When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and drylining teams carrying out drylining & tape jointing — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised fit-out & interiors hazards for this task, with the controls a reviewer expects to see.
What this RAMS includes
- ✓ 9 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
Install metal stud partitions, plasterboard and tape/joint finishing.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-start checks: Obtain and review the asbestos register, services drawings and any permits to work. Confirm the work area has been surveyed and is clear of unidentified ACMs and live unprotected services. Carry out a team briefing/tool-box talk covering RAMS, emergency procedures and PPE requirements.
- 2Set out and mark partition lines: Use a laser level or chalk line to mark the head and floor track positions on ceiling, floor and adjoining walls. Scan all drilling lines with a cable/pipe detector before making any fixings. Mark identified service routes clearly.
- 3Fix head and floor tracks: Wearing cut-resistant gloves, cut metal track to length using tin snips or a track saw with dust extraction. Fix tracks with appropriate anchors. Deburr all cut ends immediately. Ensure access equipment is correctly set up if ceiling fixings are above comfortable reach.
- 4Install vertical studs and noggins: Cut studs to height, slot into head and floor tracks at specified centres (typically 400 or 600 mm). Fit noggins and any service-protection elements. Keep offcuts cleared continuously to prevent trip hazards.
- 5First-fix services coordination: Confirm with the M&E contractor that all first-fix electrical, data and plumbing services within the partition void have been installed and signed off before boarding commences.
- 6Board one side of partition: Using a board lift or two-person team, lift and position plasterboard sheets. Fix using a drywall screw gun at specified screw centres. Score-and-snap boards to size wherever possible; use on-tool extraction if powered cutting is necessary. Wear FFP2/FFP3 respirator during all cutting.
- 7Board second side of partition: Repeat boarding process for the opposite face. Stagger board joints. Ensure any insulation or acoustic quilt is installed within the void as specified before closing the final face.
- 8Tape and joint: Apply jointing compound to screw heads and board joints. Embed paper or mesh tape and apply successive coats per manufacturer instructions, allowing full drying between coats. Wet-sand or feather joints where possible; use H-class vacuum-extraction sander and FFP3 respirator if dry-power-sanding is required.
- 9Final inspection and housekeeping: Inspect completed work for defects. Collect all metal offcuts into a dedicated metal waste skip (sharp edge risk). Clear all plasterboard debris and dust. Return access equipment to stores. Confirm area is safe before handing back to principal contractor.
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
- › Where practicable, pre-assemble partition sections at floor level and tilt into position to reduce time working at height.
- › Use guardrails, toe-boards or temporary barriers at any open edges or voids adjacent to the work area before boarding commences.
- › Provide and inspect podium steps, low-level platforms or MEWPs rated for the work. Ensure equipment is on a firm, level surface and inspected before each use. Ladders restricted to access/short-duration tasks only.
- › Brief all operatives on safe use of access equipment, prohibited improvised platforms (e.g. stacked boards), and rescue procedures.
Manual handling — heavy and awkward loads
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Specify lightweight or reduced-size plasterboard (e.g. 2400 × 900 mm) where structurally acceptable to reduce individual sheet weight.
- › Use board lifts, panel carriers, trolleys and sack trucks to transport and position boards. Use a board lift/deadman when fixing boards overhead or at height.
- › Two-person lifts for full sheets. Store boards flat on bearers, close to point of use, and limit stack height to manufacturer guidance. Keep gangways clear.
- › Ensure all operatives have received manual handling training appropriate to drylining tasks and understand safe lifting technique.
Inhalation of plasterboard and jointing dust
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Score-and-snap boards rather than angle grinder or dry saw cutting wherever possible. Wet-sand jointing compound where practicable.
- › Fit dust-shrouded cutting tools and sanders with H-class vacuum extraction units to capture dust at source.
- › Produce a COSHH assessment identifying plasterboard dust as a substance hazardous to health. Monitor against the WEL for inhalable dust (10 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA) and respirable dust (4 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA) under EH40.
- › Provide FFP2 or FFP3 disposable face-fit tested respirators for cutting and sanding. FFP3 required where calcium sulphate or silica-containing board is used.
Exposure to jointing compound and adhesive chemicals
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Obtain and review Safety Data Sheets for all jointing compounds, primers and adhesives used. Identify hazardous constituents and ensure SDS is available on site.
- › Select water-based, low-VOC jointing compounds and adhesives in preference to solvent-based alternatives where performance requirements allow.
- › Wear nitrile gloves and safety spectacles when mixing, applying or sanding jointing compounds. Barrier cream and after-work moisturiser to protect skin.
Cuts and lacerations from metal stud and board edges
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Deburr cut metal stud edges immediately after cutting. Use edge protection strips or cap off exposed sharp ends where practicable.
- › Store metal sections in bundles with cut ends pointing away from access routes. Never carry metal sections under the arm without gloves.
- › Wear cut-resistant gloves (minimum Level C/EN388) when handling metal stud, track and trimmed board edges.
Slips and trips on site
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Operatives to clear offcuts and debris into designated skips or waste bags on a continuous basis during the shift. Do not allow accumulation.
- › Use barriers or signage to define the drylining work area and prevent other trades walking through active cutting and boarding zones.
- › Wear safety footwear with slip-resistant sole rated to SRC on all fit-out sites.
Noise from cutting and fixing operations
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use score-and-snap, tin snips or cold chisels for metal stud and plasterboard cutting in preference to angle grinders to reduce noise at source.
- › Agree a noisy-works programme with the principal contractor to limit exposure duration and protect other trades. Rotate operatives to limit individual exposure.
- › Provide and enforce use of SNR-rated ear defenders or ear plugs (minimum SNR 20) when operating noisy tools or when measured noise exceeds 85 dB(A) LEP,d.
Contact with concealed services
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Obtain and review up-to-date M&E drawings before any drilling or cutting. Confirm isolation of any services that cannot be fully avoided. A competent person must review drawings and verify isolation.
- › Use a calibrated multi-mode cable/pipe detector (C-scope or equivalent) to scan all fixing lines before drilling or screwing into walls, floors or ceilings.
- › Mark identified service routes on the substrate with chalk or marker. Maintain a minimum 50 mm exclusion zone either side and use shorter fixings where services are shallow.
Asbestos-containing material disturbance
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Obtain and review the building's asbestos register and management survey from the client/principal contractor before any work begins. Where refurbishment or demolition is involved, a Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) survey by a UKAS-accredited surveyor must be completed for the affected areas.
- › If unknown materials are encountered that could be ACMs (textured coatings, insulation board, debris), stop work immediately, isolate the area and notify the site manager. Do not resume until materials are tested by a competent person.
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 (FFP3 or as risk-assessed) with face-fit
- ✓ RPE per the COSHH assessment
- ✓ Chemical-resistant gloves
- ✓ Hearing protection (to the assessed SNR)
- ✓ Insulated gloves where live work is unavoidable
- ✓ Disposable RPE (FFP3)
- ✓ Disposable coveralls (Type 5)
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
- › Track/stud and board-lifting aids
- › Cutting station with on-tool (M-class) extraction
- › Laser level and access podiums
- › Glass suckers / manual-handling aids
- › Dust sheeting and segregation screens
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Dust control (on-tool extraction) for cutting board and tiles
- ✓ Manual-handling controls for boards, glass and units
- ✓ Coordination with M&E and other trades sharing the area
- ✓ 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 drylining & tape jointing 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 drylining & tape jointing, 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 drylining & tape jointing?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) are the main ones, alongside COSHH 2002, reg 7 — prevention or control of exposure, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. 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.