RAMS for Landscapers
Generate compliant risk assessments for hard and soft landscaping, tree work, and grounds maintenance in under 2 minutes. PUWER, COSHH, and CDM 2015 cited automatically.
Built with UK health & safety regulations in mind
Free Landscapers RAMS Template
A blank landscapers risk assessment and method statement template — with the 5×5 risk matrix, the construction hazards to consider for this trade, and the relevant UK legislation already listed. Fill it in by hand, or generate a completed one in two minutes.
Or skip the blank page — generate a filled-in Landscapers RAMS in 2 minutes →
What a completed landscapers RAMS looks like — generated in under 2 minutes
Landscaping work spans hard construction (excavation, paving, walling) and soft works (planting, turfing, tree management), each with distinct hazard profiles. Hard landscaping shares many risks with groundworks: excavation near buried services, manual handling of heavy materials, and plant and machinery operation. Soft landscaping introduces biological hazards including Leptospirosis from contaminated soil and water, COSHH-regulated pesticides and herbicides, and chainsaw work for tree management.
Clients and principal contractors require RAMS that address the specific landscaping activities being carried out. A tree removal RAMS has fundamentally different controls to a paving installation RAMS. Grounds maintenance on a live site requires public protection controls that are not relevant to a new-build construction site.
swiftRMS generates landscaper RAMS in under 2 minutes, covering both hard and soft landscaping activities with the correct legislation citations.
What Landscapers RAMS Must Include
Compliant risk assessments for landscapers work must cover these specific areas
Buried services checks before any excavation
Post holes, footings and irrigation trenches can strike gas, electricity or water services. Your RAMS must document service drawings, CAT and Genny scanning, and hand digging near identified services in line with HSG47 guidance.
COSHH assessments for pesticides and herbicides
Glyphosate and other plant protection products fall under COSHH 2002 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. RAMS must name the products, reference the safety data sheets, and confirm operatives hold PA1 and the relevant application certificate.
Hand-arm vibration controls
Strimmers, mowers, hedge cutters and stump grinders all transmit vibration. Under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, your RAMS must set trigger times, rotate tasks between operatives, and document equipment maintenance to reduce HAVS risk.
Manual handling assessments
Paving slabs, turf rolls, bagged aggregate and rootballed trees regularly exceed safe lifting limits. Document mechanical aids, team lifts and maximum weights per operative under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
Biological hazard controls
Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) from rat urine in soil and standing water, tetanus from cuts, and sharps in public green spaces. RAMS must cover waterproof gloves, covering wounds, hygiene facilities and awareness of early symptoms.
Public and site user protection
Grounds maintenance often happens around building users, pedestrians and vehicles. Document exclusion zones for mowing and strimming, warning signage, thrown-object guards, and secure storage of fuel and chemicals away from public access.
Plant and equipment competence
Chainsaws, ride-on mowers and mini excavators require trained, competent operators under PUWER 1998. Specify the certification required (for example NPTC chainsaw units) and the daily pre-use checks in the method statement.
Common Landscapers Tasks That Require RAMS
Generate RAMS for any of these tasks in minutes, not hours
Hard landscaping: paving and walling
Excavation and sub-base preparation near buried services, silica dust from cutting slabs and blocks, cement contact under COSHH, and repeated heavy lifting. Controls include CAT scanning, wet cutting or on-tool extraction, and mechanical handling.
Soft landscaping: planting and turfing
Soil preparation, planting and turf laying involve biological hazards from soil contact, manual handling of rootballs and turf rolls, and COSHH-regulated soil improvers and fertilisers. Hygiene and lifting controls lead the RAMS.
Tree work and removal
Chainsaw felling, sectional dismantling and stump grinding are high-risk activities. RAMS must cover NPTC competence, chainsaw protective clothing, exclusion zones, and LOLER-compliant lift plans where cranes remove sections of mature trees.
Grounds maintenance
Mowing, strimming and hedge cutting bring hand-arm vibration, noise, thrown objects and public proximity. Controls include vibration trigger times, hearing protection, visors, and exclusion distances around powered equipment in use.
Irrigation and drainage installation
Trenching for pipework near buried services, connection to the mains under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, and open excavation risks. CAT and Genny scanning must precede every dig, however shallow.
Herbicide and pesticide application
Knapsack or boom spraying of COSHH-regulated products. RAMS must cover PA1/PA6 certification, weather limits to prevent spray drift, PPE and RPE, re-entry intervals, and protection of watercourses, wildlife and the public.
Water features and pond work
Working in or beside standing water raises leptospirosis and drowning risk. Document waterproof PPE, hygiene measures, safe access to banks and edges, and electrical safety for pumps and lighting under EAWR 1989.
Writing a RAMS for one of these jobs?
Describe the task in plain English and get a complete landscapers RAMS — hazards, controls, and the legislation below already cited — in about 2 minutes.
UK Legislation for Landscapers Risk Assessments
Every RAMS automatically cites the relevant UK legislation and industry standards
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
Applies to every powered tool a landscaper uses: chainsaws, mowers, strimmers, stump grinders and excavators. Equipment must be suitable, maintained, inspected and operated only by trained, competent people.
COSHH Regulations 2002
Covers pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers, cement and biological agents including the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. Each substance used or encountered needs an assessment with exposure controls and PPE.
Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (COPR)
Anyone applying professional pesticides must be trained and certificated, typically PA1 plus the relevant application unit. Your RAMS should confirm certification and that the product is approved for the intended use.
Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
Strimmers, hedge cutters, mowers and stump grinders expose operators to hand-arm vibration. Employers must assess daily exposure against the action and limit values and manage trigger times to prevent HAVS.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)
Applies to crane lifts of mature trees, large stones and prefabricated landscape elements. Lift plans, tested lifting accessories and a competent appointed person are required for every lifting operation.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Paving slabs, turf rolls, soil bags and rootballed stock regularly exceed safe lifting limits. RAMS must show the hierarchy applied: avoid the lift, mechanise it, or reduce the load and use team lifts.
CDM Regulations 2015
Landscaping that forms part of a construction project is construction work under CDM. Principal contractors will require site-specific RAMS before landscaping teams start on site.
How swiftRMS Generates Landscapers RAMS
Describe your landscaping task in plain English: what the job is, where it is, what equipment and chemicals you are using, and how many operatives are on site. swiftRMS identifies the hazards that belong to that task: buried services for excavation, hand-arm vibration for powered equipment, COSHH for pesticides, and biological risks for soil and water contact.
The system cites the correct legislation (PUWER 1998, COSHH 2002, COPR 1986, and CDM 2015 where relevant) and produces a formatted RAMS document in around 2 minutes. You review it, adjust anything site-specific, and send it to the client or principal contractor as a finished PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the landscaping work forms part of a construction project (which most new-build and renovation projects are), then CDM 2015 applies. Standalone grounds maintenance contracts are typically not construction work, but hard landscaping (excavation, paving, walling) almost always falls within the CDM definition.
Under PUWER 1998, chainsaw operators must be trained and competent. The industry standard is NPTC/City & Guilds certification in chainsaw use (CS30, CS31 for maintenance and cross-cutting, CS38 for tree climbing, CS39 for felling). Your RAMS should specify the required certification level for the work being carried out.
Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) from rat urine in soil and water, tetanus from soil contact and puncture wounds, and allergens from plants and pollen. Under COSHH 2002, biological agents are controlled substances. Your RAMS must document hand washing facilities, PPE (waterproof gloves for soil/water contact), and awareness of symptoms.
Generate Your First Landscapers RAMS Free
Generate a compliant, legislation-cited RAMS in under 2 minutes and download the PDF immediately.