When this template fits
For scaffolding contractors and their squads erecting, altering and striking tube-and-fitting or system scaffold. Where the principal contractor requires a scaffold RAMS to SG4:22 before the scaffold gangs start, this document covers the leading-edge controls during the build, the design/handover and the tag regime. It is written for CISRS-carded scaffolders, not for trades using a completed scaffold.
What this RAMS includes
- ✓ 9 task-specific hazards scored on a 5×5 matrix (initial → residual)
- ✓ Specific control measures for each hazard, in hierarchy-of-control order
- ✓ A 10-step method statement (sequence of works)
- ✓ PPE, plant/equipment, permits and competence requirements
- ✓ Emergency arrangements and operative briefing / sign-off section
Scope of works
Erect access scaffold to TG20/design.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-start: Obtain and review the TG20 compliance sheet or bespoke scaffold design. Conduct a site-specific risk assessment and toolbox talk with all operatives covering hazards, exclusion zones, overhead services, emergency procedures and nearest hospital.
- 2Site set-up: Establish exclusion zones and barriers around the erection area. Erect hoarding or Heras fencing on public-facing elevations. Confirm overhead services locations and implement safe working distances. Position materials delivery area and hoist if used.
- 3Base plate and sole board installation: Place sole boards on compacted, stable ground to distribute load. Set base plates and adjust-bases in accordance with design. Confirm ground conditions are adequate; report any soft or unstable ground to the supervisor before proceeding.
- 4First lift erection: Erect standards, ledgers and transoms to first lift height. Install facade and plan bracing at positions specified in the design. Close-board the first working platform and fit toe boards and double guard rail before advancing.
- 5Tie installation: Install the first row of ties into the building structure at the frequency and pattern specified by TG20 or design. Verify tie integrity before removing any temporary stability measures.
- 6Subsequent lifts: Erect each successive lift using the advance guard rail (AGR) system or equivalent to maintain collective fall protection. Install tubes and fittings using gin wheel or hoist where practicable. Install ties at each required level as the scaffold advances.
- 7Boarding and guarding: Fully close-board each working platform as it becomes a usable level, fitting toe boards and double guard rail (top rail at 950–1150 mm, mid rail at approximately 470–500 mm). Ensure no gap greater than 25 mm between boards.
- 8Ladder access: Fix a secured internal ladder access at 75° with a minimum 1 m projection above each landing, tied top and foot, before that level is used by any operative.
- 9Pre-handover inspection: On completion of the scaffold or each independent section, a competent person must carry out a formal inspection against the design document, record findings on a scaffold inspection report, and issue a handover certificate before non-scaffolding operatives are permitted access.
- 10End-of-day security: At the end of each working day remove or gate-lock ladder access to the lowest lift, check all barriers and signage are in place, and ensure no loose materials are left at height.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fall from height during installation or work at height
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Use a proprietary advance guard rail (AGR) device or similar system to provide collective fall protection before the scaffolder advances to the next lift, maintaining guardrail protection at all times.
- › Erect scaffold strictly in accordance with NASC TG20 compliant design or engineer-approved bespoke design, ensuring platforms are fully boarded and guarded before use.
- › Ensure all erection work is directed by a CISRS-carded supervisor or scaffolder with documented competence. No trainee to work unsupervised at height.
- › Where collective protection is not yet in place at a specific erection point, operative must wear a full-body harness clipped to a suitable anchor point rated to EN 795.
Falling objects from working at height
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Establish a defined exclusion zone beneath and adjacent to the erection area using hard barriers or Heras fencing. Zone size to reflect maximum potential drop distance.
- › Erect debris netting or a scaffold fan where the public or other workers cannot be excluded from the area below.
- › Use a gin wheel, block and tackle or materials hoist to raise tubes, boards and fittings rather than carrying them up the scaffold. Secure loads with appropriate slings before lifting.
- › All persons within or passing through the erection zone must wear a safety helmet at all times.
Scaffold collapse or structural instability
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Install ties at the frequencies and positions required by TG20 or bespoke design as erection proceeds. Never advance more than one lift above the highest completed tie row without approval.
- › Install facade bracing, plan bracing and ledger bracing as specified in the TG20 or design document at each stage; do not omit bracing to aid speed of erection.
- › Completed scaffold or usable sections must be inspected by a competent person and a handover certificate (NASC SG4 or equivalent) issued before any non-scaffolding personnel use the structure.
Manual handling — heavy or bulky items
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Assess each significant lift using TILE (Task, Individual, Load, Environment). Identify mechanical lifting options before manual methods are adopted.
- › Use a materials hoist, gin wheel or crane where site conditions allow to eliminate manual carrying of tubes and boards to height.
- › Limit individual tube lengths carried manually. Two-person carry for boards and long tubes. Brief operatives on safe carry techniques and site-specific carry routes.
- › Operatives to wear rigger gloves to protect against sharp edges on tubes and fittings. Safety boots with metatarsal protection for dropped components.
Contact with overhead electric lines or cables
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Establish minimum safe working distances from overhead power lines in accordance with GS6 guidance before erection commences. Divert or de-energise lines where safe distances cannot be maintained.
- › Erect physical goal-post barriers at the boundary of the exclusion zone to prevent tubes being carried or raised into the danger zone.
- › Obtain services survey confirming location of overhead and buried electrical services. Brief all operatives on identified risks and safe working distances before work starts.
Public interface — occupied premises and occupant disruption
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Remove or board over ladder access to the scaffold at the end of each working day. Fit anti-climb paint or smooth sheeting to the lowest 2 m of standards where practical.
- › Erect solid hoarding or Heras fencing to prevent pedestrian access to the scaffold base. Ensure hoarding meets local authority licensing requirements for highway works.
- › Display conspicuous 'No Unauthorised Access' and 'Danger — Scaffolding' signage at all access points and on public-facing elevations.
Slips, trips and falls at same level
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Ensure working platforms are fully close-boarded (max 25 mm gap) with boards secured by clips or cleats and toe boards fitted before operatives work from them.
- › Keep platforms clear of excess fittings, wrapping material and debris as work proceeds. Designate a material staging area on the platform.
- › Operatives must wear safety footwear with slip-resistant soles appropriate for wet or contaminated scaffold boards.
Scaffold tube and fitting ejection from vehicles or plant
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Establish clearly marked and physically segregated vehicle delivery routes away from the scaffold erection footprint. Use a banksman for all deliveries within the erection zone.
- › Unload scaffold materials on level, stable ground. Use wheel chocks on delivery vehicles. Do not unload by tipping; use crane or manual offloading with operatives in safe positions.
Ladder instability or unsafe access equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Fix ladders at 75° (1:4 ratio), projecting at least 1 m above landing, and tie at the top and foot before use. Ladders must be industrial-grade and free from defects.
- › Inspect ladders for damage, missing rungs and contamination before each use and record in the site inspection register.
- › Only one operative to use any single ladder access at a time. No materials to be carried up ladders above shoulder height in a manner that prevents three points of contact.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ Safety harness and lanyard where fall arrest is the selected control
- ✓ Insulated gloves where live work is unavoidable
Competence
- ✓ CISRS-carded scaffolders and a competent scaffold supervisor
- ✓ Site induction completed; CSCS or equivalent where the site requires it
Schemes (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF…) evidence competence; they are not statutory requirements in themselves.
Plant & equipment
- › Steel tube, couplers and boards (or proprietary system components)
- › Gin wheel and rope (or scaffold hoist) for raising materials
- › SG4:22 advanced guardrail / safe-zone equipment
- › Full-body harness with fall-arrest lanyard and energy absorber
- › Base plates, sole boards and adjustable bases for ground loading
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ That the build references SG4:22 leading-edge protection, not just 'harness when needed'
- ✓ That the scaffold is TG20:21 compliant or has a bespoke design with a competent design check
- ✓ That the tagging regime keeps following trades off the scaffold until it is handed over
- ✓ The document is site-specific — real address, access arrangements and dates, not a generic template
- ✓ Hazards match the actual task and the controls are specific (not “take care” and “use PPE”)
- ✓ Named supervisor and competent person, with operative sign-off space
- ✓ Emergency and rescue arrangements that work for this site
The report builder runs these as pre-submission checks before you download — or run an existing document through the free RAMS pre-submission checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between TG20:21 and a bespoke scaffold design?
TG20:21 is the NASC good-practice suite that, with its eGuide, lets a competent scaffolder build common tube-and-fitting configurations to a compliant standard without a bespoke calculation. If the scaffold falls outside the TG20 scope — heavy loading, unusual geometry, sheeting or special ties — it needs a bespoke design from a temporary works designer. Your RAMS should state which route applies and reference the TG20 compliance sheet or the design number. A reviewer will ask for one or the other.
Does SG4:22 mean scaffolders must clip on for the whole build?
SG4:22 sets out a hierarchy where collective protection — advanced guardrails and a defined safe zone — is the primary control, and personal fall arrest is used to protect the scaffolder only while they are exposed to the leading edge and cannot yet be behind a guardrail. It is not a blanket 'clip on all the time' rule, and it is not an excuse to skip guardrails. The point is to minimise the time anyone is reliant on a harness. Your method statement should describe the safe zone and when the lanyard is clipped.
What regulations apply to scaffold erection?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 are the main ones, alongside Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, PUWER 1998 — Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a method statement need to be site-specific?
Yes — this is the most common reason documents get sent back. Principal contractors reject generic copy-paste RAMS. Your document should name the site, access arrangements, dates, supervisor and any site-specific hazards. The RamsDocs builder fills these in for you and flags what's missing before you download.
Is this template free?
Yes — everything on RamsDocs is free during early access, including building a site-specific version of this RAMS and downloading the PDF. No card required.