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Roofing risk assessment and method statement
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Roofing RAMS template
A blank roofing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Roofing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Roofing, 22 Hawthorn Road, Stockport: front and rear slopes
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.
Falling through a fragile covering or opening
Roofers and people below
Use the planned platform, staging or other protection. Stop if the roof differs from the job information.
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 roofing materials and gutter 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.
Roofing materials and waste falling onto people below
People below
Bring waste down by hand, in bags or by the chute. 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.
A load falls from the hoist onto someone below
People below the hoist
Secure the roofing materials and waste before the lift. One person controls the lift and everyone can hear them.
Falling from the sloping roof edge
Roofers and people below
Use collective edge protection before personal fall protection. Keep the protection in place during the repair.
Silica dust from power cutting damages the lungs
The person cutting and anyone downwind
Cut in one place, away from other trades. Collect any slurry while it is wet. Clear any dry dust with an H or M Class vacuum, not a brush.
Silica dust if the water stops, and slipping on slurry
The person cutting and anyone nearby
Stop cutting if the water stops.
A disc bursts or the tool kicks back and cuts the user
The person cutting
Only someone trained to change discs fits them. Stop and swap any cracked or worn disc.
Hearing damage and hand-arm vibration from power tools
The person cutting
Use sharp blades and discs, which cut faster with less vibration. Warn people nearby before you start cutting.
Slips, falling units and rain entering an unfinished roof
Roofers and people below
Use the specified fixing method for the covering. Do not use battens or gutters as footholds.
Dropped material striking people or leaving the building open to weather
Roofers, occupants and the public
Fence or sign the area below while material is moved. Remove waste by the agreed route before handback.
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.
Roofing, 22 Hawthorn Road, Stockport: front and rear slopes
- Company
- Hollins & Reed Roofing Ltd
- Site and work area
- 22 Hawthorn Road, Stockport: front and rear slopes
- Planned dates
- 12 to 14 October 2026
- In charge on site
- Dan Hollins
- Team
- Two roofers: Dan Hollins leads and works the roof; Priya Shah feeds tiles from 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 roof before accessCheck the covering, openings and safe way on before starting. Treat an unconfirmed roof as fragile until it has been checked.
- 3Check 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, soffits, eaves and gutter debris. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 4Find 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.
- 5Check the weather before you startDo not lift or fix roofing materials and gutter tools in strong wind. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 6Stop things falling on people belowKeep people out of the area below the work so nobody walks under the roofing materials and waste. Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
- 7Work 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.
- 8Use 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.
- 9Protect the roof edgePut the agreed scaffold, guardrail or other edge protection in place before stepping onto the slope. Keep people out of the drop zone while units are moved.
- 10Control the dust when cuttingCut tiles in one set area on a sacrificial board, never dry. Wear an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3) when you cut: fit tested and clean-shaven. Keep other people out of the dust.
- 11Wet cuttingThis job is wet cutting: keep water on and collect the slurry.
- 12Use the grinder or disc cutter safelyCheck the disc is the right type and speed for the tool and the material. Keep the guard on and both hands on the tool. Wear impact-rated eye protection.
- 13Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders when cutting. Note how long each person's hands are on each tool while it runs. Take the tool's vibration figure from the maker or HSE's table and check it fits how you use it. Points per hour times hours on the trigger, added up for the day, gives the exposure: 100 points is the action value, 400 is the limit. HSE's vibration calculator does the sum. Over 100, cut it with lower-vibration kit or less time, and never pass 400. Write the result down. Sharing the work does not replace this. Keep the tools maintained.
- 14Replace the damaged unitsRemove only the agreed local area and support the covering as you work. Check exposed battens and underlay before fitting the specified replacement. Cover any opening that cannot be finished the same day.
- 15Lower waste and leave it safeLower old units and offcuts in a controlled way; never throw them. Keep tools and fixings in a bag or bucket. Secure any unfinished opening before leaving.
- 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 roofing RAMS covers
Pitched roof repairs and new coverings, cold-applied EPDM, gutters and downpipes, and gutter clearing. Not covered: torch-on felt and other hot roofing.
Falls from height caused 97 of 186 construction worker deaths in five years (HSE, 2021/22–2025/26p). See the figures
- Pitched repair/install
- Cold EPDM patch/install
- Rainwater repair/replace
- Gutter cleaning
Suggested steps and hazards for roofing
Suggested for pitched repair/install before any questions are answered.
Check the roof before access
- Check the covering, openings and safe way on before starting.
- Treat an unconfirmed roof as fragile until it has been checked.
Hazard
Falling through a fragile covering or opening
Who might be harmed and how
Roofers and people below
Controls in place
- Use the planned platform, staging or other protection.
- Stop if the roof differs from the job information.
The roof condition and access route must be known before the repair starts.
HSE: Roof work Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix roofing materials and gutter tools in strong wind.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- Rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the roofing materials and gutter 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 roofing materials and waste.
- Keep toe boards and guards in place on any platform, and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Roofing materials and waste falling onto people below
Who might be harmed and how
People below
Controls in place
- Bring waste down by hand, in bags or by the 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
What the builder asks about roofing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What covering are you repairing?
- Is the deck ready for bonding?
- What are you changing?
- Can you clean the gutter from the ground?
- What is in the gutter?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run in the roof, eaves or wall fixings?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- Are the membrane products identified?
- Will the existing supports hold?
- Can the membrane be held while bonding?
- Where will the water discharge?
- How will you catch the debris?
- How will the roofing materials and waste get to the work?
What your 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. 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.