Brickwork Risk Assessment: A Practical Guide for UK Bricklayers and Contractors
A brickwork risk assessment is a legal requirement for almost every masonry job, whether you are laying a garden wall, building an extension, or working on a large commercial block. Under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers and self-employed contractors must identify hazards, evaluate the risks they create, and put suitable controls in place before work begins. This guide walks through the key hazards you need to assess and the controls the HSE actually expects to see.
What Is a Brickwork Risk Assessment (and Do You Need a Method Statement)?
A Risk Assessment identifies hazards and evaluates the likelihood and severity of harm. A Method Statement describes the safe sequence of work. Together they form a RAMS — the format most principal contractors and clients request on construction sites.
If brickwork forms part of a construction project with a notifiable element (multiple contractors, or work lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously), CDM 2015 applies and a Construction Phase Plan must address these risks. Even outside CDM, a written risk assessment is best practice for any employee-facing task, and is legally required where you employ five or more people.
Key Hazards to Cover in a Brickwork Risk Assessment
1. Manual Handling
Bricks and blocks are heavy. A standard UK house brick weighs around 3–4 kg; a medium-density concrete block can exceed 20 kg. Repetitive lifting, carrying mortar, and awkward postures contribute to musculoskeletal disorders — one of the most common causes of long-term ill health in construction.
Controls (hierarchy order):
- Eliminate unnecessary manual lifts by having materials delivered close to point of use
- Substitute large blocks with lighter or split-face alternatives where the specification allows
- Use mechanical aids: block-laying trolleys, hoist, or pallet truck
- Organise work to minimise carry distances and stooping
- Train workers in safe lifting technique (PPE is not applicable here — technique and aids are the primary controls)
2. Silica Dust
Cutting, drilling, and grinding brick or mortar generates respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Prolonged exposure causes silicosis, an irreversible lung disease, and increases lung cancer risk. RCS is regulated under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). The Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) for RCS is 0.1 mg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA.
Controls:
- Eliminate dry cutting on site wherever possible
- Substitute with pre-cut or pre-formed units
- Engineering controls first: use wet-cutting methods or on-tool extraction (H-class or M-class vacuum) — HSE's COSHH Essentials guidance makes clear that LEV should be the primary control, not RPE
- Administrative: rotate workers, restrict time on dust-generating tasks
- RPE last: where residual exposure remains, a half-mask with P3 filter (minimum FFP3 disposable) is required; RPE must be face-fit tested
A COSHH assessment specific to silica should sit alongside or within your brickwork risk assessment.
3. Work at Height
Scaffold, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), hop-ups, and trestles are all common in brickwork. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that work at height is properly planned, supervised, and carried out only when weather conditions are safe. The hierarchy is: avoid working at height where possible; if not, use collective protection (scaffold, edge protection) before personal fall protection (harness) or PPE.
Controls:
- Use properly erected, inspected scaffold with guard rails, toe boards, and safe access
- Inspect scaffold every seven days and after adverse weather (record inspections)
- Do not use makeshift platforms — ladders are only suitable for short-duration, light work
- Ensure workers are competent; consider PASMA (towers) or IPAF (MEWPs) training
4. Struck-By and Falling Objects
Bricks, tools, and mortar can fall from height, or blocks can shift during offloading and stacking.
Controls:
- Toe boards and brick guards on all scaffold lifts
- Exclusion zones below working areas, clearly signed
- Stack bricks no higher than 1.8 m; store safely on a level, firm surface
- Wear hard hats when working beneath or adjacent to overhead activity
5. Mortar and Cement Skin Contact
Wet cement contains chromium (VI) compounds and is strongly alkaline. Prolonged or repeated contact causes cement burns and allergic contact dermatitis.
Controls:
- Specify low-chromate cement (required by UK/EU regulation for professional use)
- Provide nitrile or rubber gloves, barrier cream, and adequate washing facilities
- Remove contaminated clothing promptly; do not kneel in wet mortar without knee protection
6. Noise
Angle grinders, disc cutters, and block splitters can exceed 85 dB(A), triggering action levels under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
Controls:
- Use block splitters or wet saws in preference to angle grinders
- Limit exposure time on noisy equipment
- Provide hearing protection (minimum SNR 20 dB) where engineering controls are insufficient
Recording Your Assessment
Use a simple table format: Hazard | Who is at risk | Existing controls | Likelihood | Severity | Risk rating | Additional controls required | Responsible person | Review date. There is no prescribed HSE template, but your assessment must be suitable and sufficient — meaning it reflects the real task, real site conditions, and real workers.
Review the assessment if the task changes, if there is an incident, or at least annually on longer projects.
A Note on Competence
The person completing a brickwork risk assessment must understand the trade well enough to identify realistic hazards. A generic template downloaded and signed without genuine thought does not satisfy Regulation 3 — and will not protect workers, or your business, if something goes wrong.