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Welding RAMS Builder
Welding risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for arc welding ordinary components on site. Name the parts being welded and where, keep the suggested steps that fit and review the PDF draft.
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Prepare the Welding RAMS
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Which welding process will you use?
More details
MMA, MIG, MAG and TIG use different equipment and fume controls. Choose the process on the job.
What a Welding RAMS covers
Joining identified metal parts by arc welding, where the parts do not carry structural load.
Suggested steps and hazards for Welding
What it offers for arc weld before you have answered anything.
No torch work in a tank, pit or duct
- Hot work inside a tank, pit, chamber or duct is not covered by this method.
- Get the space tested for gas, agree how you get out, and have someone on the outside who can pull you out.
Hazard
Fumes, gas or lost oxygen knock you out inside a space you cannot get out of
Who might be harmed and how
The person inside and anyone who goes in after them
Controls in place
- Stop and get the confined space plan before anyone goes in.
- Never go in to pull a mate out without the rescue kit.
Torch and welding fume fills a closed space fast and most deaths are the second person going in.
HSE: Confined spaces Prove it dead before you cut into it
- Metalwork often carries cables, conduit or trunking. Get the circuit switched off, locked off and proved dead first.
- Do not cut, grind or weld on anything still live.
Hazard
Cutting into a live cable or conduit gives a shock, a flash burn or starts a fire
Who might be harmed and how
The person cutting and anyone nearby
Controls in place
- Only the person who locked it off takes the lock off.
- Prove the tester on a known live source before and after.
A lock-off and a proved dead test is the only way you know the circuit is off.
HSE: Electricity, systems in buildings Stop things falling on people below
- Fence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the tools, hot metal and slag.
- Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Tools, hot metal and slag 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 Check the welding equipment
- Inspect the machine, leads, holder, torch and connectors before plugging in.
- Withdraw damaged equipment from use.
Hazard
Electric shock, burns or a failed welding return circuit
Who might be harmed and how
The welder and nearby workers
Controls in place
- Use equipment suitable for the task and in good condition.
- Report defects before the arc is struck.
A pre-use check finds electrical and return-circuit defects before welding starts.
HSE: Safety risks from welding
What the builder asks about Welding
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Which welding process will you use?
- What is on the metal?
Where
- Is the welder or workpiece damp?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run in, behind or through the metalwork you are cutting?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will the steel, tools and metal parts get to the work?
What your Welding RAMS includes
Method statement
The sequence of the work, step by step. The suggestions are a starting point; you write the method for the job as it will be done.
Risk assessment
Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. There is no risk score: you judge each row against the real site, and adding a hazard does not put its controls in place.
PDF draft for review
The document as you left it, for someone competent to check. A download is not approval and not permission to start work.