RAMS for Tilers: A Practical Guide to Risk Assessments and Method Statements

If you're a tiler working on commercial sites, residential refurbishments, or any project under a principal contractor, you'll almost certainly be asked for your RAMS before you're allowed to start work. Many tilers treat this as a box-ticking exercise — but a well-written set of RAMS does something more useful: it makes you think through the job before something goes wrong.

Here's what RAMS actually means for tiling work, what the law requires, and how to write something that stands up.

What RAMS Means

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment + Method Statement. They are two separate documents that are typically provided together:

Risk Assessment — identifies the hazards in your work, who could be harmed, and what controls you're putting in place. The legal duty to carry out risk assessments comes from Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Method Statement — describes, step by step, how you intend to carry out the work safely. There is no standalone legal duty to produce a method statement, but principal contractors and clients routinely require them under their own duties, and they are standard practice in the industry.

When Do Tilers Need RAMS?

You need a risk assessment for virtually any tiling job where there are real hazards — which is most of them. In practice, you'll be formally asked for RAMS when:

Working on a commercial or public-sector site
Working under a principal contractor on a project notifiable under CDM 2015
Working in occupied premises (schools, hospitals, care homes)
Your client or main contractor requires them as a condition of starting work

Even on straightforward domestic work, having a simple risk assessment is good practice and demonstrates professionalism.

Hazards to Cover in a Tiler's Risk Assessment

Don't just list generic hazards. Think about what you're actually doing on that specific job. Common hazards for tiling work include:

Silica dust — cutting ceramic, porcelain, and stone tiles generates respirable crystalline silica (RCS). This is one of the most serious health risks in tiling. Prolonged exposure causes silicosis, an irreversible and potentially fatal lung disease. Controls must follow the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Apply the hierarchy:

Use wet-cutting methods where possible (eliminates airborne dust at source)
Use angle grinders or saws with on-tool extraction (H-class vacuum) where wet cutting isn't practical
Work in ventilated areas
As a last resort, supplement with a suitable FFP3 respirator — but PPE is never the first line of defence

Manual handling — bags of adhesive, large format tiles, and buckets of grout are heavy and often carried in awkward postures. Assess weight, frequency, and posture. Use trolleys and tile handling aids where possible.

Working at height — tiling wall tiles above head height, working on scaffolding, or using stepladders all fall under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Avoid working at height where you can; use the right equipment (hop-ups, podium steps, scaffold) and inspect it before use.

Slips and trips — wet adhesive, grout slurry, and cut tile fragments create real slip and trip risks for you and anyone else in the area. Barrier off the work zone where practical.

Skin contact with cement-based products — tile adhesives and grouts contain cement, which is a skin sensitiser and can cause chromate dermatitis. COSHH applies. Use barrier cream, nitrile gloves, and wash hands thoroughly. Long-term unprotected contact is a known cause of occupational dermatitis.

Noise — angle grinders and tile saws can exceed 85 dB(A). Assess noise levels, reduce exposure time where possible, and provide hearing protection where the lower exposure action value is reached under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

Sharp edges — freshly cut tiles are razor-sharp. Cut-resistant gloves are appropriate when handling cut pieces.

What Goes in the Method Statement

The method statement describes your sequence of work in enough detail that someone unfamiliar with the job could follow it safely. For a typical tiling task, cover:

Site setup — access, storage of materials, isolating the work area
Surface preparation — what you're tiling onto, how you'll prepare it
Cutting — what equipment, what dust controls, where cutting takes place
Fixing — adhesive type, mixing process, application method
Grouting — product, mixing, application, waste disposal
Housekeeping during and after the work
PPE required at each stage
Emergency arrangements — nearest first aid, what to do if someone is hurt

Keep it factual and specific. Avoid vague phrases like "appropriate PPE will be worn." Name the PPE and say when it's required.

A Common Mistake to Avoid

Many tilers download a generic RAMS template and change the name at the top. Principal contractors and CDM coordinators can spot these immediately — and they don't satisfy Regulation 3, which requires the assessment to reflect the specific task and workplace. Tailor your RAMS to the actual job.

Keeping RAMS Current

A risk assessment isn't a one-off document. Review it if the scope of work changes, if something unexpected is found on site, or if an incident occurs. Under the Management Regulations, the assessment must remain suitable and sufficient for the work as it is actually being done.

Good RAMS won't slow you down. Written properly, they clarify the job, protect your workers, and demonstrate to any client or inspector that you run a professional operation.