SafetyPaperwork
Welding and fabrication · United Kingdom

Method statement for RSJ installation

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

You must assess the risks of RSJ 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 lifting and carrying heavy loads, falling tools and materials, falling from a ladder and structural collapse during alterations.

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RAMS example: RSJ installation

This is a complete RAMS for RSJ installation, with 5 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)
Steel beam installation · Welding and fabrication · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Prop the structure as the engineer designed
  • 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)
2Lift the beam with plant, never by hand above head height
  • Crane and lifting failure
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
Workers, PublicHigh (12)
  • 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)
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis, gloves and safety boots. PPE
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Reduce / substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Control (procedures)
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Control (procedures)
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
Medium (6)
3Guide with tag lines, never under the load
  • Falling tools and materials
Workers, Public, People belowHigh (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)
  • Lower materials with a hoist, chute or rope. Never throw or drop anything down. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat anywhere objects could fall. PPE
Medium (8)
4Seat and fix the beam on padstones or brackets
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Falling from a ladder
Workers, OccupantsHigh (12)
  • Structural collapse during alterations: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Use a podium step, mobile tower or MEWP for longer jobs instead of a straight ladder. Reduce / substitute
  • Use EN 131 professional ladders in good condition. Remove any damaged ladder from site. Control (engineering)
  • Set extension ladders at a 4 to 1 angle on firm, level ground, tied or footed, and reaching 1 metre above the landing. Control (engineering)
  • Use ladders only for short, light work (about 30 minutes in one spot). Do not carry heavy or awkward loads up a ladder. Control (procedures)
  • Keep three points of contact and your belt buckle between the stiles. Do not overreach. Control (procedures)
  • Do not work off the top three rungs of a leaning ladder. On a stepladder, do not stand on the top two steps (top three on swing-back or double-sided steps) unless there is a suitable handhold. Control (procedures)
  • Check the ladder before each use: feet, rungs, stiles and locks. Control (procedures)
  • Wear non-slip safety boots with clean soles. PPE
Medium (8)
5Remove props once approved and clean up
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, VisitorsMedium (8)
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low (4)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Prop the structure as the engineer designed
  2. Lift the beam with plant, never by hand above head height
  3. Guide with tag lines, never under the load
  4. Seat and fix the beam on padstones or brackets
  5. Remove props once approved and clean up

PPE

Safety bootsSafety helmetRigger glovesSafety glassesHi-vis vest

Plant and equipment

Mobile crane: CPCS or NPORS crane operator card, plus slinger signaller card; lift plan by an Appointed PersonTelehandler: CPCS or NPORS telehandler cardHand toolsPower drill

Permits and plans

Lift plan (LOLER reg 8)

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 RSJ 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 RSJ installation

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Prop the structure as the engineer designed
  2. Lift the beam with plant, never by hand above head height
  3. Guide with tag lines, never under the load
  4. Seat and fix the beam on padstones or brackets
  5. Remove props once approved and clean up

Hazards to watch on RSJ installation

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

Step 2Crane and lifting failureA load falls or swings, or the crane tips, crushing workers under or near the lift.
Step 1, 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 4Falling from a ladderThe ladder slips or tips, or the worker overreaches, and they fall onto a hard surface.
Step 3Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 2Lifting and carrying heavy loadsLifting, carrying, pushing or twisting with heavy or awkward loads strains the back, shoulders or knees.
Step 5Poor housekeeping and wasteRubbish, offcuts and materials left lying around cause trips, cuts and fires, and block exits.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on RSJ installation: High before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and lost time injury 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 work at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
  • Will you use a MEWP (scissor lift or cherry picker)?

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
  • Telehandler: CPCS or NPORS telehandler card

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: CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19 (stability of structures); Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER); Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 10 (falling objects); 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 RSJ installation?

You must assess the risks of RSJ 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 RSJ installation?

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

More welding and fabrication RAMS

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Related jobs in other trades

RoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves crane and lifting failureDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves structural collapse during alterationsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves falling tools and materialsBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves falling from a ladderElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves falling from a ladder

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkLadder SafetyToolbox 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