Risk assessment
Kitchen fitting risk assessments
A kitchen fit is demolition, dust, heavy carcasses, and then gas and electricity at the appliances. Cutting a worktop is silica or wood dust and a saw. Connecting a hob is not the same hazard as hanging a wall unit.
Gas connection is for someone competent under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Hard-wiring a cooker is electrical work under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Those two citations are not interchangeable. Silica from grinding stone worktops is COSHH. Asbestos can be in old floor tiles and behind units in a pre-2000 kitchen.
No law requires a document called a RAMS. The duty is to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3, and to plan the work safely.
What to decide before the job
- What is being stripped, and whether the floor or the wall might contain asbestos.
- How wall units are lifted. Two people, or a support, not a stretch from a chair.
- Dust control for the worktop material actually being cut.
- Who connects gas and who connects the electrical supply, named as competent for that part.
Every hazard below is from the RAMSPack library and is marked draft – awaiting competent review. Use it as a starting list, then change it for the site. It is not HSE approved.
Worked example: Kitchen installation
Install base and wall units, fit doors, and cut apertures for services in an existing kitchen. Connections to gas and to the fixed electrical installation are done by competent people for those trades.
Order of work
- Survey walls, services, and appliances. Protect floors.
- Isolate water and, where relevant, the cooker supply before units cover isolation points. Know where the stopcock is.
- Fit base units level, then wall units to the manufacturer's fixings for that wall. Do not fix heavy units to plasterboard alone unless the fixing system is designed for it.
- Cut apertures for pipes and vents. Connect wastes and supplies that are within the plumber's competence on this job.
- Fit doors, trims, and handles. Leave appliances for the competent person where the connection is electrical or gas.
- Clean dust by vacuum, remove waste, and show the occupier the isolation points.
Manual handling of base units and appliances
Who might be harmed: Fitters
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use two people for tall appliances and long runs of units. Plan the stair.
- Do not carry a unit so that you cannot see the floor.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
A wall unit falling because the fixing is wrong for the wall
Who might be harmed: Occupiers and fitters
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Identify the wall. Use the fixing the unit maker specifies for that background.
- Do not load a unit until the fixings are complete. Tell the occupier not to climb on units.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Wood dust from cutting boards
Who might be harmed: Fitters and occupiers
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 6 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Cut with extraction. Keep the occupier out of the room while cutting.
- Change bags or filters before they fail. Vacuum up afterwards.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002; Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Drilling into a cable or a pipe hidden in a wall
Who might be harmed: Fitters and occupiers
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use a detector and inspect both sides of the wall where possible.
- If you strike a service, stop. Electrical damage is repaired by a competent person before the wall is closed.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
Start this kitchen installation RAMS
Other kitchen fitter tasks in the library
Worktop templating and fit
Template a kitchen for a rigid worktop and fit the finished top, including scribing and fixing. Cutting of silica-containing stone is not done on site with a dry blade.
- Silica dust from cutting engineered stone. Default to factory cutting. Dry cutting on site is not the method.
- Crush injuries from a heavy worktop. Know the weight. Use suction lifters and enough people.
- Skin sensitisation from joint adhesive. Read the safety data sheet. Wear the stated gloves. Do not use adhesive in a closed room without ventilation.
- Cuts from a sharp stone edge. Handle edges with gloves. Do not run a hand along a cut arris to 'feel' it.
Appliance connection
Position freestanding or integrated appliances and connect water and waste where that is plumbing work. Gas appliances are connected only by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Fixed electrical work is done by a competent electrician.
- Gas escape or carbon monoxide from a badly connected hob or oven. Gas connections are made and tested by a Gas Safe registered engineer for that appliance.
- Electric shock from hard-wiring a cooker or a hob. Hard-wiring is done by a competent person with the circuit isolated and proved dead.
- Manual handling of a fridge, dishwasher, or range cooker. Use two people and skates. Remove doors on the route if the appliance will not pass.
- Leak from a dishwasher or washing machine connection. Use a new hose if the old one is damaged. Isolation valve within reach.