Risk Assessment for Bricklaying

If you are health and safety professional and working as  HSE Manager, Engineer or Officer at your site; the following are some essential informational highlights that will help you to prepare a general risk and hazard identification document and will secure you from your job, legal and human losses:

Sub-Activity: 

1. Brickwork Dermatitis 
2. Operation of the angle grinder
3. Fire risks
4. Housekeeping
5. Operator training Level
6. Manual Handling of materials. This may be repetitive movements
7. Projectile brick fragments resulting from cutting and trimming bricks
8. Electrocution from portable electrical equipment
9. Competitors getting mortar in their eyes when laying bricks or unloading onto the spot board
10. Contact with hazardous substances e.g., mortar
11. Dust from cutting bricks or blocks and dried mortar
12. Slips and trips
13. Noise use of equipment
14. Electrocution from portable electrical equipment
15. Use of hand tools
16. Falling objects landing on feet
17. Dusty environment
18. Cement/COSHH
19. Welfare and first aid
20. Operation of a Silo
21. Using the electric pallet truck

Hazards Identified

1. Wet working/Contact with known sensitizers
2. Contact with machinery, electrocution, handling and lifting injuries, entanglement, slips, trips and falls
3. Slips, trips and falls
4. Crush, cuts and splash injury
5. Back injuries
6. Eye injuries
7. Irritation to eyes from contact
8. Contact dermatitis and burns.
9. Dust exposure could cause silicosis
10. Sprains and fractures if they trip over waste
11. Use of equipment, e.g., Brick cutter, Angle grinder, Pugmill and Cement mixer May cause Hearing loss, if not controlled.
12. Burns or fatal injuries from faulty equipment
13. Injury resulting from the incorrect use of hand tools or use of damaged tools
14. Crushing, cuts, bruises, fractures
15. Inhalation Skin burns Irritation to eyes
16. Good facilities help to prevent dermatitis etc.
17. Entanglement, manual handling injuries, mixer falling over
18. How: Collisions with pedestrians, crushing or feet, falling loads, blocking walkways

Control Measures

1. Time spent wet working should be limited
2. All persons encouraged to wash and thoroughly dry hands after handling products/ingredients known to cause dermatitis
3. Barrier cream provided in welfare facilities
4. Staff members and Volunteers will be provided with gloves and any other PPE required.
5. Gloves should be worn where possible when working with known sensitizers
6. All persons encouraged to wash and thoroughly dry hands after handling products/ingredients known to cause sensitization even if gloves are worn
7. Food processors to be used where possible to limit contact with foods COSHH risk assessments must be completed for all chemical substances that require them and control measures must be implemented (Lime, Cement etc.)
8. The brick saw is guarded at all times.
9. Users must have completed on-site formularization with all equipment. Prior each time use, make a visual inspection of blade, machine and lead.
10. Faulty equipment to be removed from use.
11. Staff not to wear flowing clothes and must have long hair tied back when using the grinder which may become entangled
12. Ear defenders, safety boots, full face mask and trousers to be worn when using this equipment
13. Leads are not left across walkways
14. Blades only to be changed by a competent person
15. A designated fire assembly point to be designated once skill area has been set. Fire extinguishers to be placed in and around the skill area in an appropriate location to be changed by a competent person
16. The skill area must be kept clean and clear and all spillages dealt with immediately. All assigned walkways to be kept tidy of blockages.
17. The competitor must be of the desired competency as highlighted in section 2
18. Competency and Scope of Work in the Technical Description
19. Mandatory manual handling and lifting training for staff
20. Students have demonstrated the correct manual handling technique at induction
21. Competitors are supervised when manual handling to ensure that the correct technique is used. Spot boards are raised to easy working height
22. Bricks/blocks stock to be stored in covered areas to prevent taking on water
23. Deliveries to be organised to prevent repetitive movement.
24. Sharing of manual handling tasks to prevent one person from completing the whole task
25. Pallet trucks will be used as manual handling move aids. 
26. Specified cutting zones for brick cutting
27. Full facemask must be worn when cutting bricks.
28. Continued monitoring and supervision of competitors to ensure that they are wearing the goggles provided
29. All electrical equipment must be tested and have a valid PAT test sticker attached.
30. A good example is the prolific use of centre tapped earth transformers for temporary power (the yellow boxes). This minimizes the voltage risk from 240 Volts to a safer 110 Volts 
31. Continued monitoring and supervision of competitors to ensure that they are wearing the goggles provided Competitors are advised at induction that throwing mortar will result in the removal from the skill area.
32. Risk of dermatitis or lime/cement burns and precaution explained to all students and staff
33. Dry sweeping not permitted
34. Industrial vacuum cleaners are used
35. Workshop cleaning schedule and checklist being implemented
36. Importance of housekeeping discussed with students Staff and volunteers will wear safety footwear Designated walkways within the workshop area
37. Workshop cleaning schedule and checklist being implemented
38. Good housekeeping is re-instilled at every session.
39. Hearing defenders wore during specified activities
40. Continued monitoring and supervision of students by staff to ensure that they are using hearing protection.
41. Cement silo and cement mixer are only used by trained staff.
42. Electrical equipment will be tested by competent persons regularly
43. Tools are visually inspected at the start of each practical session Competitors are to be trained before using hand tools and are instructed to carry out a visual check before using any equipment.
44. Any damaged tools are removed from use immediately by SB etc.
45. The workshop is designated as a Protective Footwear (steels toe caps) zone
46. Competitors informed at induction that they must wear safety boots at all time when working in the workshop 
47. for Competitors that have forgotten or damaged their PPE.
48. Anyone without the required PPE will not be allowed into the practical areas of the competition.
49. Materials not stacked too high
50. Dry sweeping is prohibited. Try to use brooms to push waste/debris around but not be used to sweep
51. Industrial vacuum cleaners used
52. Competitors or staff with breathing difficulties to be identified and to have a personal risk assessment completed. 
53. Debris from demolishing model to be scraped together into a heap using the trowel and disposed of in the barrow
54. Staff/ Competitors are trained in the used cement and lime products and are aware of the hazards
55. Mixed up in a well-ventilated area
56. Bags opened with care
57. Staff and Competitors trained in the use of cement and lime and are aware of the hazards related to the use and control.
58. Competitors closely supervised when using cement and lime.
59. Gloves and goggles/face mask to be worn at all times when handling cement or lime-like products.
60. Handwashing facilities available to all staff and Competitors.
61. Barrier cream will be provided.
62. Hot and cold water, soap, towels, skin cream and full-size washbasin Washroom provided to allow Competitors to wash hands and forearms
63. The Silo is checked before each use, drum and lead equipment. Silo will be set up the level on a firm base.
64. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for setting up and use of the silo.
65. Staff not to wear flowing clothes and must have long hair tied back when using equipment which may become entangled as a result of its operation. All staff to have completed manual handling training
66. New staff to be instructed in the safe use of equipment
67. Faulty equipment to be removed from use and SB, H&S to be informed. Lead not to be left across walkways
68. Gloves to be worn when handling cement or lime-based products
69. Goggles and safety boots must be worn when mixing products.
70. Pallet truck has a crush button
71. All users have had training (training provider recommends retraining on a three-yearly basis)
72. Users should wear hi-vis when operating the pallet truck
73. Horn to be used when maneuvering truck around a corner or blind spot
74. Pallets and mortar bins have designated storage locations in the workshop to prevent blocking walkways
75. Protective footwear must be worn when using the pallet truck All persons working in the workshop

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Risk Assessment for Bricklaying