Bricklaying RAMS
Site-specific risk assessment and method statements for bricklaying: off-loading, mixing, laying, cutting and clean-down.
Bricklaying looks routine. The hazards aren't. Silica dust from cutting, cement burns from wet mortar, manual handling all day, working at height as the wall rises. None of those are headline risks like roof falls, so the RAMS often gets a quicker scan. That's exactly why the weak ones come back, with "you've not covered silica properly" written across the top. So this is what yours has to cover, off-loading through clean-down, to pass first time. Briefkit writes one site-specific to your actual job, not a downloaded template.
Why a bricklaying RAMS catches people out
It's not the obvious-killer trade, so the document often gets written quickly and the slower hazards get missed. Silica from cutting bricks and blocks is a long-term killer that doesn't show up that day. Cement burns happen when wet mortar sits against skin under PPE for hours. Manual handling injuries build up over a season, not a shift. A RAMS that ticks the obvious height-and-tools boxes but skims over those slow-burn hazards isn't doing its job, and a PC who knows the trade will spot it.
Off-loading and setting up
Before any wall goes up. Brick and block packs delivered, mortar mixed or pumped, materials moved to where the brickie's working.
- Off-loading brick and block packs: Strapped packs are heavy and unstable. Telehandler or crane, banking the load, exclusion zone underneath.
- Storing materials safely: Packs on level ground, away from the work zone and pedestrian routes. Stacked no higher than safe.
- Mixer set-up: Mixer on level ground, away from edges and walkways. 110v through a transformer or cordless, leads off the ground.
- Getting materials up: Block grabs and brick tongs from the scaffold lift. No throwing or kicking up. Loading bay used where the scaffold has one.
Laying the work
The bulk of the day. Mortar, course, plumb, level, repeat. The brickie's at the work face for hours.
- Manual handling: Every brick lifted, every block placed. Hundreds per day. Lifting technique, sharing the lift on blocks, breaks built in.
- Cement contact: Wet mortar is highly alkaline. Gloves rated for it, long sleeves, knee pads. Wash off any contact straight away.
- Working at height: Wall rising means scaffold lifts rising too. The brickie's working at the platform edge with materials and mortar around their feet.
- Reinforcement and starter bars: Rebar sticking out of foundations or columns. Capped where anyone could fall onto it.
- Mortar drops: Snots and droppings off the scaffold edge. Toeboards, sheeting and an exclusion zone below.
Cutting bricks and blocks
The single highest-risk activity in bricklaying. Cut-off saws, abrasive wheels, dust.
- Silica dust: Respirable crystalline silica. Long-term killer. Wet cutting or on-tool extraction is the control, not dust masks alone. WEL referenced and respected.
- RPE: Face-fit-tested FFP3 mask minimum where dust can't be eliminated at source. Beard policy enforced. Replaced when it's used up.
- HAVS: Cut-off saw vibration logged against trigger time. Rotation of operators where the cut's heavy.
- Saw safety: Disc rated for the material and inspected before use. Guards in place. Operator stance clear of the cut line.
The risks that run through all bricklaying work
- Silica dust: Anywhere brick or block is cut, drilled or chased. The single biggest long-term hazard.
- Cement burns and dermatitis: Wet mortar on skin under gloves and boots. Reported, washed, treated.
- Manual handling: Repetitive lifting, twisting, reaching. Hundreds of bricks a day adds up.
- Working at height: The brickie's platform rises with the work. Edge protection, materials stored back from the edge.
- Weather: Frost stops mortar setting. Hot dry weather dries it too fast. Wind blows dust and loose materials.
- Tools and power: Mixers, cut-off saws, drills off 110v through a transformer, or cordless. Leads kept off the scaffold deck.
What a bricklaying RAMS that passes scrutiny looks like
- Treats silica as the headline risk, not a line item. Wet cutting or on-tool extraction named, RPE specified.
- Specific to the site. The wall, the heights, the access, the deliveries, what's below. Not a generic bricklaying document.
- Works through the job in sequence. Off-loading, mixing, laying, cutting, clean-down. The hazards of each.
- Names the CSCS or NVQ competencies for the brickies and anyone cutting.
- Cement-burn controls spelt out, not assumed.
- Manual handling addressed for repetition, not just one-off lifts.
- PPE specified properly. Gloves rated for cement, FFP3 for cutting, eye protection, knee pads.
- Reviewed by a competent person and briefed to everyone on the team.
"Specific to the site" is the whole point. A generic bricklaying RAMS doesn't know your wall, your scaffold lifts, or what's underneath the cut.
Get a site-specific bricklaying RAMS for your job
Briefkit writes the whole document. Site-specific, not from a template. The off-loading, mixing, laying and cutting sequence, the silica and cement controls, the height and manual-handling risks, all written around your actual job. Ready to review and sign off, in minutes. £30. One job, one fee.