Hazard and control library
Workplace hazards and their control measures
The 25 hazards that come up most on construction, maintenance, installation, events and grounds work, with 135 control measures between them. Every control is placed in the hierarchy of controls, from removing the hazard to personal protective equipment as the last resort. The same library sits behind the tick list in our RAMS template and risk assessment template.
What is a control measure?
A control measure is anything you do to remove a hazard or reduce the risk from it: doing the job a different way, using a less harmful material, a guardrail or extraction, a permit, check or training, or protective equipment. The law expects you to remove risks where you can and to put collective measures before individual ones, so a good set of controls starts at the top of the hierarchy and uses PPE last.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 24 October 2026 against HSE: Managing risks and risk assessment at work and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Schedule 1.
Every hazard in the library
Hazards with a full page come first. Each shows how many controls it has, how they split across the hierarchy, and which of our completed example RAMS record it.
Asbestos
Asbestos survey or register checked for the area before work starts. Stop and get advice if unexpected materials are found. Licensed or trained work only on known materials.
5 controls across 2 levels · in 3 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Biological hazards and sharps
Sharps not picked up by hand, litter picker and sharps box, gloves and covered skin, waste bagged and labelled, wash hands, needlestick first aid known.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 2 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Chainsaws and cutting equipment
Users trained and certificated, chainsaw PPE worn, chain brake and guards checked, safe felling and cross-cutting methods, exclusion zone.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Confined spaces
Avoid entry where the work can be done from outside. Where entry is needed: permit, gas testing, ventilation, rescue arrangements in place before entry, trained entrants and a top person.
6 controls across 4 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Crowds at build and breakdown
Build and breakdown done before doors open and after the venue is clear, site separated from the public, access controlled, vehicle movements marshalled.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Electricity and live working
Isolate, lock off and prove dead before work. Live work only where it is unreasonable to work dead, with suitable precautions and competent people. 110 V or battery tools on site, RCD protection for 230 V.
6 controls across 5 levels · in 5 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Excavation and underground services
Plans checked, CAT and Genny scan before and during digging, hand dig near services, sides supported or battered back, barriers and stop blocks, inspected at the start of each shift.
6 controls across 3 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Falling objects
Exclusion zone below the work, toeboards and brick guards, tools tethered, nothing stored at the edge, hard hats worn in the zone.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 5 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Fire
Fire routes and exits kept clear, waste removed daily, flammables stored safely, extinguishers available, alarm and assembly point known to the crew.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 3 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Fragile roofs and skylights
Fragile surfaces identified and signed, work from crawling boards or staging with guardrails, covers or guardrails on rooflights, nets or harness where needed.
5 controls across 4 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Hand-arm vibration
Low vibration tools, trigger times limited and shared, tools maintained and sharp, gloves and warm hands, symptoms reported.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 3 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Hazardous substances and dust
COSHH assessment for each product, less harmful products where possible, dust suppressed at source with water or on-tool extraction, RPE where needed, skin protection, washing facilities.
6 controls across 4 levels · in 7 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Hot works
Hot works permit, combustibles moved or covered, fire extinguisher at the work, fire watch during and after the work, gas bottles secured upright and checked.
7 controls across 4 levels · in 2 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Lifting operations
Lift plan by an appointed person, equipment with a current thorough examination, loads slung by trained people, exclusion zone under the load, no lifting over people.
5 controls across 2 levels · in 5 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Lone working
Lone working avoided for high risk tasks, check-in times agreed, phone or lone worker device carried, supervisor knows where the person is.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 2 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Manual handling
Mechanical aids or two-person lifts for heavy or awkward loads, loads broken down, routes clear, people trained in lifting technique.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 8 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Members of the public and building occupants
Work area fenced or barriered, signage, occupants told what is happening and when, routes kept open, noisy or dusty work timed to suit the building, no tools or materials left unattended.
6 controls across 3 levels · in 8 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Noise
Quieter methods or equipment, noisy work scheduled away from others, hearing protection zones marked, hearing protection worn and in good condition.
4 controls across 4 levels · in 4 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Overhead power lines
Lines identified before work, line owner consulted, barriers and goal posts where plant passes, no work beneath lines unless agreed safe, plant height restricted.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Power tools and work equipment
Equipment checked before use, guards in place, faults reported and the equipment taken out of use, users trained, PAT or inspection records in date.
5 controls across 3 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Slips, trips and falls on the level
Routes kept clear, leads run at high level or covered, spills cleaned at once, good lighting, suitable footwear, waste cleared as the work goes.
6 controls across 4 levels · in 6 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Temporary structures and rigging
Structures designed and built to the plan, competent riggers, loads within rating, checked and signed off before use, wind limits set and monitored.
5 controls across 2 levels · in 1 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Vehicles and mobile plant
Pedestrians and vehicles separated, banksman for reversing, plant with working alarms and mirrors, hi-vis worn, drivers trained and authorised.
6 controls across 3 levels · in 6 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Weather, heat and cold
Weather checked each day, work at height stopped in high wind, shade and water in heat, warm clothing and breaks in cold, lightning procedure.
5 controls across 1 levels · in 3 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Work at height
Avoid working at height where the job can be done from the ground. Use a tower, MEWP or scaffold with guardrails before ladders. Check the equipment before use, keep the platform clear, and plan the rescue.
7 controls across 4 levels · in 7 example RAMS
Hazards and control measures →
Try it
Pick a hazard and choose its controls
Interactive
Try it: choose the controls for a hazard
Works the same way as the RAMS form. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.
Your controls, by level
- Eliminatenot ticked
- Substituteno control at this level for this hazard
- Engineeringnot ticked
- Adminnot ticked
- PPEno control at this level for this hazard
Nothing ticked yet.
3. Score the risk with these controls
How the controls split across the hierarchy
Across the whole library, most controls are physical safeguards or ways of working, a few remove or replace the hazard outright, and protective equipment is kept to the controls where nothing higher is possible.
- Eliminate
13
controls
- Substitute
7
controls
- Engineering control
30
controls
- Administrative control
72
controls
- Personal protective equipment
13
controls
Guides
Guide
The hierarchy of controls
The five levels, from eliminate to PPE, with examples from the library and what the law says.
Guide
What is a control measure?
Hazard, risk and control explained, with examples and how to write controls a crew can follow.
Feature
Suggested controls
How the tick list works in the RAMS and risk assessment forms.
Examples
Eleven completed RAMS
Real forms filled in for fictional jobs, from groundworks to a stage build, each with a PDF report.
Guide
How to write a RAMS
The eight steps, from the job and the crew to briefing and approval.
Common questions
Where do these controls come from?
Each control is written from HSE guidance for that hazard, and the library records the HSE page it follows. They are the controls an experienced supervisor would expect to see considered, in plain words. They are a starting point, not an assessment of a particular job: the right controls depend on the site, the work and the people.
Why are the controls grouped in levels?
Because controls are not equal. Removing the hazard protects everyone every time, a guardrail protects everyone without anyone having to do anything, and a harness only protects the person wearing it if they clip on. HSE's guidance and the general principles of prevention in the 1999 Regulations put collective measures before individual ones, and PPE last. The hierarchy of controls explained.
How is the library used in SiteSurvey?
In the RAMS and risk assessment forms, choosing a hazard brings up its controls as a tick list. You tick what applies and write how it works on your job. If only PPE is ticked the form warns you, and a hazard with no controls recorded counts as a point to resolve before the work starts. The form also suggests hazards that are likely from the type of work and the scope you wrote. How suggested controls work.
Is a hazard the same as a risk?
No. A hazard is anything that could cause harm: a fragile roof, a live cable, a trench. The risk is the chance that someone is harmed by it, and how badly. The RAMS form scores risk as likelihood times severity, each from 1 to 5, before and after any further action. What is a control measure?
Use the library in your own RAMS.
Pick a hazard, tick its controls, say how they apply and score it. The form flags a hazard that relies on PPE alone.