When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and cleaning teams carrying out builders / sparkle clean — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised site & general hazards for this task, with the controls a reviewer expects to see.
What this RAMS includes
- ✓ 8 task-specific hazards scored on a 5×5 matrix (initial → residual)
- ✓ Specific control measures for each hazard, in hierarchy-of-control order
- ✓ A 9-step method statement (sequence of works)
- ✓ PPE, plant/equipment, permits and competence requirements
- ✓ Emergency arrangements and operative briefing / sign-off section
Scope of works
Post-construction builders and sparkle clean — dust, chemicals and work at height.
Sequence of works
- 1Site survey and pre-clean preparation: conduct a walk-through of the entire area to identify residual construction debris, active electrical systems, wet floors, overhead risks and any areas of potential asbestos-containing materials. Report findings to the principal contractor before commencing.
- 2Clear large debris: remove all loose offcuts, fixings, packaging, dust sheets and construction waste from floors and surfaces to eliminate trip hazards and allow effective cleaning. Dispose of in designated waste skips.
- 3COSHH and chemical review: check Safety Data Sheets for all products to be used. Confirm COSHH assessments are complete, chemicals are correctly labelled, and all required PPE and first-aid provisions (including eye wash) are on site before chemicals are opened.
- 4Dust removal (top to bottom): starting at the highest level in each room, use H-class or M-class HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners to remove construction dust from ceilings, walls, window reveals and floors. Where using extension tools at height avoid the use of ladders. Apply damp suppression before any residual dry sweeping.
- 5High-level and glazing cleaning: use telescopic extension tools from ground level wherever possible. Where work at height is unavoidable, deploy a podium step or mobile scaffold tower with guardrails. Conduct pre-use inspection of all access equipment before use.
- 6Wet cleaning of surfaces and sanitary ware: apply appropriate chemical products (following dilution instructions and COSHH assessment controls) to hard surfaces, sanitary ware, tiles and woodwork. Ensure adequate ventilation is in place. Display wet floor signs at all times.
- 7Window and glass sparkle clean: clean all glazing with appropriate cleaning solution applied with a cloth or squeegee. Confirm that adjacent electrical fittings are not live before using wet methods near them. Ensure floors below are dry before repositioning access equipment.
- 8Final detailed clean and inspection: wipe down all surfaces, fixtures and fittings. Check all areas are dry before removing wet floor signs. Conduct a quality and safety walkthrough to confirm the area is safe for handover.
- 9Chemical storage and waste disposal: return all unused chemicals to secure, labelled storage. Dispose of chemical waste (rinse water, single-use containers) in accordance with site waste management plan and applicable regulations. Record any near-misses or incidents before leaving site.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fall from height
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Prioritise scaffold, podium steps, or MEWP over ladders to provide a stable working platform with edge protection.
- › Pre-fabricate ductwork sections and AHU sub-assemblies at ground level where possible to minimise time spent working at height.
- › If a stepladder is the only practicable option for short-duration work, confirm it is of sufficient rating (Class 1 industrial), conduct a pre-use inspection for defects, position on firm level ground, and ensure the operative maintains three points of contact.
- › Operatives working at height must wear footwear with slip-resistant soles to reduce the risk of slipping on wet rungs or platforms.
Slips on wet surfaces
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Adopt a top-down, room-by-room sequence so wet areas are isolated from dry circulation routes. Complete and dry one area before opening it to other trades or personnel.
- › Place clearly visible wet floor warning signs at all entry points to areas being washed or mopped. Remove signs only when the floor is fully dry.
- › All operatives to wear footwear with certified slip-resistant soles (SRC rating) throughout the task.
Trips on construction debris
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Before commencing cleaning, conduct a site walk to remove large debris, offcuts and hazardous fixings. Ensure adequate task lighting is in place in all areas to be cleaned.
- › Keep cleaning equipment, chemical containers and cables routed to the side of walkways. Do not trail hose pipes or extension leads across pedestrian routes without securing with cable covers.
Chemical exposure — cleaning agents
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Where technically possible, select cleaning products with lower hazard classifications — for example, pH-neutral cleaners rather than strong acids or alkalis for routine surface cleaning.
- › Obtain Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for every chemical to be used. Complete a site-specific COSHH assessment before use, identifying exposure routes and required controls. Keep assessments on site.
- › Open windows and doors and, where mechanical ventilation is available, run it during and after application of solvents, descalers and other volatile products to keep vapour concentrations below workplace exposure limits.
- › Operatives must wear nitrile or neoprene gloves (EN 374), chemical splash goggles (EN 166) and, for volatile chemicals, a half-face respirator with appropriate filter cartridge (EN 140).
Inhalation of construction dust
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Lightly damp-wipe or mist surfaces before sweeping to suppress airborne dust generation. Avoid dry sweeping of fine dust wherever practicable.
- › Use a vacuum fitted with HEPA filtration (minimum M-class, H-class for suspected silica-containing dust) rather than dry sweeping to capture fine particulates at source.
- › Where dust cannot be adequately suppressed or captured, operatives must wear a minimum FFP2 disposable respirator (FFP3 where silica-containing dust is suspected), correctly fitted and face-fit tested.
Manual handling — carrying equipment and supplies
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Fill buckets to no more than two-thirds capacity. Decant large chemical containers into smaller working bottles. Use wheeled trolleys or buckets-on-wheels to move heavy loads across the site.
- › Provide sack trucks, wheeled platform trolleys or vacuum cleaners with carry handles / wheels to avoid manual carrying wherever possible.
- › Operatives must be briefed on safe lifting technique (straight back, bent knees, load close to body) and encouraged to request assistance for loads over 20 kg or in awkward postures.
Contact with live electrical services
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Before commencing wet cleaning adjacent to electrical fittings, confirm with the principal contractor or electrical subcontractor which circuits are live and which are isolated. Obtain a written permit or written confirmation.
- › Do not use spray bottles, hoses or wet mops directly on or around electrical sockets, consumer units, light fittings or switches. Use a lightly dampened cloth only and keep moisture away from the fitting.
- › All cleaning equipment using mains electricity (vacuums, rotary floor machines) must be connected via a residual current device (RCD) with a maximum 30 mA trip rating.
Accidental chemical splash — eye and skin
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Always add chemical concentrate to water (not water to concentrate) when diluting. Use a designated dilution area away from other operatives. Never mix different chemical products.
- › A portable sterile eye-wash station must be immediately accessible in the cleaning operative's working area when chemical products classified as corrosive or irritant are in use.
- › Chemical splash goggles (EN 166) and chemical-resistant gloves (EN 374) to be worn at all times during chemical handling; a chemical-resistant apron to be worn when diluting concentrated products.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ Safety harness and lanyard where fall arrest is the selected control
- ✓ RPE per the COSHH assessment
- ✓ Chemical-resistant gloves
- ✓ RPE (FFP3 or as risk-assessed) with face-fit
- ✓ Insulated gloves where live work is unavoidable
Competence
- ✓ Site induction completed; CSCS or equivalent where the site requires it
Schemes (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF…) evidence competence; they are not statutory requirements in themselves.
Plant & equipment
- › Welfare units and signage
- › Barriers, cones and pedestrian segregation
- › First-aid kits and eye-wash
- › Spill kits
- › Communication (radios / lone-worker device)
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Welfare provision matching CDM 2015 Schedule 2
- ✓ Traffic management and pedestrian routes
- ✓ Lone-working check-in arrangements where relevant
- ✓ The document is site-specific — real address, access arrangements and dates, not a generic template
- ✓ Hazards match the actual task and the controls are specific (not “take care” and “use PPE”)
- ✓ Named supervisor and competent person, with operative sign-off space
- ✓ Emergency and rescue arrangements that work for this site
The report builder runs these as pre-submission checks before you download — or run an existing document through the free RAMS pre-submission checker.
Frequently asked questions
Who should write a builders / sparkle clean RAMS?
Someone competent to plan the work — usually the contractor doing the job or their supervisor. A template like this gives you the recognised hazards and controls for builders / sparkle clean, but the person signing it off must review it as the competent person and confirm it matches the actual site and method.
How long is the RAMS valid for?
Until something changes — there's no fixed expiry in law. Review it if the method, site conditions, equipment or people change, after any incident or near miss, and at sensible intervals on longer jobs. Date the review and re-brief the team.
What regulations apply to builders / sparkle clean?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, COSHH 2002, reg 7 — prevention or control of exposure are the main ones, alongside Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a RAMS need to be site-specific?
Yes — this is the most common reason documents get sent back. Principal contractors reject generic copy-paste RAMS. Your document should name the site, access arrangements, dates, supervisor and any site-specific hazards. The RamsDocs builder fills these in for you and flags what's missing before you download.
Is this template free?
Yes — everything on RamsDocs is free during early access, including building a site-specific version of this RAMS and downloading the PDF. No card required.