Raised floors RAMS Builder
Raised floors risk assessment and method statement
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Raised floors RAMS template
A blank raised floors RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Raised floors 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Raised floors RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Raised floors, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
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.
Breathing asbestos fibres from old tiles, boards or pipe lagging in the void
The floor fitters and everyone in the room
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.
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 larger opening can destabilise supports and expose a fall
Installers, service workers and others
Use barriers and keep people away from the opening.
Dropped or dragged panels can injure people and damage edges
Floor installers and service workers
Use the correct lifting device for the panel finish. Keep the opening controlled while panels are out.
Panels can chip, slip or become damaged
Installers and later users
Use a clean protected storage place near the opening.
A panel may rock or fail if it does not seat correctly
Installers and floor users
Repair or refer defects before hand-back.
An incorrectly replaced panel moves or leaves a trip or fall hazard
Floor users and other trades
Keep any defective panel out of service and report it for replacement.
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.
Raised floors, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Contracting Ltd
- Site and work area
- Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two operatives: Dan Hollins leads and checks the area 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.
- 2Check for asbestos before you lift panelsIn a building from before 2000, ask for the asbestos survey before the first panel comes up. Read what it says about the floor void, the old tiles under it and any lagged pipes down there. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 3Find 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.
- 4Carry the raised-floor panels 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.
- 5Mark the minimum openingMark the panels directly over the planned access before lifting any panel. Keep the rest of the floor closed and protect the opening.
- 6Lift panels straight upUse the approved lifter and raise panels vertically without dragging them. Keep hands clear as each panel is lifted.
- 7Protect removed panelsPlace removed panels on a protective layer, not face to face on adjacent panels. Keep edges and finishes free from impact.
- 8Check supports before closingRemove fragments and check every gasket and support before replacing panels. Do not cover a damaged or missing support.
- 9Reinstate and hand back the floorReplace panels in their original positions and check the finished level. Remove barriers only when the opening is closed and the area is safe to use.
- 10Clear 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 raised floors RAMS covers
Setting pedestals and laying panels for a new raised floor, and lifting and reinstating panels to work in the void. Not covered: cable pulling or pipework in the void.
- Install raised floor
- Open and reinstate panels
Suggested steps and hazards for raised floors
Suggested for open and reinstate panels before any questions are answered.
Check for asbestos before you lift panels
- In a building from before 2000, ask for the asbestos survey before the first panel comes up.
- Read what it says about the floor void, the old tiles under it and any lagged pipes down there.
- No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
Hazard
Breathing asbestos fibres from old tiles, boards or pipe lagging in the void
Who might be harmed and how
The floor fitters and everyone in the room
Controls in place
- 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.
A floor void hides old lagging and board that nobody sees until a panel comes up.
HSE: The duty to manage asbestos in buildings: Arrange an asbestos survey Mark the minimum opening
- Mark the panels directly over the planned access before lifting any panel.
- Keep the rest of the floor closed and protect the opening.
Hazard
A larger opening can destabilise supports and expose a fall.
Who might be harmed and how
Installers, service workers and others
Controls in place
- Use barriers and keep people away from the opening.
A marked minimum opening limits the exposed area and protects the surrounding floor.
NESITE installation manual of raised floor Lift panels straight up
- Use the approved lifter and raise panels vertically without dragging them.
- Keep hands clear as each panel is lifted.
Hazard
Dropped or dragged panels can injure people and damage edges.
Who might be harmed and how
Floor installers and service workers
Controls in place
- Use the correct lifting device for the panel finish.
- Keep the opening controlled while panels are out.
Vertical lifting protects people, panels and their finished edges.
NESITE installation manual of raised floor
What the builder asks about raised floors
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Which raised-floor system is approved?
- How many panels need lifting?
Where
- What pipes or cables run in or under the raised floor panels?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- Will anything heavy cross the finished floor?
- How will the raised-floor panels get to the work?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What your raised floors 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.