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Hot works RAMS Builder
Hot works risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for arc welding, fuel-gas cutting, grinding and brazing or soldering on site.
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Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.
Hot works RAMS template
A blank hot works RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Hot works 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Hot works RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Hot works, Plant room, Kingsway Retail Park, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Metalwork Ltd
- Site and work area
- Plant room, Kingsway Retail Park, Stockport
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two operatives: Dan Hollins welds; Priya Shah is the fire watch and stays for an hour after the last weld.
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.
- 2No torch work in a tank, pit or ductHot work inside a tank, pit, chamber or duct is not covered by this method. Get the space tested for gas, agree how you get out, and have someone on the outside who can pull you out.
- 3Prove it dead before you cut into itMetalwork often carries cables, conduit or trunking. Get the circuit switched off, locked off and proved dead first. Do not cut, grind or weld on anything still live.
- 4Check the welding equipmentInspect the machine, leads, holder, torch and connectors before plugging in. Withdraw damaged equipment from use.
- 5Carry the steel, tools and metal parts safelyPlan the route, clear it, and carry long items upright with two people. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to.
- 6Clamp the return to clean work metalClamp the current return close to the weld on clean metal. Do not use a handrail, pipe or building frame unless it is the workpiece.
- 7Screen the arc from other peopleSet a welding screen around the work before striking the arc. Wear the correct welding filter and covering clothing.
- 8Capture welding fume at sourcePosition LEV at the arc and keep your head out of the plume. Use the agreed RPE where LEV cannot provide enough control.
- 9Clear combustibles before weldingRemove or protect combustible material before welding. Check behind and below the work before handback.
- 10Clear 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.
Fumes, gas or lost oxygen knock you out inside a space you cannot get out of
The person inside and anyone who goes in after them
Stop and get the confined space plan before anyone goes in. Never go in to pull a mate out without the rescue kit.
Cutting into a live cable or conduit gives a shock, a flash burn or starts a fire
The person cutting and anyone nearby
Only the person who locked it off takes the lock off. Prove the tester on a known live source before and after.
Electric shock, burns or a failed welding return circuit
The welder and nearby workers
Use equipment suitable for the task and in good condition. Report defects before the arc is struck.
Back and shoulder injury from carrying heavy or long items
Everyone handling materials
Use a trolley or sack truck on the flat. Never carry up a ladder; hand items up or hoist them.
Stray welding current causes shock, burns or property damage
The welder and people touching nearby metal
Keep the return path short. Stop if the return cannot attach safely to the workpiece.
Arc-eye, burns and harmful light reaching people nearby
The welder, passers-by and nearby workers
Keep unprotected people outside the screened area. Use a suitable welding curtain or screen.
Breathing welding fume that can damage the lungs
The welder and people nearby
Use suitable LEV where possible. Keep people out of lingering fume and provide general ventilation.
Sparks, hot metal or slag starts a fire
Everyone in and near the work area
Use the site hot-work permit and fire-watch arrangements. Keep a suitable extinguisher ready.
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.
What a Hot works RAMS covers
Arc welding, torch cutting, grinding and cold cutting, brazing and soldering. Not covered: welding or cutting inside a tank, pit or duct.
- Grind/cold cut
- Arc weld
- Fuel-gas cut
- Braze/solder
Suggested steps and hazards for Hot works
Suggested for arc weld before any questions are answered.
No torch work in a tank, pit or duct
- Hot work inside a tank, pit, chamber or duct is not covered by this method.
- Get the space tested for gas, agree how you get out, and have someone on the outside who can pull you out.
Hazard
Fumes, gas or lost oxygen knock you out inside a space you cannot get out of
Who might be harmed and how
The person inside and anyone who goes in after them
Controls in place
- Stop and get the confined space plan before anyone goes in.
- Never go in to pull a mate out without the rescue kit.
Torch and welding fume fills a closed space fast and most deaths are the second person going in.
HSE: Confined spaces Prove it dead before you cut into it
- Metalwork often carries cables, conduit or trunking. Get the circuit switched off, locked off and proved dead first.
- Do not cut, grind or weld on anything still live.
Hazard
Cutting into a live cable or conduit gives a shock, a flash burn or starts a fire
Who might be harmed and how
The person cutting and anyone nearby
Controls in place
- Only the person who locked it off takes the lock off.
- Prove the tester on a known live source before and after.
A lock-off and a proved dead test is the only way you know the circuit is off.
HSE: Electricity, systems in buildings Check the welding equipment
- Inspect the machine, leads, holder, torch and connectors before plugging in.
- Withdraw damaged equipment from use.
Hazard
Electric shock, burns or a failed welding return circuit
Who might be harmed and how
The welder and nearby workers
Controls in place
- Use equipment suitable for the task and in good condition.
- Report defects before the arc is struck.
A pre-use check finds electrical and return-circuit defects before welding starts.
HSE: Safety risks from welding
What the builder asks about Hot works
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What will you cut or grind with?
- Which welding process will you use?
- Which gas set will you use?
- Is this joint on drinking water?
- What is on the metal?
- What is on the metal?
- What will heat the joint?
Where
- Is the welder or workpiece damp?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run in, behind or through the metalwork you are cutting?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What has the part held?
- What is the piece doing when you cut it?
- Where can the flame, sparks or slag go?
What your Hot works 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.
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. 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 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.