Cherry picker RAMS Builder
Cherry picker risk assessment and method statement
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Cherry picker RAMS template
A blank cherry picker RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Cherry picker 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Risk assessment
| Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action |
|---|---|---|---|
Cherry picker RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Cherry picker, Unit 5, Mill Parade, Stockport: front fascia and car park
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.
Tools and materials 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.
An unfamiliar operator overturns, collides or becomes trapped
The operator and people nearby
Follow the machine manual and site traffic controls. Supervise an unfamiliar operator.
A defect or overloaded MEWP fails, overturns or leaves someone stranded
The operator and people nearby
Remove a defective machine from use. Keep the manual and examination record available.
Poor support or trapping against a structure overturns the machine or injures the operator
The operator and people nearby
Use outriggers and spreader plates only as the manual requires. Keep clear of overhead cables.
A trapped or incapacitated person remains at height without practical recovery
The operator and rescuers
Agree the plan before elevation. Do not rely only on the emergency services.
A falling tool or collision injures people below or beside the MEWP
People below, pedestrians and the operator
Use a spotter where the plan requires one. Keep the work area and route separated.
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.
The operator falls from the platform or is ejected during travel
The operator and people below
Do not climb guardrails or stand on boxes or ladders. Keep within the platform load and reach limits.
The boom traps the operator against an overhead or nearby structure
The operator and people nearby
Stop movement if the operator loses sight of the path. Keep a clear escape and rescue route.
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.
Cherry picker, Unit 5, Mill Parade, Stockport: front fascia and car park
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Contracting Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 5, Mill Parade, Stockport: front fascia and car park
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two operatives: Dan Hollins (trained cherry picker operator) works the platform; Priya Shah is the ground person, holds the rescue controls and keeps the coned area clear.
Method statement
- 1Set 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.
- 2Keep 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.
- 3Stop things falling on people belowKeep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the tools and materials. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
- 4Use a trained familiarised operatorUse an operator trained for the MEWP category and familiar with this job's make and model. Check the training and familiarisation records.
- 5Check the MEWP before useCheck the examination status, controls, tyres, alarms, guardrails, gate and emergency lowering system. Use only this job's machine within its load and wind limits.
- 6Check ground and overhead hazardsUse firm, level ground and check covers, trenches, holes and backfill. Check overhead structures, cables and entrapment points before elevating.
- 7Brief and practise the rescue planName a ground person who can use the emergency controls. Practise lowering if normal controls fail. Keep rescue access and communications available.
- 8Control traffic and people belowBarrier the area below and keep vehicles and pedestrians out. Keep the machine and boom clear of traffic routes.
- 9Use 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.
- 10Stay inside the guarded platformKeep guardrails, toe boards and the gate in place. Use the specified restraint or harness arrangement where the machine requires it.
- 11Keep the boom clear of trapping pointsCheck the path of the cherry picker or boom lift and keep the operator clear of crushing points against steelwork, roofs or structures. Use the machine controls and agreed spotter where the plan requires one.
- 12Clear 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.
What a cherry picker RAMS covers
Working from the basket of a boom MEWP and travelling it between positions on site. Not covered: lifting materials with the boom.
Suggested steps and hazards for cherry picker
Suggested for MEWP use before any questions are answered.
Stop things falling on people below
- Keep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the tools and materials.
- Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Tools and materials falling onto people below
Who might be harmed and how
People below
Controls in place
- Bring waste down by hand or in bags. Never throw it.
- Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.
Falling objects are a leading cause of harm to the public near construction.
HSE: Protecting the public Use a trained familiarised operator
- Use an operator trained for the MEWP category and familiar with this job's make and model.
- Check the training and familiarisation records.
Hazard
An unfamiliar operator overturns, collides or becomes trapped.
Who might be harmed and how
The operator and people nearby
Controls in place
- Follow the machine manual and site traffic controls.
- Supervise an unfamiliar operator.
Category training and machine familiarisation support safe control of the MEWP.
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) Check the MEWP before use
- Check the examination status, controls, tyres, alarms, guardrails, gate and emergency lowering system.
- Use only this job's machine within its load and wind limits.
Hazard
A defect or overloaded MEWP fails, overturns or leaves someone stranded.
Who might be harmed and how
The operator and people nearby
Controls in place
- Remove a defective machine from use.
- Keep the manual and examination record available.
The pre-use check and examination status show whether the machine is fit to operate.
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) Check ground and overhead hazards
- Use firm, level ground and check covers, trenches, holes and backfill.
- Check overhead structures, cables and entrapment points before elevating.
Hazard
Poor support or trapping against a structure overturns the machine or injures the operator.
Who might be harmed and how
The operator and people nearby
Controls in place
- Use outriggers and spreader plates only as the manual requires.
- Keep clear of overhead cables.
Ground support and overhead checks control overturning and entrapment hazards.
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs)
What the builder asks about cherry picker
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What work will you do from the platform?
Where
- Is the MEWP position ready?
How it’s done
- How high is the work, and what is the ground like?
- Which MEWP will you use?
What you’ve been told
- How will someone be rescued from the MEWP?
What your cherry picker 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.
The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF. Your logo on Pro and Team.
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).
- 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).
HSE guidance: the steps to manage risk and what contractors must do under CDM. 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 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.