When this template fits
Written for contractors and site teams who need a general work at height method statement and risk assessment to hand to a principal contractor or client before mobilising. It suits jobs where the access method varies or where height work is one element of a wider package, and the PC has asked for a documented plan showing the WAHR 2005 hierarchy has been applied. Use it as your baseline document and tailor the access-specific detail to the actual job.
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
General work at height across trades — edges, openings, access equipment.
Sequence of works
- 1PLAN AND RISK ASSESS: Before commencing, complete a task-specific risk assessment and method statement. Consider eliminating or minimising the height work through ground-level alternatives. Ensure a competent person has reviewed the RAMS.
- 2INSPECT THE SITE AND WEATHER: Check weather forecasts and inspect the work area for ground conditions, edge protection, existing openings, fragile surfaces, and overhead hazards. Confirm adverse weather thresholds and suspend work if conditions are unsafe.
- 3ESTABLISH EXCLUSION ZONES AND PERIMETER: Erect barriers and signage below and around the work area. Exclude all unauthorised persons and members of the public. Appoint a site marshal if public interface is present.
- 4ERECT OR INSPECT ACCESS EQUIPMENT: Erect scaffolding, scaffold towers, or position MEWPs using trained, competent persons only. Inspect all access equipment before use. Check platform boarding, guardrails, toeboards, and stabilisers. Record inspection findings.
- 5BRIEF OPERATIVES: Conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the specific hazards, controls, PPE requirements, emergency procedures, and rescue plan. Confirm all workers are fit, trained, and competent for the task.
- 6ISSUE AND CHECK PPE: Ensure all operatives are issued with and wearing appropriate PPE including hard hats, safety footwear, and high-visibility vests. Issue and check harnesses and anchor points where fall arrest or restraint is required.
- 7CARRY OUT WORK AT HEIGHT: Undertake the work from stable, properly guarded platforms. Maintain three points of contact on ladders. Use tool lanyards and secured containers for materials. Do not overreach or overload platforms.
- 8MONITOR THROUGHOUT: Supervisors to monitor work at height activities continuously. Re-assess if conditions change (weather, additional workers, new hazards). Inspect access equipment every 7 days and after adverse weather.
- 9CLEAR AND MAKE SAFE ON COMPLETION: Remove all loose materials, tools, and debris from height before descending. Secure or cover any openings created. Leave access equipment in a safe condition or dismantle under supervision of a competent person.
- 10DEBRIEF AND RECORD: Complete any required inspection records. Report near misses or incidents. Update RAMS if new hazards were identified. Confirm exclusion zones can be removed safely.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fall from height
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Redesign work activities to be carried out at ground level where reasonably practicable, eliminating the need to work at height.
- › Erect scaffolding, guardrails (minimum 950mm high), intermediate rails and toeboards at all open edges and elevated platforms before work commences.
- › Use scaffold towers, MEWPs, or podium steps in preference to ladders. Ladders limited to low-risk, short-duration work. Equipment to be inspected before use.
- › Where collective protection cannot be used, operatives wear a full-body harness with a lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point. Restraint systems preferred over arrest systems.
Fall through fragile surface
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › All openings to be covered with load-rated, secured, and clearly marked covers (e.g. 'DANGER: HOLE BELOW') immediately upon creation and maintained until permanently infilled.
- › Place rigid barriers or safety nets beneath fragile roofing and rooflights to arrest falls and reduce fall distance.
- › Mark all fragile surfaces and approaches with clear, visible warning signs. Brief all workers on locations during induction.
Falling objects striking persons below
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Demarcate and enforce a minimum exclusion zone beneath all height work using barriers and signage. Size zone relative to height of work.
- › Fit toeboards (minimum 150mm) to all scaffold platforms and install debris netting or catch fans on scaffolding to retain falling objects.
- › Attach tools to lanyards or wristbands when working at height. Store loose materials in closed buckets or bags. Do not overload platform edges.
- › All persons within the construction site and exclusion zones to wear a safety helmet at all times.
Collapse or overturning of access equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › All access equipment to be inspected by a competent person before use and after any event that may affect integrity. Records kept on site. Scaffold inspections every 7 days and after adverse weather.
- › Scaffold, towers, and MEWPs to be erected, altered, and dismantled only by trained, competent operatives (e.g. PASMA-trained for towers, CISRS-carded for scaffolding).
- › Check and confirm ground bearing capacity before positioning access equipment. Use base plates, sole boards, and outriggers as required. Do not operate on slopes beyond equipment rating.
Ladder misuse or failure
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Replace ladders with podium steps, scaffold towers, or MEWPs where tasks last more than 30 minutes or require two-handed work.
- › Inspect ladder before each use for damaged stiles, missing or cracked rungs, and defective feet. Remove and quarantine defective ladders immediately.
- › Set ladder at 75° (1 out for every 4 up). Tie or foot the ladder. Extend 1m above landing point. Do not overreach — keep belt buckle within stiles.
Manual handling of access equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Use hoists, gin wheels, material lifts, or forklifts to raise heavy scaffold materials and tower sections rather than manual lifting where site layout permits.
- › Assess manual handling tasks before work begins. Use team lifts for awkward or heavy items. Provide manual handling training to all operatives involved.
- › Wear rigger gloves to protect against cuts and abrasions when handling scaffold tubes and boards.
Adverse weather conditions
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Cease all work at height when wind speeds exceed equipment or task limits, or when surfaces are icy or otherwise unsafe. Establish a weather threshold in the RAMS.
- › Check weather forecasts before commencing height work each day. Inspect platforms and ladders for ice, standing water, or mud before use and clear or treat as required.
- › Operatives to wear safety boots with slip-resistant soles rated for the working surface and conditions.
Unauthorised public access to height zones
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Erect Heras fencing or hoarding around the work area perimeter. Use crowd control barriers and clearly marked signage to exclude public from working areas.
- › Designate a competent person to control public and vehicle movements through or near height work zones during active operations.
- › Display mandatory 'Hard Hat Area', 'No Unauthorised Access', and 'Danger: Overhead Work' signs at all entry points and adjacent to height work areas.
Slips and trips on working platforms
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Keep scaffold platforms free of unnecessary materials, debris, trailing leads, and waste. Enforce a 'clear as you go' policy. Ensure boards are butted up with no gaps.
- › Check scaffold boards for splitting, warping, and insecure fixings. Ensure boards are fully boarded out with no gaps greater than 25mm and overhangs within 50–150mm.
- › Wear safety footwear with slip-resistant soles appropriate to the platform surface conditions.
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
Competence
- ✓ 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
- › Selected working platform appropriate to the task
- › Double guardrail and toe board sets
- › Exclusion-zone barriers and signage
- › Tool tethers or tool containment bags
- › Anemometer for wind-speed monitoring
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ That the avoid-the-height decision is recorded, not skipped straight to a ladder or harness
- ✓ That the chosen access method is justified against duration and the working surface
- ✓ That an exclusion zone and falling-object controls are specified, not just edge protection
- ✓ 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 height counts as 'work at height' under the regulations?
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 do not set a minimum height. Work at height is any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury — that can include working below ground level, such as in an excavation. There is no 'two metre rule'; the old threshold was removed in 2005. You must assess and control the risk for any such task regardless of the fall distance.
Does a method statement have to follow the work at height hierarchy?
Yes. Regulation 6 requires you to avoid work at height where reasonably practicable, then prevent falls using collective measures such as guardrails before personal protection, and only then mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall. A RAMS that jumps straight to a harness without showing why a working platform was not used will usually be rejected by a reviewer. The RamsDocs builder structures the controls in this order so the hierarchy is visible on the page.
What regulations apply to working at height?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3 are the main ones, alongside Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment. 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.