Insulation method statement and risk assessment template

• Ceiling treated as a fragile surface: crawl boards laid across the joists and moved forward as the work goes.
• Joists marked and the loft lit with battery lighting before any insulation covers them; nobody steps off the boards.
• Rooms below cleared of occupants under the work area where a fall through is possible.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

• Stepladder or loft ladder in good condition, footed and secured, with three points of contact while climbing.
• Rolls and boards passed up by a second person, never carried up the ladder.
• Hatch opening boarded round or the hatch closed when nobody is using it; occupants told the hatch is open.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

• Loft work in hot weather done early in the day, with short spells, breaks out of the loft and drinking water.
• Bump cap for low rafters and nails through the roof covering; knee pads for kneeling.
• Wasp nests, bird debris or vermin reported and dealt with before work goes on.

BeforeMedium 9AfterMedium 6

• Loft checked before work: damaged cables, bare joints or loose junction boxes reported and left for an electrician.
• Cables lifted only where they are long enough to lie on top of the insulation without strain; never pulled, cut or stapled.
• Battery lighting, no trailing leads from loft sockets or lighting circuits.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• Downlights kept clear of insulation unless the fitting is rated to be covered or a suitable cover is fitted, to the manufacturer.
• Cables feeding showers, cookers and heaters laid on top of the insulation, or referred to an electrician.
• Clearances recorded on the job sheet and photographed before the job is closed.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• Product kept wrapped until it is laid, cut with a knife rather than a saw, and handled as little as possible.
• Gloves, long sleeves, eye protection and the disposable mask named on the data sheet; loose cuffs taped.
• Clean up with a vacuum, never by sweeping; work clothes washed separately; hands washed before eating.

BeforeMedium 8AfterLow 4

• Asbestos survey or the client's asbestos information checked before work on any building from before 2000.
• Unknown loose fill in a loft or cavity left undisturbed and identified first; loose asbestos insulation is licensed work only.
• Work stopped and the area left if suspect material is found, then reported to the supervisor.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• Spray foam only where the specification calls for it; boards or rolls used where they do the job.
• Constant flow air-fed breathing apparatus with an assigned protection factor of 40 and a low flow indicator.
• Occupants and other trades kept out until the area has cleared, for the time the supplier gives.
• Health surveillance for new sprayers: lung function test and questionnaire at start, 6 weeks, 6 months, then yearly.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

• Foam boards stored away from the building, escape routes and ignition sources, in the quantity for the next few days.
• No smoking or naked flames near insulation; any hot work only under a permit with a fire watch afterwards.
• Offcuts and packaging cleared daily; extinguisher on hand; exposed boards covered with basecoat as the work goes.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• System installed to the designer's details, with fire breaks, non-combustible zones and fixings where the drawings show them.
• Product substitutions only with the designer's written agreement.
• Fire breaks and fixings inspected and photographed before they are covered.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• Scaffold designed for the insulation thickness and the finished wall line, with inside edge protection where the gap needs it.
• Handover certificate before use; inspected at least every 7 days and after bad weather or alteration.
• Ties moved only by the scaffolder, to the design, as the boards go on; no one removes a board, rail or tie.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

• Exclusion zone at the foot of the scaffold, with brick guards or netting on public sides.
• Boards and offcuts kept tied down or stacked low; boards never left loose on lifts in wind.
• Ground ladders removed and the site secured at the end of each day.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

• Gas meters, pipework and flues moved or extended only by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Air bricks and vents sleeved through the insulation or extended, never covered or filled.
• Fuel-burning appliances checked for ventilation before hand-back, and carbon monoxide alarms noted.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

• Eaves ventilation kept clear with vent trays or spacers; loft insulation stopped short where the design says.
• Wall suitability checked before cavity fill; walls with damp, debris or failed pointing referred back.
• Vapour control layer on internal wall insulation sealed at joints and services, to the system details.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3

• Drills with on-tool extraction to an M or H class unit, or water suppression where it suits.
• FFP3 or equivalent RPE, face fit tested, for drilling masonry and cutting boards.
• Clean up with an M class vacuum; dust kept out of occupied rooms.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 6

• Waterproof gloves, long sleeves and eye protection when mixing and applying.
• Mixing paddle used at low speed in a stable bucket; bags opened and emptied to keep dust down.
• Wet render washed off skin straight away; washing facilities on site.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3

• Deliveries placed close to the work; boards and bags lifted to the scaffold by hoist where practicable.
• Two people for large boards in wind and for blowing machines on stairs.
• Tasks rotated, with knee pads for loft work.

BeforeMedium 6AfterLow 4

• Residents told the times, the rooms affected and when the hatch or windows will be open.
• Blowing hoses and leads routed and covered across walkways; doors protected, not wedged across escape routes.
• Tools and access equipment never left where children can reach them.

BeforeMedium 9AfterLow 3