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Lifting risk assessment and method statement
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Lifting RAMS template
A blank lifting RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Lifting 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Lifting RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Lifting, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport: yard and materials store
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.
The truck is operated without the skills needed for its controls or site risks
The operator and everyone near the truck
Check training and authorisation before allocating the work. Do not treat experience on another truck as enough for this one.
A brake, tyre, steering or lifting defect causes a collision or dropped load
The operator and people near the truck
Anything wrong with the brakes, steering or lifting: park it up and report it. Do not use a truck whose examination has run out.
The truck overturns or the goods fall because the load exceeds the arrangement
The operator, receiver and people nearby
Use only stable fork-supported goods under this method. Get a separate method for suspended loads, attachments or person lifting.
A pedestrian is struck or crushed by the truck or load
Pedestrians, the operator and the signaller
Use barriers and separate routes where possible. The operator stops when the signaller is lost or a person enters the area.
The truck or load strikes a person during movement
The operator, receiver and people on the route
Use the agreed route and crossing controls. Stop if vehicles and people cannot be separated.
The operator is thrown or crushed if the counterbalance truck overturns
The forklift operator
Use a truck with the required restraint system. Stop and report a damaged or unusable restraint.
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.
Lifting, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport: yard and materials store
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Contracting Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport: yard and materials store
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two operatives: Dan Hollins drives the counterbalance forklift (trained and authorised); Priya Shah is the banksman and keeps people clear of the route.
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.
- 2Use the trained truck operatorUse an operator trained for this type of truck, its job and the site. Give familiarisation and close supervision when the operator is new to the task.
- 3Check the truck before you drive itDo the daily checks on the truck: brakes, steering, tyres, forks, mast and horn. Check the truck has a current thorough examination certificate. A service is not the same thing.
- 4Match the load to the truckCheck the load, forks, capacity information, load centre and receiving support before lifting. Do not lift an unstable, damaged or over-capacity load.
- 5Keep the route and people separatedUse the prepared route and keep pedestrians out of the truck's travel and load area. Use the planned signaller where visibility or crossings require one.
- 6Separate vehicles from peopleSegregate vehicles from other site users during movement or loading and unloading.
- 7Use the fitted operator restraintFasten the truck's fitted restraint before moving, where one is provided. Keep the restraint in use for the whole truck movement.
- 8Clear 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 lifting RAMS covers
Lifts with a forklift or telehandler, running a temporary hoist, and lifting by hand. Not covered: crane lifts.
- Forklift use
- Telehandler interface
- Temporary hoist use
- Manual handling
Suggested steps and hazards for lifting
Suggested for forklift use before any questions are answered.
Use the trained truck operator
- Use an operator trained for this type of truck, its job and the site.
- Give familiarisation and close supervision when the operator is new to the task.
Hazard
The truck is operated without the skills needed for its controls or site risks
Who might be harmed and how
The operator and everyone near the truck
Controls in place
- Check training and authorisation before allocating the work.
- Do not treat experience on another truck as enough for this one.
Truck-specific training and familiarisation give the operator the skills for this work.
HSE: Lift-truck training Check the truck before you drive it
- Do the daily checks on the truck: brakes, steering, tyres, forks, mast and horn.
- Check the truck has a current thorough examination certificate. A service is not the same thing.
Hazard
A brake, tyre, steering or lifting defect causes a collision or dropped load
Who might be harmed and how
The operator and people near the truck
Controls in place
- Anything wrong with the brakes, steering or lifting: park it up and report it.
- Do not use a truck whose examination has run out.
A fault you find in the yard is a lot cheaper than one you find with a load in the air.
HSE: Thorough examination of industrial lift trucks Match the load to the truck
- Check the load, forks, capacity information, load centre and receiving support before lifting.
- Do not lift an unstable, damaged or over-capacity load.
Hazard
The truck overturns or the goods fall because the load exceeds the arrangement
Who might be harmed and how
The operator, receiver and people nearby
Controls in place
- Use only stable fork-supported goods under this method.
- Get a separate method for suspended loads, attachments or person lifting.
Matching the stable load to the truck capacity prevents overturning and dropped goods.
HSE: Safe lifting by machine
What the builder asks about lifting
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- How heavy and how big is it?
- What will the telehandler do?
- Which forklift and load arrangement will you use?
- What makes the load difficult?
Where
- Where will it land?
- What is the carrying route like?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- Can you avoid carrying the load?
- Which machine, forks and load chart will you use?
- How will the landings and load be controlled?
- Can people and vehicles be kept clear?
- How will people be kept away from the truck?
- How often will you repeat the handling?
- Who will be about?
What your lifting 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.