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Mastic asphalt roofing RAMS Builder
Mastic asphalt roofing risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for laying hot mastic asphalt and repairing an asphalt roof.
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Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.
Mastic asphalt roofing RAMS template
A blank mastic asphalt roofing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Mastic asphalt roofing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Mastic asphalt roofing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Mastic asphalt roofing, Rear flat roof, 8 Weaver Street Offices, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Roofing Ltd
- Site and work area
- Rear flat roof, 8 Weaver Street Offices, Stockport
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Three roofers: Dan Hollins leads and runs the boiler; Priya Shah lays on the roof; Sam Okoro works the hoist.
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.
- 2Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix roof materials in strong wind; a large sheet is a sail. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning, and rest in the shade in hot weather.
- 3Stop things falling on people belowFence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the roof materials. Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.
- 4Plan the hot roof workConfirm the specified asphalt, delivery method, carrying route and roof-edge controls before starting. Agree who controls the hot material and who keeps people out of the route and drop area.
- 5Work 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.
- 6Use the hoistCheck the hoist has a current inspection tag and can take the weight. Keep people out from underneath while a load is up.
- 7Keep the carrying route clearClear the route before moving hot asphalt. Keep people out of the route while material is being moved.
- 8Move asphalt in safe containersCarry hot asphalt in proper lidded containers. Set containers down on non-combustible surfaces.
- 9Set up fire controls before heatingRemove or protect combustible material along the roof, route and below the work. Agree the fire watch, extinguisher and stop arrangements before heating starts.
- 10Lay the asphalt in baysSpread each coat evenly onto the prepared surface or preceding coat. Use the specified float, gauges, coat sequence and thickness.
- 11Form the roof edges and junctionsFollow the specified detail at edges, upstands, outlets, gutters and penetrations. Keep the junction clean and fully bonded as the coat is formed.
- 12Cool the boiler before touching itTurn off the burner before maintenance or repairs. Keep people clear and allow the burner to cool before touching it.
- 13Clear 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.
Wind catches the roof materials or blows someone off balance at height
The team and people below
Agree a wind limit for panels and platforms and check the forecast each morning. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.
Roof materials falling onto people below
People below, including the public
Lower waste in bags or a chute, never throw it. Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.
Unplanned hot material or fall exposure during roof work
Roofing workers and people below
Use the agreed roof access and exclusion area. Stop if the method or fire arrangements are unclear.
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.
A load falls from the hoist onto someone below
People below the hoist
Secure the load and use a tag line for large panels. One person controls the lift and everyone can hear them.
A trip or hot spill occurs while asphalt is being moved
Roofing workers and people below
Check the route before each carry. Set containers down only where they cannot slide or burn the surface.
Hot asphalt spills and burns someone or ignites nearby material
Roofing workers and people below
Use the planned carrying route and exclusion area. Keep containers stable while they are set down.
Hot asphalt, burner or spill starts a fire
The roofing team, people in the building and the public
Keep escape routes clear. Do not heat while the fire arrangements are unsettled.
Uneven waterproofing, blistering or loss of footing
Roofing workers and the building
Keep the surface free from contamination. Stop and correct a bay that is outside the specified detail.
A poorly formed junction lets water in or leaves a trip at the roof edge
Roofing workers and the building
Keep people away from open edges and hot material. Stop if the detail or outlet is not ready.
A hot burner causes burns or starts a fire during maintenance
Roofing workers and people nearby
Follow the site fire arrangements. Do not restart the boiler until it has been checked.
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 Mastic asphalt roofing RAMS covers
Heating and laying hot mastic asphalt on a flat roof, and cutting out and patching damaged areas. Not covered: asphalt paving on roads and car parks.
- Hot asphalt roofing
- Asphalt roof repair
Suggested steps and hazards for Mastic asphalt roofing
Suggested for hot asphalt roofing before any questions are answered.
Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix roof materials in strong wind; a large sheet is a sail.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning, and rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the roof materials 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 panels and platforms and check the forecast each morning.
- 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
- Fence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the roof materials.
- Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Roof materials falling onto people below
Who might be harmed and how
People below, including the public
Controls in place
- Lower waste in bags or a chute, 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 Plan the hot roof work
- Confirm the specified asphalt, delivery method, carrying route and roof-edge controls before starting.
- Agree who controls the hot material and who keeps people out of the route and drop area.
Hazard
Unplanned hot material or fall exposure during roof work
Who might be harmed and how
Roofing workers and people below
Controls in place
- Use the agreed roof access and exclusion area.
- Stop if the method or fire arrangements are unclear.
A clear plan joins the hot material, roof access and people below before work starts.
HSE: Roof work
What the builder asks about Mastic asphalt roofing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
Where
- What nearby material could catch fire?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will the hot asphalt reach the roof?
- What defect are you repairing?
- What part of the roof are you laying?
- What repair material is specified?
- How will the roof materials and tools get to the work?
What your Mastic asphalt roofing 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.