Free to use · PDF download # Window cleaning RAMS Builder > Window cleaning RAMS builder for high-level and specialist facade glazing. Answer a few questions, or download a free RAMS template or example as a PDF. > Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=window-cleaning Window cleaning risk assessment and method statement Prepare RAMS for cleaning high-level glazing and specialist facade glazing from the planned access. - Free to use - No account needed - Questions follow HSE guidance - Saves in this browser ## Window cleaning RAMS template A blank window cleaning RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record. Risk assessment and method statement Window cleaning 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/window-cleaning-rams-template.pdf) ## Window cleaning RAMS example The same RAMS, filled in for one job. Risk assessment and method statement Window cleaning, Atrium, Mill Street Business Centre, Stockport - **Company**: Hollins & Reed Cleaning Services Ltd - **Site and work area**: Atrium, Mill Street Business Centre, Stockport - **Planned dates**: 12 to 13 October 2026 - **In charge on site**: Dan Hollins - **Team**: Two operatives: Dan Hollins leads and drives the lift; Priya Shah is the ground person. 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 Keep people clear of the workAgree how people get past or around the work while it is going on. Put barriers or signs where a route crosses the work. Do not leave open work unattended. 3. 3 Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix cleaning equipment and water-fed poles in strong wind; a large sheet is a sail. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning, and rest in the shade in hot weather. 4. 4 Stop things falling on people belowFence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the tools, buckets and cleaning equipment. Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can. 5. 5 Use the planned safest reachAvoid height where a water-fed pole or internal method can do the job. Use the access arrangement set out for the job; do not improvise. 6. 6 Use the MEWPCheck the MEWP and work area before use. Look up for overhead lines and check the wind limit before raising the platform. Set up on suitable ground within the machine limits. Keep the platform within the planned work zone. Lower and secure the machine after use. 7. 7 Check the cleaning equipmentInspect the pole, platform, hoses and fall protection before use. Take damaged equipment out of the job. 8. 8 Control the ground belowKeep people and traffic out from below the work. Route hoses and water so they cannot trip people or run into a live area. 9. 9 Check the glass and deposit firstConfirm the glass type and what is on it before choosing a tool or product. Keep the maker's cleaning information with the method where there is a coating. 10. 10 Rinse and clean without dry scrubbingRinse loose dirt away before wiping and use clean, compatible equipment. Work from the top down and do not force a scraper across the glass. 11. 11 Check the glass and ground before handing backCheck the glass, seals, ground and equipment before leaving. Tell the client about damaged glass, leaks or residue before the area is reopened. 12. 12 Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the person in charge when the work is complete. 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. - People using the building or passing by walking into the work or over what it leaves Occupants, visitors, members of the public and workers Keep the barriers and signs up while the work is active. Give people a clear way round where their normal route is blocked. - Wind catches the cleaning equipment and water-fed poles or blows someone off balance at height The team and people below Agree a wind limit for panels and platforms and check the forecast each morning. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave. - Tools, buckets and cleaning equipment falling onto people below People below, including the public Lower waste in bags or a chute, never throw it. Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down. - A cleaner falls while reaching high glazing from unsuitable access Window cleaners and people below Prefer ground-level or internal cleaning where suitable. Stop if the planned access or rescue arrangement is not ready. - The MEWP overturning; contact with overhead power lines; tools or materials dropped from the platform The operator, and anyone beside the machine, where the ground gives way or it is worked outside its limits. The operator, and anyone touching the machine, from shock or burns. Anyone passing or working underneath. Use a trained operator and follow the machine limits. Stop when the wind reaches the machine’s limit. Keep the agreed rescue arrangement available. Check for overhead lines before raising the platform and keep the agreed clearance. Barrier the area below so the public and other workers cannot walk under the platform. - Failed equipment causes a fall, dropped object or loss of control Window cleaners and people below Use equipment suited to the job and the ground. Keep the inspection and rescue arrangements with the team. - A person is struck by equipment or slips on water below the work Public, occupants and other workers Use barriers and a protected route. Keep the exclusion area in place until the equipment and water are cleared. - A wrong tool or product scratches the glass or damages its coating The cleaner, client and building users Do not treat coated or marked glass as ordinary glass. Stop and ask for the right method when the surface is not identified. - Grit trapped under a tool scratches the glass or coating The cleaner and facade owner Use clean water and clean cloths or brushes. Stop if the glass or coating reacts, marks or cannot be cleaned safely. - Damage, wet ground or equipment is left where people can be exposed Occupants, public and the client Keep wet or closed areas protected until safe. Record defects and remove all tools, hoses and waste. - 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. [Download the examplePDF, 5 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/window-cleaning-rams-example.pdf) ## What a Window cleaning RAMS covers Cleaning high-level windows by water-fed pole or from access equipment, and specialist glazed facades. Not covered: ground-level window rounds. - High-level glazing - Specialist facade glazing ## Suggested steps and hazards for Window cleaning Suggested for high-level glazing before any questions are answered. 1. ### Use the planned safest reach - Avoid height where a water-fed pole or internal method can do the job. - Use the access arrangement set out for the job; do not improvise. Hazard A cleaner falls while reaching high glazing from unsuitable access Who might be harmed and how Window cleaners and people below Controls in place - Prefer ground-level or internal cleaning where suitable. - Stop if the planned access or rescue arrangement is not ready. Avoiding height where possible removes the main fall risk from window cleaning. [Working at height whilst window cleaning](https://www.hse.gov.uk/cleaning/topics/window-cleaning.htm) 2. ### Check the cleaning equipment - Inspect the pole, platform, hoses and fall protection before use. - Take damaged equipment out of the job. Hazard Failed equipment causes a fall, dropped object or loss of control Who might be harmed and how Window cleaners and people below Controls in place - Use equipment suited to the job and the ground. - Keep the inspection and rescue arrangements with the team. A pre-use check finds damage before the equipment is carrying a person or water. [Working at height whilst window cleaning](https://www.hse.gov.uk/cleaning/topics/window-cleaning.htm) 3. ### Control the ground below - Keep people and traffic out from below the work. - Route hoses and water so they cannot trip people or run into a live area. Hazard A person is struck by equipment or slips on water below the work Who might be harmed and how Public, occupants and other workers Controls in place - Use barriers and a protected route. - Keep the exclusion area in place until the equipment and water are cleared. The area below must stay protected from falling equipment, hoses and water. [Working at height whilst window cleaning](https://www.hse.gov.uk/cleaning/topics/window-cleaning.htm) ## What the builder asks about Window cleaning Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. The job - What sort of glass are you cleaning? - What glazing or facade surface is it? - What is on the glass? - What deposit must be removed? How it’s done - What will you stand on to reach the work? ## What your Window cleaning 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. - ### [Cleaning RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=cleaning) - ### [Abrasive cleaning RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=abrasive-cleaning) - ### [Building conservation cleaning RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=building-conservation-cleaning) - [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. 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 the PDF is made on your device. ### 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.