# Living roofs RAMS Builder > Living roof RAMS builder for installing a green roof build-up or maintaining one. Answer a few questions, or download a free template or example PDF. > Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=living-roofs Living roof risk assessment and method statement ## RAMS review [Check a RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-review) ![A RAMS page with passages highlighted and numbered review comments beside them](https://complyonsite.com/art/rams-review-highlight.webp) ## Living roofs RAMS template A blank living roofs RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record. Risk assessment and method statement Living roofs RAMS - **Company**: left blank to fill in - **Site and work area**: left blank to fill in - **Planned dates**: left blank to fill in - **In charge on site**: left blank to fill in - **Team**: left blank to fill in Method statement 1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4 5. 5 6. 6 Risk assessment | Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [Download the templatePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/living-roofs-rams-template.pdf) ## Living roofs RAMS example The same RAMS, filled in for one job. Risk assessment and method statement Living roofs, Podium roof, Mill Street Apartments, Stockport Risk assessment - People entering the work area or tripping over materials Workers, occupants and visitors Mark or barrier the active work area. Store tools and materials away from access routes. - Overloading damages the roof or causes a collapse Installers and people in or below the building Use the approved loading information. Do not stockpile material outside the marked areas. - A hidden waterproofing defect causes leaks below the finished roof Installers and building occupants Record the handover from the waterproofer. Do not cover an unapproved membrane. - Hitting a live cable or gas pipe causes shock, fire or gas escape The person doing the work and everyone nearby Check again wherever the work moves. If you hit something, stop, keep clear and report it. - Wind catches the roof materials and loose tools or blows someone off balance at height The team and people below Agree a wind limit for this work and check the forecast before you start. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave. - Roof materials and tools falling onto people below People below Bring waste down by hand or in bags. Never throw it. Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down. - Falling from a scaffold that has been altered; materials falling from the scaffold Anyone working on the lift, where a guardrail, board or tie has been taken out to get the work done. Anyone passing or working underneath, including the public where the scaffold is over a footpath. Never remove boards, ties, guardrails or bracing; ask the scaffolding contractor to alter it. Report damage or a missing tag and keep off until it is checked. Fit brick guards or netting where materials could fall on people below. - The crane overturns or the load strikes someone The lift team and everyone within the exclusion zone No plan, no named person in charge: no lift. Stop the lift if the wind gets above the limit in the plan. - The membrane is damaged or drainage is blocked Green-roof installers and the building Use this job's system components. Keep debris out of outlets and layer joints. - Uneven depth, blocked drainage or poor establishment Green-roof installers and the building Check depth and margins as each area is completed. Keep outlets, fire breaks and access strips clear. - Falling loads, roof overload or damage to the waterproofing Green-roof installers and people below Keep the lifting and exclusion arrangements in place. Keep material within the approved load areas. - Fire spreads across the roof or into the building Installers and building occupants Use the approved fire detail. Do not cover a break or margin with substrate or planting. - New plants fail or the roof is overloaded with water Green-roof installers and the building Use the agreed watering amount and route. Keep unfinished edges and outlets visible for inspection. - Debris, tools or unfinished work left in the area Workers, occupants and visitors Remove waste by the agreed route. Record and protect any unfinished work. Living roofs, Podium roof, Mill Street Apartments, Stockport - **Company**: Hollins & Reed Landscaping Ltd - **Site and work area**: Podium roof, Mill Street Apartments, Stockport - **Planned dates**: 12 to 14 October 2026 - **In charge on site**: Dan Hollins - **Team**: Three operatives: Dan Hollins leads; Priya Shah and Sam Okoro lay substrate and plant. Method statement 1. 1 Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active work area. Keep entrances and escape routes clear. 2. 2 Check the roof design and loadCheck this job's living-roof build-up, saturated weight, access loads and drainage detail. Mark the approved load areas before substrate or modules arrive. 3. 3 Check the waterproofingConfirm the waterproof covering has been tested and approved. Check flashings and drainage are complete before covering the roof. 4. 4 Find and isolate hidden servicesFind cables and pipes before you disturb anything: drawings, then a detector. Mark what you find. Not sure what is there? Turn the supply off, or do not start. Have cables and gas isolated by the right person and prove them dead before you start. 5. 5 Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix roof materials and loose tools in strong wind. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning. 6. 6 Stop things falling on people belowKeep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the roof materials and tools. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can. 7. 7 Work from the scaffoldCheck the scaffold tag or handover shows an inspection within the last 7 days. Use only the lifts and access that were handed over. Keep materials within the loading the scaffold was built for. Keep off in high wind or ice, or when sheeting has come loose. 8. 8 Crane lift: work to the lift planA crane or lorry loader lift needs a written plan and one person in charge of the lift. Do what the plan says: who hooks the load on, who signals, and how far back everyone stands. 9. 9 Lay the protection and drainage layersInstall protection, drainage and filter layers edge to edge across the area. Keep the layers in the specified order and protect finished areas from traffic. 10. 10 Set out the built-up substrateSpread the specified substrate to the design depth without compacting it into drainage paths. Place plug plants to the agreed pattern and protect them from traffic. 11. 11 Place the substrate and plantingUse the agreed lifting method for substrate, blankets or modules. Spread the material without overloading one area or damaging the layers. 12. 12 Build in the fire breaksProvide fire breaks within the green-roof construction as shown on the design. Keep the required gravel, shingle and edge margins clear. 13. 13 Protect the new plantingKeep traffic, waste and tools off the planted areas. Water during establishment as the planting plan requires, without ponding the roof. 14. 14 Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the customer or whoever runs the site when the work is complete. [Download the examplePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/living-roofs-rams-example.pdf) ## What a living roofs RAMS covers Laying the protection, drainage and growing layers and planting within the roof's design load, and routine maintenance. Not covered: the waterproofing membrane under the build-up. - Install living roof - Maintain living roof ## Suggested steps and hazards for living roofs Suggested for install living roof before any questions are answered. 1. ### Check the roof design and load - Check this job's living-roof build-up, saturated weight, access loads and drainage detail. - Mark the approved load areas before substrate or modules arrive. Hazard Overloading damages the roof or causes a collapse Who might be harmed and how Installers and people in or below the building Controls in place - Use the approved loading information. - Do not stockpile material outside the marked areas. The saturated roof and temporary material loads must stay within the approved design. [The GRO Green Roof Code](https://docs.planning.org.uk/20240904/111/SIXEUHDEMMN00/d1te0dyftdfupgt1.pdf) 2. ### Check the waterproofing - Confirm the waterproof covering has been tested and approved. - Check flashings and drainage are complete before covering the roof. Hazard A hidden waterproofing defect causes leaks below the finished roof Who might be harmed and how Installers and building occupants Controls in place - Record the handover from the waterproofer. - Do not cover an unapproved membrane. The waterproof covering must be approved before the living-roof layers hide it. [The GRO Green Roof Code](https://docs.planning.org.uk/20240904/111/SIXEUHDEMMN00/d1te0dyftdfupgt1.pdf) 3. ### Check the weather before you start - Do not lift or fix roof materials and loose tools in strong wind. - Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning. - Rest in the shade in hot weather. Hazard Wind catches the roof materials and loose tools or blows someone off balance at height Who might be harmed and how The team and people below Controls in place - Agree a wind limit for this work and check the forecast before you start. - Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave. Wind is the main weather cause of falls and dropped loads in outside work at height. [HSE: Work at height](https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm) ## What the builder asks about living roofs Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. The job - What living-roof system are you installing? - What living roof are you maintaining? - What needs doing today? Where - What is confirmed before you cover the roof? - Are the drains and roof layers sound? - Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them. - What pipes or cables run through or around the roof and its plant? How it’s done - What will you stand on to reach the work? - What planting material will you place? - How will the roof materials get to the work? - Will you cut anything on site, and with what? ## What your living roofs RAMS includes ### Method statement The work in order, step by step. ### Risk assessment Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. ### PDF The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF. Your logo on Pro and Team. - ### [Roofing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=roofing) - ### [Strip and reroof RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=strip-and-reroof) - ### [Mastic asphalt roofing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=mastic-asphalt-roofing) - ### [Liquid roofing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=liquid-roofing) - ### [Leadwork RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=leadwork) - ### [Rooflights RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=rooflights) - [All trades and tasks](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder) ## What the law asks for ### What a RAMS is A risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment records what could cause harm on the job, who could be harmed and how, and the controls that keep the risk down. The method statement sets out how the work will be done, step by step, in the order it happens. A client or main contractor will usually ask for one before you start. RAMS is a site term, not a legal one: the law asks for the risk assessment and for the work to be planned, and a method statement is the usual way to show that plan for one job. ### What the law asks for - Employers, and self-employed people doing construction work, must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their own people and to anyone else affected by the work ([Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/3)). - An employer with five or more employees must record the significant findings and any group of employees it finds especially at risk. The assessment must be reviewed if there is reason to think it is no longer valid, or the work has changed significantly. - Every contractor must plan, manage and monitor its work so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, it is done without risks to health and safety, and must give its workers the information and instructions they need, including the hazards the risk assessment found ([Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 15](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/15)). HSE guidance: [the steps to manage risk](https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm) and [what contractors must do under CDM](https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/contractors.htm). This is the law in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent regulations. ### What the builder does You choose the work and answer questions about how the job will be done, such as what you will stand on and what else is going on nearby. Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. Many suggestions link to the HSE guidance they draw on. Your work is kept in this browser and, signed in, on your account with its photos; the PDF is made on your device. A briefing you send to phones goes through your account. ### Separate documents A COSHH assessment, lifting plan, permit to work, asbestos survey and the principal contractor’s construction phase plan are separate from the RAMS. ### Reviewing a RAMS before work starts [RAMS review](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-review) reads a RAMS PDF, yours before you send it or one a subcontractor sends you, and lists the points to raise, each marked on the page it comes from. Quick reviews are free.