When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and groundworks teams carrying out foundation works — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised groundworks & excavation 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 10-step method statement (sequence of works)
- ✓ PPE, plant/equipment, permits and competence requirements
- ✓ Emergency arrangements and operative briefing / sign-off section
Scope of works
Excavate, reinforce and pour foundations.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-start: Obtain utility records and commission a CAT scan/GPR survey. Mark out all known underground services. Issue permit to dig. Brief all operatives on hazards, emergency procedures and site rules.
- 2Set out foundation positions in accordance with drawings. Erect site fencing and pedestrian/plant segregation barriers. Establish safe vehicle routes, pedestrian walkways and welfare facilities.
- 3Commence machine excavation to formation level under the supervision of a competent person. Stop machine digging within 500 mm of any marked service and hand-dig to confirm. A banksman must be present whenever the excavator is operating near workers.
- 4Inspect excavation walls and formation. Install proprietary trench support (trench box, sheet piling or batter) as required by ground conditions. Competent person to record inspection. Fit edge protection barriers and safe-access ladders.
- 5Place and compact granular blinding or lean-mix concrete to formation. Allow blinding to achieve sufficient strength before workers enter for reinforcement placement.
- 6Position pre-fabricated rebar cages or fix reinforcement in accordance with structural drawings. Use mechanical lifting aids for heavy cages. Fit mushroom caps to all exposed rebar ends immediately. Check cover spacers are correct before pouring.
- 7Erect formwork where required. Inspect formwork for adequacy and ensure it is braced and propped before concrete placement. Operatives to wear chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection and suitable PPE.
- 8Pour concrete using pump, skip or chute. Control delivery vehicle movements with a banksman. Use internal vibrating poker to compact concrete; rotate operatives to manage vibration exposure. Monitor for formwork distortion during pour.
- 9After initial set, begin curing regime (polythene sheeting, curing compound) in accordance with specification. Cover all remaining open excavations with load-rated marked covers at end of shift.
- 10Competent person carries out end-of-shift inspection of excavations and edge protection. Remove formwork only when concrete has achieved sufficient strength per structural engineer's instruction. Reinstate ground and remove temporary works progressively.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Excavation collapse
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › A competent person must inspect excavations at the start of each working shift, after any event (heavy rain, frost, nearby plant vibration) and record findings. Work must stop if conditions deteriorate.
- › Consider driven or bored pile foundations or ground-level raft solutions to avoid deep open excavation.
- › Install proprietary trench boxes, sheet piling or battering/benching to the angle of repose before workers enter. Designed by a competent person based on ground investigation data.
- › Barriers set minimum 1 m from excavation edge; no materials, plant or vehicles within 2 m unless assessed. Spoil stored away from edge.
Underground services strike
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Obtain utility records (CAT scan, GPR survey) and mark out known services before any excavation begins. Appoint a competent person to interpret results.
- › Use trial holes by hand within 500 mm of marked services. Machine excavation must stop and hand digging commence when approaching confirmed service locations.
- › Implement a formal permit-to-dig system requiring sign-off confirming service searches are complete before excavation starts each day.
Plant and vehicle collision
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Establish hard physical segregation (barriers, banksman-controlled gates) to keep operatives out of machine operating zones.
- › Trained banksman with agreed signals guides plant reversing or working near workers or excavation edges at all times.
- › Verify CPCS/NPORS cards and plant-specific authorisation before operators start work.
Manual handling injury
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Ensure all operatives have received manual handling training; mandate two-person lifts for loads between 20–40 kg and for awkward or confined lifts.
- › Use crane, telehandler or forklift to position steel cages, mesh and heavy formwork panels rather than manual carrying.
- › Specify factory-prefabricated rebar cages to reduce on-site manual assembly and lifting of individual bars.
Concrete skin burns and dermatitis
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Prepare a written COSHH assessment covering wet concrete, release agents and any admixtures before pouring commences. Review safety data sheets.
- › Specify cement compliant with UK/EU low-chromate limits (chromium VI content ≤2 ppm) to reduce dermatitis risk.
- › Operatives apply skin-conditioning barrier cream before work, wear nitrile or neoprene gloves and, during pouring/finishing, safety glasses or goggles.
- › Provide dedicated welfare facilities with running water, mild skin cleanser and after-work moisturiser within close proximity of pour area.
Silica dust inhalation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Avoid dry cutting of bricks and blocks; use wet-cut methods (water-suppressed disc cutters or guillotine block splitters) to eliminate airborne dust generation.
- › Where cutting is unavoidable, use wet-cutting methods or tools fitted with H-class vacuum extraction at source to suppress dust below WEL.
- › Provide FFP3 disposable masks or half-mask with P3 filter as residual protection where engineering controls cannot reduce exposure below the WEL (0.1 mg/m³ RCS).
Falls into excavation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Fit double-guardrail (top rail 950–1150 mm, mid-rail 470 mm) and toe-board around all excavation edges where persons may approach.
- › Use clearly marked, load-rated, mechanically fixed covers over all open excavations when work is not actively in progress.
- › Provide fixed or proprietary ladders extending 1 m above ground level at regular intervals; no jumping in or out of excavation.
Vibration from compaction and breaker equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Calculate daily vibration exposure (A(8)) against EAV (2.5 m/s²) and ELV (5 m/s²) for all tools. Maintain tool vibration data sheets.
- › Select lowest-vibration tools meeting the task requirement (e.g. internal vibrating pokers over surface tampers); rotate operatives to limit trigger time.
- › Limit individual operative trigger times; implement job rotation so no single worker exceeds the EAV without enhanced controls.
- › Provide CE-marked anti-vibration gloves where residual exposure risk remains after engineering controls.
Slips and trips on site
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Designate clear walkways, remove excess spoil and debris daily, and cable-manage hoses and cables above ground level.
- › Fit proprietary mushroom caps to all exposed vertical reinforcement bar ends to prevent impalement and trip injuries.
- › All operatives to wear safety footwear meeting S3 standard with midsole protection and slip-resistant outsole.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ RPE per the COSHH assessment
- ✓ Chemical-resistant gloves
- ✓ RPE (FFP3 or as risk-assessed) with face-fit
- ✓ Safety harness and lanyard where fall arrest is the selected control
- ✓ Hearing protection (to the assessed SNR)
Competence
- ✓ Excavation and plant 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
- › Excavator and dumper as specified
- › Trench support system (boxes, sheets, props)
- › CAT and Genny (service avoidance)
- › Ladder access for excavations
- › Gas detector for confined areas
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Service avoidance: drawings reviewed, CAT/Genny sweep, permit to dig
- ✓ Excavation support method and inspection regime
- ✓ Plant/pedestrian segregation around the dig
- ✓ 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 foundation works 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 foundation works, 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 foundation works?
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, PUWER 1998 — Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are the main ones, alongside Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), Work at Height Regulations 2005, Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a method statement 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.