, cavity trays, lintels and insulation as the wall rises, and call the scaffolder to raise the lift.

ControlsOnly scaffolders alter the scaffold; brick guards and toe boards kept; lintels placed by plant or planned team lift.

Cutting

Cut units at the cutting station, using a splitter or bolster where it works and a wet or extracted saw where it does not.

ControlsWater suppression or extraction; FFP3 or better, face fit tested; hearing and eye protection.

Weather and stability

Check the forecast through the day. Prop or restrain freestanding walls as designed, and cover new work at the end of the shift.

ControlsWork stopped and the area cleared when wind makes walls or handling unsafe.

Point and clean down

Point or rake out joints, and clean facework with water or a brick cleaner as specified.

ControlsCleaner used to its data sheet; gloves and eye protection; runoff kept out of drains.

Clear up

Clear mortar droppings and waste from lifts, wash out the mixer, stack unused materials and hand the area back to the site manager.

ControlsMixer isolated before washing out; waste lowered, never thrown; lifts left clear.

What the law asks for bricklaying

Checked against the source

Risk assessment

Every employer must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their employees and others affected by the work, and record the significant findings if they employ five or more people.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3

Scaffold inspection

A working platform used for construction work, from which a person could fall 2 metres or more, is not used unless it has been inspected in that position within the previous 7 days, and after anything liable to affect its safety.

Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 12

Falling objects

Materials are kept from falling so far as is reasonably practicable, and where they cannot be, people are protected from being struck. Nothing is thrown or tipped from height where it could injure, and stacks are stored so they cannot collapse.

Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 10

Manual handling

Handling that risks injury is avoided so far as is reasonably practicable. What cannot be avoided is assessed and the risk reduced. There is no legal weight limit; HSE no longer recommends two people laying blocks over 20 kg.

Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, regulation 4

Stability of new walls

All practicable steps are taken so that a structure in a temporary state of weakness does not collapse. Temporary supports are designed for foreseeable loads, and no structure, including a scaffold, is loaded so as to make it unsafe.

CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19

Cement and silica dust

Exposure to hazardous substances is prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled: safer products and processes first, then control at source, with RPE and gloves as the last measure.

COSHH Regulations 2002, regulation 7

Competence, equipment and PPE

Competence and cards

  • Bricklayers Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card (bricklaying NVQ level 2 or completed apprenticeship); apprentices on the Apprentice card, supervised.
  • Supervisor Experienced bricklayer with site supervision training.
  • Saw operators Trained on the cut-off saw and in changing and mounting discs.
  • Telehandler drivers CPCS or NPORS card for the machine.
  • RPE wearers Face fit tested for tight-fitting masks, and clean shaven where the mask seals.

Plant and equipment

  • Mortar mixer Guards and stop switch checked before use; isolated to clean.
  • Cut-off saw Water suppression or extraction working; correct disc; guard set.
  • Block splitter Blade and handle checked; on a level base.
  • Telehandler Pre-use check daily; LOLER thorough examination in date.
  • Trestles and staging Built to the instructions; boarded and checked before use.

PPE

  • Gloves waterproof and suitable for alkalis for mortar; grip gloves for handling.
  • Eye protection for mixing, cutting, raking out and cleaning down.
  • Respiratory protection FFP3 or better for cutting and dusty work, face fit tested.
  • Hearing protection for cut-off saws and nearby work.
  • Safety helmet and boots with high-visibility clothing to the site standard.

Permits and plans

A temporary works design for propping freestanding walls where one is needed. A lift plan for any crane or telehandler lift the site requires one for. A permit to work where the principal contractor's rules require one, for example over an occupied area or near live services.

Emergency and rescue

First aider and first aid kit on site, with eyewash at the mixer and on the scaffold. Cement on skin is washed off at once, and a cement splash in the eye is rinsed straight away with medical advice sought. Plan for recovering an injured person from the scaffold. Nearest accident and emergency department named on the briefing.

Toolbox talk · About five minutes

Toolbox talk: bricklaying safety

Read this to the team before work starts, tick each point as it is covered, and record who attended.

  • Only the scaffolder alters the scaffold. If a board, rail or brick guard is in your way, ask for it to be moved.
  • Spread the load along the lift. No pallets on working lifts, and nothing stacked against the guard-rails.
  • Blocks over 20 kg go in by machine or we use a lighter block. Lay between knee and chest height where you can.
  • Cut wet or with the extractor, at the cutting station, with your mask on. Even when you cannot see the dust, it is there.
  • Gloves on for mortar. Wash cement off your skin straight away, and use the eyewash if it splashes.
  • New walls are weak in wind. If it picks up, stop, and keep clear of freestanding walls and gable peaks.

Ask the team

  • What is the load class of the scaffold we are working from today?
  • Which walls on this job stand free until they are tied in?
  • Where is the eyewash, and where is the cutting station?
In Unibuild a talk is read in each operative’s own language and signed on the phone. How toolbox talks work

What is in the bricklaying RAMS template

8 pages, pre-filled and editable

The work, pre-filled

Scope, location and access, interfaces with the scaffolder and other trades, the documents the RAMS relies on, and the team.

The sequence of work

Ten stages from planning to clearing up, with the controls and the person responsible at each one.

Hazards and controls

Seventeen bricklaying hazards rated before and after controls on a five by five matrix, with room for your own.

Plant, PPE and substances

The mixer, saw and handling plant with their checks, PPE by type, and cement, lime and silica with their controls.

Permits and emergency

Temporary works, lift plans and permits, then first aid, eyewash and recovery from the scaffold.

Briefing record

Twenty signatures against the revision, taken on the day before the work starts.

Download the editable PDF Word versionEditable PDF · 8 pages · 714 KB
After it is written

Brief it, and get it signed on the phone

On Unibuild a RAMS is written from a template, approved, then read by each operative on their phone in their own language and signed. Subcontract and agency workers sign through a link, with no app to install.

Every signature carries its date and time and prints as the last page of the RAMS PDF. Change the RAMS and it has to be signed again.

How RAMS work on Unibuild
Is this bricklaying method statement template free?
Yes. The PDF and the Word version are free to download, edit and use on your own jobs, with no sign-up.
What should a brickwork method statement include?
The scope and location of the walls, the scaffold and its load class, and how materials are loaded out. Then the building sequence, how blocks are handled and units cut, mortar and skin protection, stability in wind, PPE, emergency arrangements and a briefing record the team signs.
Is a bricklaying risk assessment a legal requirement?
Yes. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, recorded if you employ five or more people. A principal contractor will usually ask for a method statement alongside it.
How heavy can a block be for one bricklayer?
The law sets no weight limit. HSE advises specifying the lightest block that meets the design, notes that blocks under 20 kg are usually available, and no longer recommends two people laying blocks over 20 kg. Where heavier blocks cannot be avoided, use mechanical handling.
Do bricklayers need a mask when cutting bricks?
Yes. Brick, block and concrete contain silica, and cutting can produce dust far above the limit of 0.1 mg/m³ over 8 hours. Cut wet or with on-tool extraction, and wear RPE of at least APF 20, such as an FFP3 mask, face fit tested.
Can bricklayers adjust the scaffold?
No. Only the scaffolding contractor alters the scaffold, including raising lifts and moving boards or brick guards. It is inspected again before it goes back into use.
When should bricklaying stop in high wind?
The law sets no wind speed. The Work at Height Regulations allow work at height only when the weather does not put people at risk. Set a limit in the RAMS from the temporary works advice and the height of free walls, check the forecast daily, and stop when gusts make walls or handling unsafe. Keep people clear of freestanding walls.
Does a self-employed bricklayer need a risk assessment?
Yes. Regulation 3(2) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 applies to self-employed people doing construction work, so a self-employed bricklayer must assess the risks to themselves and to anyone their work affects. A written record is only required by law from employers of five or more, but a principal contractor will usually ask to see one.

RAMS templates for other trades and hazards

All free, pre-filled and editable
TradeScaffolding RAMSErecting, altering and dismantling tube and fitting and system scaffold, with handover and inspection. HazardManual handling risk assessmentLifting, carrying, pushing and pulling, assessed by task, individual, load and environment. HazardDust risk assessmentSilica, wood and other construction dust: on-tool extraction, water suppression, RPE, face fit testing and health surveillance.

By trade

By hazard

The blank RAMS template, the RAMS review checklist and every other free form are on Free downloads.

Next step

The RAMS, read and signed
before the work starts.

Unibuild keeps every RAMS with its versions, its approvals and each operative’s signature against the revision they read, for seven years, ready for the principal contractor or an auditor.

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