Working as a bricklayer in the construction industry can be a fulfilling and satisfying experience, but it also comes with risks. Failure to adhere to safe work practices can expose you to various dangers. That is why health, safety, and welfare at work are protected by law, and employers must ensure that their employees and any other individuals affected by their work are protected from harm.

When it comes to safe bricklaying practices, having the correct documentation in place is essential. This includes Method Statements, which outline the step-by-step process for completing a particular task; Risk Assessments, which identify potential hazards and outline measures to mitigate them; and COSHH Assessments, which assess the possible risks associated with any hazardous substances that may be used in the bricklaying process. Having these documents in place not only helps to ensure the safety of those involved in the work but also helps to ensure compliance with relevant health and safety regulations.

Employers must keep their employees informed about health and safety matters and provide adequate information, instruction, supervision, and training to enable them to perform their duties safely. Sufficient training can help prevent accidents and illnesses and create a more motivated and productive workforce. As an employee, ensuring you have received all the necessary training required to complete your tasks safely is essential. This will protect you, your colleagues, and any other people who may be affected by your work.

Some training courses offered by HSEdocs that are suitable for bricklayers, include:

• Asbestos Awareness 
• Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls
• Working at Heights
• Manual Handling
• COSHH
• First Aid at Work

Contact our team for more information on the types of health and safety documents you’ll need as a bricklayer.

A Bricklaying Companies essential H&S documents include:

Company Health and Safety Policy:

It is a legal requirement to have a written Company Health and Safety Policy if your company has five or more staff members, including managers, secretaries, directors, etc…

If your company has less than five employees, according to the law, you are not obligated to have a written Company Health and Safety Policy. However, it is worth considering that some principal contractors and local authorities may not be willing to work with a company that doesn't have such a policy. Therefore, having a Company Health and Safety Policy in place can benefit your company.

RAMS

RAMS is the term used for all the other H&S documents apart from a Company Health and Safety Policy, which is a stand-alone document. The term RAMS comes from Risk and Method Statements because these were the main documents submitted when H&S was in its infancy.

However, RAMS now covers three main types of documents as well as any additional policies or starters that are part of a company-sponsored H&S Pack.

The three documents covered are:

Method statements:

A Method Statement is a document that explains safe bricklaying procedures to a bricklayer. While it may seem redundant, it's essential to prioritise safety in any construction project. The Method Statement outlines the safe work systems to carry out tasks, helping the bricklayer to work safely and avoid accidents. Surprisingly, a method statement is not a legal requirement but a requirement by most principal contractors.

Risk Assessments:

It’s all in the name. It's about assessing risks and finding ways to eliminate them or reduce them to safe levels by adding control measures. For example, a bricklayer using lime mortar can cause chemical burns to the skin, and a bricklayer's hands are particularly at risk. A control measure could be to wear latex gloves underneath palm-coated gripper gloves, which would create a barrier between the bricklayer's hands and the mortar.

COSHH Assessments:

COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, and it’s about identifying which products or substances may be hazardous to people's health. Where possible, a product found hazardous will be substituted with a non-hazardous product that achieves the same results. An example may be swapping brick acid for a non-acidic brick cleaner.