Leadwork RAMS Builder
Leadwork risk assessment and method statement
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Leadwork RAMS template
A blank leadwork RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Leadwork 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Leadwork RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Leadwork, 9 Park Road, Altrincham: roof and chimney
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 wrong sheet or detail fails under movement or weather
Leadworkers and building occupants
Use the specified rolled lead product. Refer other lead forms to their supplier instructions.
Breathing asbestos fibres from old boards, sheets, sealants or insulation
The team and anyone in the building
Do not cut, drill or break any material until it is confirmed asbestos free. Licensed work is not for this method; hand it to a licensed contractor.
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 lead sheet and 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.
Lead sheet 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.
Back and shoulder injury from carrying heavy or long items
Everyone handling materials
Use a trolley or sack truck on the flat where the load suits one. Where the work is up a level, hand items up or hoist them. Never carry them up a ladder.
A load falls from the hoist onto someone below
People below the hoist
Secure the lead sheets and rolls before the lift. One person controls the lift and everyone can hear them.
Lead dust or fume is inhaled, swallowed or spread to others
Leadworkers and people nearby
Use the lead assessment and exposure controls. Keep non-workers away from the work area.
Hand and wrist strain from bossing and dressing the sheet
Leadworkers
Use the agreed tools and a leadworker trained in the detail. Share long dressing runs and take breaks from bossing.
Loose or badly formed lead lets water through the junction
Leadworkers and building occupants
Follow the approved roof detail. Do not substitute a jointing method without review.
Old lead dust or debris is inhaled, swallowed or spread to others
Leadworkers and people nearby
Do not treat old lead as ordinary clean metal waste. Stop if the material is not identified or the waste route is unclear.
Lead dust is swallowed or carried away on skin and clothing
Leadworkers and their families
Provide washing and separate storage for contaminated clothing. Keep breaks away from the work area.
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.
Leadwork, 9 Park Road, Altrincham: roof and chimney
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Roofing Ltd
- Site and work area
- 9 Park Road, Altrincham: roof and chimney
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two roofers: Dan Hollins leads and checks the scaffold and roof each morning; Priya Shah works with him.
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.
- 3Confirm the rolled lead and detailCheck that this job's rolled lead sheet matches the roof detail and supplier information. Keep the detail available at the work face.
- 4Check for asbestos before you disturb anythingCheck the asbestos survey covers exactly what you will disturb, to the full depth. Register only, or nothing: get a refurbishment survey or a sample first. Read what it says about old roof sheets, flashings, sealants and insulation around the leadwork. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 5Find 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.
- 6Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix lead sheet and tools in strong wind. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 7Stop things falling on people belowKeep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the lead sheet and tools. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
- 8Work 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.
- 9Carry the lead sheets and rolls safelyPlan the route, clear it, and get help with anything long or heavy. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to.
- 10Use the hoistCheck the hoist's thorough examination report is in date and it can take the weight. Keep people out from underneath while a load is up.
- 11Control lead exposure before workIdentify where lead will be used or disturbed and whether dust or fume could be created. Set the work method before cutting or forming the sheet.
- 12Shape the sheet coldUse the specified bossing tools to form the sheet without thinning or marking it. Do not heat the sheet; stop if the detail needs welding or soldering.
- 13Fix and weather the detailFix the dressed sheet using the specified clips, cleats, laps or welt. Keep the weathering path clear and secure.
- 14Contain old material and wasteKeep removed lead and other old roof material contained while it is taken down. Use the agreed waste route and keep it away from welfare areas.
- 15Wash before leavingRemove contaminated gloves and wash hands and forearms before eating, drinking or smoking. Keep contaminated clothing and lead waste out of welfare areas.
- 16Clear 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 leadwork RAMS covers
Dressing rolled lead cold into flashings, soakers, gutters and abutments, and forming laps, welts, rolls and drips. Not covered: lead welding and lead burning.
- Cold-dressed leadwork
- Lead joints
Suggested steps and hazards for leadwork
Suggested for cold-dressed leadwork before any questions are answered.
Confirm the rolled lead and detail
- Check that this job's rolled lead sheet matches the roof detail and supplier information.
- Keep the detail available at the work face.
Hazard
The wrong sheet or detail fails under movement or weather
Who might be harmed and how
Leadworkers and building occupants
Controls in place
- Use the specified rolled lead product.
- Refer other lead forms to their supplier instructions.
The specified rolled lead and detail are needed for a sound weathering junction.
Rolled Lead Sheet manual Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix lead sheet and tools in strong wind.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- Rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the lead sheet and 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 Stop things falling on people below
- Keep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the lead sheet and tools.
- Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Lead sheet and tools 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
What the builder asks about leadwork
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What lead detail are you forming?
- Are you joining new or old lead?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run around or behind the roof junctions and fixings?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will the lead be held?
- What joint method is specified?
- Will old lead or roof material be disturbed?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
- How will the lead sheets and rolls get to the work?
What your leadwork 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.