Lorry loader RAMS Builder
HIAB lorry loader risk assessment and method statement
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Lorry loader RAMS template
A blank lorry loader RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Lorry loader 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Lorry loader RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Lorry loader, 14 Barlow Avenue, Stockport: driveway
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.
The crane is overloaded or set up wrong because nobody worked the lift out before it started
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
Keep the plan on the job where the crew can see it. If the load, the ground or the spot is not what the plan says, stop and get it planned again.
Nobody is in charge of the lift because each side thinks the other is
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
Say in the team on this document who plans, who operates, who slings and who can stop the lift. Agree the ground, services and people on the site before the day.
Two people signal at once, or somebody untrained slings a load and it comes off the hook
The lift crew and anyone near the lift
Anyone on the lift can call stop and the driver stops. Swap the signaller only by telling the driver first.
The crane tips or the jib fails because the load is heavier, or further out, than anyone thought
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
If nobody can tell you the weight, do not lift it. Never work the crane past what the chart allows, even for one lift.
A load passes over people who are not part of the work and have not been told anything about it
People in the building, staff, pupils and customers
Lift out of hours where the route cannot avoid an occupied area. Have someone at each door to stop people walking out under the load.
Wind catches the big loads and blows them onto people nearby
The team and people nearby
Check the forecast before you start and agree when the wind stops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.
A dropped load, or the crane slewing round, strikes somebody standing where they should not be
The lift crew, other trades and the public
Have someone watching the zone while a load is in the air. Stop the lift if anyone walks into it, and start again only when it is clear.
The lorry strikes someone while reversing
Site staff and anyone on the route
The driver stops if the banksman goes out of sight.
The lorry tips as the crane reaches out, or a tilting stabiliser leg crushes the operator against the body
The driver and anyone standing by the lorry
Pin or lock a tilting leg upright before you move the stabiliser beam, and never tilt and retract together. Use the remote control and stand where you can see the load and the legs.
A worn sling, damaged hook or an out-of-date crane fails with the load in the air
The lift crew and everyone below the load
Bin any sling with cuts, kinks, frayed rope or a stretched link; do not knot it to shorten it. A crane out of date for examination does not lift until it is done.
A worn or overloaded sling parts and drops the load
The slinger and everyone below the load
Take a damaged sling out of use straight away so nobody else picks it up. The wider the angle between the legs, the less the sling can lift.
A brick, a board or a bit of waste falls out of the load in the air
Everyone below the load route
Never lift a pack by its banding alone. Clear loose bits off the load before it moves.
Banded or stacked material falls off the bed when the straps come off
The driver and anyone near the lorry
If the load has moved in transit, get help before you release anything.
The load slips out of the slings, swings into somebody, or turns over in the air
The slinger and everyone near or below the load
Nobody rides the load and nobody puts a hand under it. Set it back down and re-sling it if it does not hang right on the trial lift.
The lorry goes lopsided, or the driver falls climbing on the bed
The driver and anyone near the lorry
Never stand between the load and the lorry while the crane is moving it. If the operator leaves the controls to attach a sling, isolate them first.
A landed load topples or rolls onto somebody once the crane takes the weight off it
The slinger and anyone working near the landing spot
Never unhook a load that is leaning or propped against something. Keep hands and feet out from under while it is being set down.
Carrying on with a lift that no longer matches the plan
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
Anybody can call stop, including the driver. Do not start again until the person in charge of the lift says so.
The lorry moves with the crane or a stabiliser out
The driver and people on the route
Walk round the lorry before driving off.
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.
Lorry loader, 14 Barlow Avenue, Stockport: driveway
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Building Ltd
- Site and work area
- 14 Barlow Avenue, Stockport: driveway
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Three people: the merchant’s appointed person planned the lift and is not on site; the lorry driver operates the loader and supervises the lift; Dan Hollins is the trained slinger signaller and keeps the drive clear. Anyone can stop the lift.
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.
- 3Work to the lift planEvery lift is planned before it starts by someone who knows this kind of lift. A routine lift the same crew does every day can run on one standing plan; anything different gets planned again. The plan gives the weight of the crane and everything on the hook, the radius, the slings, the load route, the landing point and the wind limit. No plan on site, no set-up. Read it with the crew on the day.
- 4Delivery lift: the firm delivering plans and runs itThis delivery is planned and run by the firm delivering, under its own appointed person. The people named in the team carry out the roles in the plan, and anyone can stop the lift.
- 5Everyone knows their job on the liftName the driver, the slinger signaller and the person supervising before the first lift. Only trained people drive the crane, sling loads or give signals. One person gives the signals at a time, and everyone knows who it is.
- 6Know the weight before you hook onGet the real weight from the ticket, the drawing or the supplier; do not guess it. Work the weight against the crane chart at the radius you are actually lifting at, not the shortest one. Look at where the load balances, and add the weight of the slings, beam or frame.
- 7Lifting beside an occupied buildingPlan the load route so it never passes over an occupied part of the building. Tell the people inside when you are lifting and keep them away from the windows and doors under the lift. Keep the doors and fire exits under the lift clear or manned.
- 8Check the weather before you startStop handling big loads when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 9Keep people out from under the loadFence or tape off the area the load travels over and the area the crane slews over, before the first lift. Nobody stands under a suspended load or inside the swing of the crane. Carry the load over clear ground wherever you can, not over people or occupied buildings.
- 10Bring the lorry in with a banksmanUse a banksman if the lorry has to reverse. Keep people out of the reversing area.
- 11Park the lorry loader and set the stabilisers outPark on firm level ground, handbrake on, engine and PTO set as the machine needs, before anything comes off. Put the stabilisers fully out on pads, and know what the crane can lift with the spread you have got. Watch the stabiliser legs the whole time they move, and stand clear of them and the vehicle body.
- 12Check the crane and the tackleLook at the crane report: lifting accessories get a thorough examination every 6 months, the crane every 12 months. Do the daily checks the machine needs and look over every sling, attachment, shackle and hook before it goes on. Everything on the hook is marked with what it can lift.
- 13Check the slings before every liftLook over each sling: cuts or tears in the webbing, kinked or broken wires, stretched or nicked links. Check the tag is readable and the sling can take the weight at the angle you are using it. Pad sharp corners so the sling is not cut on the load.
- 14Loose bits and banded packsPut loose material in a proper lifting bin or net, never slung straight off the pack bands. Check banding is tight and unbroken; re-band or net anything that has been opened. Fill bins below the rim so nothing can bounce out in the air.
- 15Check the load before the straps come offCheck how the load has shifted in transit before you release a strap, and stand clear when you do.
- 16Sling it so it cannot slip or swingHook onto the lifting points on the load, or sling it so it hangs level and cannot slide out. Protect slings from sharp edges and keep the angle between the legs inside what the sling allows. Lift it just clear of the ground, stop, and check it hangs level and nothing has moved before it goes up. Put a tag line on anything long or flat so it is steered from the ground, not by hand on the load.
- 17Lift the load off the bed in the right orderUnload evenly from both sides so the lorry does not go lopsided as the bed empties. Unload from the ground if you can. Anyone who has to go on the bed needs proper access and something to stop them falling.
- 18Land it before you unhook itHave the landing spot ready and packed with bearers before the load leaves the ground. Bring it down slow, land it fully, make sure it is stable on its own, then release it. Stack and tie what you land so it cannot topple once the crane has gone.
- 19Stop the lift if anything changesStop for wind above the limit in the plan, for poor visibility, and for anyone walking into the zone. Stop if the load is not behaving, the crane makes a noise it should not, or a warning comes up. Land the load, or set it down where it is safe, before anyone goes to sort the problem out.
- 20Stow everything before the lorry movesCheck nothing is loose. Bring the stabilisers fully in and stow the crane before the lorry moves.
- 21Clear 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 lorry loader RAMS covers
Setting up and stabilising the lorry, slinging the load and landing it where the lift plan says. Not covered: mobile and tower crane lifts.
Suggested steps and hazards for lorry loader
Suggested for lorry loader lift before any questions are answered.
Work to the lift plan
- Every lift is planned before it starts by someone who knows this kind of lift.
- A routine lift the same crew does every day can run on one standing plan; anything different gets planned again.
- The plan gives the weight of the crane and everything on the hook, the radius, the slings, the load route, the landing point and the wind limit. No plan on site, no set-up.
- Read it with the crew on the day.
Hazard
The crane is overloaded or set up wrong because nobody worked the lift out before it started
Who might be harmed and how
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
Controls in place
- Keep the plan on the job where the crew can see it.
- If the load, the ground or the spot is not what the plan says, stop and get it planned again.
The law says every lifting operation is planned by a competent person and properly supervised.
HSE: Planning and organising lifting operations Everyone knows their job on the lift
- Name the driver, the slinger signaller and the person supervising before the first lift.
- Only trained people drive the crane, sling loads or give signals.
- One person gives the signals at a time, and everyone knows who it is.
Hazard
Two people signal at once, or somebody untrained slings a load and it comes off the hook
Who might be harmed and how
The lift crew and anyone near the lift
Controls in place
- Anyone on the lift can call stop and the driver stops.
- Swap the signaller only by telling the driver first.
HSE says crane operators, slingers and signallers all have to be trained and competent.
HSE: Lifting operations Know the weight before you hook on
- Get the real weight from the ticket, the drawing or the supplier; do not guess it.
- Work the weight against the crane chart at the radius you are actually lifting at, not the shortest one.
- Look at where the load balances, and add the weight of the slings, beam or frame.
Hazard
The crane tips or the jib fails because the load is heavier, or further out, than anyone thought
Who might be harmed and how
The lift crew and everyone the crane can reach
Controls in place
- If nobody can tell you the weight, do not lift it.
- Never work the crane past what the chart allows, even for one lift.
Overload and over-radius are the two things that put cranes on their side.
HSE: Safe lifting by machine Keep people out from under the load
- Fence or tape off the area the load travels over and the area the crane slews over, before the first lift.
- Nobody stands under a suspended load or inside the swing of the crane.
- Carry the load over clear ground wherever you can, not over people or occupied buildings.
Hazard
A dropped load, or the crane slewing round, strikes somebody standing where they should not be
Who might be harmed and how
The lift crew, other trades and the public
Controls in place
- Have someone watching the zone while a load is in the air.
- Stop the lift if anyone walks into it, and start again only when it is clear.
Falling loads and crane collapse are the two big killers in crane work, and both hit bystanders.
HSE: Protecting the public
What the builder asks about lorry loader
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What are you lifting today?
- Who plans and runs this lift?
- What have you got for this lift?
Where
- What is the crane standing on?
- What is around the lift and under the swing?
- Where are you unloading the lorry?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What are you lifting it with?
- How will you talk to the crane driver?
What your lorry loader 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.