SiteSorted
Concreting · United Kingdom

Method statement for precast concrete installation

By SiteSortedBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of precast concrete installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are falling from height, MEWP tip-over or crush, falling tools and materials and public entering the work area.

Make this RAMS nowWord templatePDF

RAMS example: precast concrete installation

This is a complete RAMS for precast concrete installation, with 6 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Tilt-up and precast panel installation · Concreting · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Review the erection design and lift plan, and check crane set up and ground
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
  • Crane and lifting failure
Workers, PublicHigh (10)
  • Set an exclusion zone around the lift and bracing. Nobody stands under or beside a panel being lifted. Isolate
  • Use panels, lifting inserts and braces designed and certified by an engineer. Control (engineering)
  • Use a crane rated for the panel at the radius, with a written lift plan. Control (engineering)
  • Check bracing after it goes in, daily, and after strong wind. Control (procedures)
  • Do not remove braces until the panel is permanently fixed and the engineer approves. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis, gloves and safety boots. PPE
  • Barricade the lift zone and keep everyone out from under the load. Isolate
  • Use a crane rated for the load at the radius, set up on firm ground with outrigger pads. Control (engineering)
  • Check slings, chains, shackles and hooks before use. Remove anything damaged or not tagged. Control (engineering)
  • Have a lift plan made by an appointed person, following LOLER. Control (procedures)
  • Use CPCS or NPORS carded crane operators, slingers and signallers. Control (procedures)
  • Use tag lines to control loads and agree on clear radio or hand signals. Control (procedures)
  • Stop lifting in high wind or when the operator cannot see the signaller. Control (procedures)
  • Never ride on a load or hook. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
2Set exclusion zones so no one is under or beside a panel being lifted
  • Falling tools and materials
  • Crane and lifting failure
  • Public entering the work area
Workers, Public, People below, ChildrenHigh (12)
  • Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Isolate
  • Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Control (engineering)
  • Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Control (engineering)
  • Tether hand tools when working at height. Control (engineering)
  • Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Control (procedures)
  • Crane and lifting failure: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Control (engineering)
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Control (procedures)
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Control (procedures)
Medium (8)
3Inspect lifting inserts and rigging before each lift
  • Crane and lifting failure
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
Workers, PublicHigh (10)
  • Crane and lifting failure: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
4Stand and brace each panel before releasing the crane
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
  • Strong wind and storms
Workers, Occupants, PublicHigh (12)
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Structural collapse during alterations: see step 6 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Check the forecast each morning and plan work at height and lifting around the weather. Eliminate
  • Tie down or weigh down loose sheets, panels, boards and rubbish at the end of each shift. Control (engineering)
  • Set wind limits for roof work, platforms and cranes, using the manufacturer's limits, and stop when they are reached. Control (procedures)
  • Stop work and get down in lightning. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up. Control (procedures)
  • Check scaffold, fencing and edge protection after strong wind before anyone uses them. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
5Release rigging from the MEWP, not by climbing the panel
  • MEWP tip-over or crush
  • Falling from height
Workers, People nearby, People belowVery high (20)
  • Check the ground before setting up. Use outriggers and spreader pads, and keep clear of trenches, pits and slopes. Control (engineering)
  • Use a platform with tilt alarm and secondary guarding (anti-entrapment) where there is an overhead crush risk. Control (engineering)
  • Use IPAF-trained operators for MEWPs, carrying their PAL card. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check each day. Keep a trained person on the ground who can lower the platform in an emergency. Control (procedures)
  • Never exceed the safe working load, climb on the rails or use a ladder in the basket. Control (procedures)
  • In boom-type platforms, wear a harness clipped to the basket anchor point. PPE
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile tower or MEWP instead of working off a ladder. Control (engineering)
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Control (engineering)
  • Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE
Medium (5)
6Check braces daily until the structure is tied in
  • Structural collapse during alterations
Workers, OccupantsHigh (10)
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Control (engineering)
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Control (procedures)
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots. PPE
Medium (5)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Review the erection design and lift plan, and check crane set up and ground
  2. Set exclusion zones so no one is under or beside a panel being lifted
  3. Inspect lifting inserts and rigging before each lift
  4. Stand and brace each panel before releasing the crane
  5. Release rigging from the MEWP, not by climbing the panel
  6. Check braces daily until the structure is tied in

PPE

Safety bootsSafety helmetHi-vis vestFull body harness and lanyardRigger glovesSafety glasses

Plant and equipment

Mobile crane: CPCS or NPORS crane operator card, plus slinger signaller card; lift plan by an Appointed PersonBoom MEWP: IPAF PAL card (3b)Power drillHand tools

Permits and plans

Lift plan (LOLER reg 8)Work at height permit

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this RAMS.

Free RAMS template for precast concrete installation

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this RAMS

Pre-start checklist for precast concrete installation

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Review the erection design and lift plan, and check crane set up and ground
  2. Set exclusion zones so no one is under or beside a panel being lifted
  3. Inspect lifting inserts and rigging before each lift
  4. Stand and brace each panel before releasing the crane
  5. Release rigging from the MEWP, not by climbing the panel
  6. Check braces daily until the structure is tied in

Hazards to watch on precast concrete installation

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 1, 3, 4Tilt-up and precast panel failureA tilt-up or precast panel falls while it is lifted, propped or braced and crushes workers.
Step 5MEWP tip-over or crushThe platform tips on soft or sloping ground, the worker is crushed against a beam or ceiling, or is thrown out of the basket.
Step 1, 2, 3Crane and lifting failureA load falls or swings, or the crane tips, crushing workers under or near the lift.
Step 4Strong wind and stormsWind blows sheets, panels and people off roofs and scaffolds, and storms and lightning make work at height and lifting unsafe.
Step 4, 6Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 5Falling from heightA worker falls from any height where a fall could cause injury, such as an edge, platform or opening.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on precast concrete installation: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes unlikely and major injury).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
  • Was the building built before 2000?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Mobile crane: CPCS or NPORS crane operator card, plus slinger signaller card; lift plan by an Appointed Person
  • Boom MEWP: IPAF PAL card (3b)

Employers must assess the risks of their work and record the significant findings (required where you employ 5 or more people). On CDM projects, contractors give their RAMS to the principal contractor before starting, and brief the workers on it.

Rules that apply: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER); Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 10 (falling objects); CDM Regulations 2015; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19 (stability of structures); Work at Height Regulations 2005 and LOLER 1998; Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Why RAMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for precast concrete installation?

You must assess the risks of precast concrete installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for precast concrete installation?

Usually Safety boots, Safety helmet, Hi-vis vest, Full body harness and lanyard, Rigger gloves, Safety glasses. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More concreting RAMS

RAMSConcrete Slab Pour9 stepsRAMSConcrete Driveway6 stepsRAMSConcrete Footings6 stepsRAMSFormwork9 stepsRAMSConcrete Cutting8 stepsRAMSFloor Grinding5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

RoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves strong wind and stormsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves public entering the work areaBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves falling from heightDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves structural collapse during alterations

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at HeightToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

Blank RAMS template: free RAMS templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources