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Window cleaning RAMS example

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Window cleaning RAMS example

Cleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed pole

All from the ground, in an open office set back behind its own car park, on cold November mornings.

See the method statement on its ownDownload PDFDownload Word

What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • Overhead lines: walk and measure every side
  • Pole length against window height
  • A coned area that reaches a public footway needs a different plan
  • Where the hose runs
  • Frost and wind on the day
  • Working alone: hourly contact
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTCleaning the outside of a two-storey officewith a water-fed poleHollins & Reed Window Cleaning Ltd · 18 and 19 November 2026 · In charge: Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Window Cleaning LtdSite and work areaAlder House, 3 Bridgefield Way, StockportPlanned dates18 and 19 November 2026CustomerThornley Vale Estates LtdIn charge on siteDan HollinsTeamTwo people, both trained in water-fed pole work: Dan Hollins leads;Priya Shah works with him and they swap between the pole and thecones. They stay on the same side of the building, in sight of each other.New starters do not join this job until they are practised on a short pole.WorkCleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed polePrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesClean the outside glass from the ground. Areas: Front and entrance elevation, with the walkway andfirst parking bays; Side and rear elevations, with the parking bays below themWorking arrangementAccess: the floor or ground.Other people will be using the area.The offices stay open. Why from the ground: every window can be seen from the car park andthe top of the first-floor glass is about 6.5 m up, so a 7.5 m pole does the whole job and nobodyneeds a ladder, a cradle or a lift. The coned area is about 7.5 m wide, and the building sits behindits own car park, so it never reaches the public footway. The entrance side is done from 07:00 toWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 4
  2. Example: Cleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed poleComplyOnSite08:30, before staff arrive, and the building manager keeps the parking bays under each sideempty on its day. The hose runs from the van, parked inside the cones, and never crosses the carpark aisle. The only overhead line is the low-voltage line along the rear boundary, about 15 mfrom the rear wall. Cold mornings mean waterproofs and gloves, and a break in the van betweensides.Emergency arrangementsAnyone hurt, including a slip on the paving or a struck visitor: Priya Shah rings 999, or Dan Hollins ifPriya is the one hurt, and sends for the office first aider, J. Patel, at reception. Our own first aid kit isin the van. Reception opens the car park barrier and meets the crew at the Bridgefield Wayentrance, and the van moves if it blocks the way to the casualty. Before reception opens, thebuilding manager’s key holder does this, and our own first aid kit is the first aid. Fire: the building’salarm. Lower the pole, leave it inside the cones and go to the assembly point at the front corner ofthe car park, and report to the building manager.Planned method1Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active workarea. Keep entrances and escape routes clear.2Keep people clear of the workAgree how people get past or around the work while it is going on. Put barriers or signs wherea route crosses the work. Do not leave open work unattended.3Stay on the groundEvery window is cleaned with a water-fed pole from the ground. Nobody works from a ladder,a roof or a platform. Look at every window from the ground first. If you cannot see it clearly,leave it out and tell the client. Look for loose gutters, flashing and other parts a pole couldknock down.4Check the pole and the water systemCheck the pole for worn, cracked, dented or bent sections, loose clamps, a loose brush headand worn butt rings. Check the filters are in date and the system has had its annualsterilisation. Check the tank is secured in the van and the full tank keeps the van within itspayload.5Keep the pole away from overhead linesEvery side of the building has been walked. No overhead line is within 10 m of where the polegoes up. Raise and lower the pole only at the places checked on the walk, and only with thebrush against the building. Never lift the pole away from the building to rinse it, lower it or walkit to the next window.6Check the weather before you startStop handling cleaning equipment and water-fed poles when the wind is strong enough tocatch them. Stop for ice or any risk of lightning. Rain alone does not stop this job: no overheadline is within 10 m.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 4
  3. Example: Cleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed poleComplyOnSite7Cone off the area around the poleCone off an area as wide as the pole is high. Put warning signs out for wet ground and hoses,and wear hi-viz. Use bright hose, with a sign wherever it crosses a walkway.8Clean with the lightest pole that reachesUse the shortest, lightest pole that reaches the top of the window. Purified water only, with nochemicals. Brush the glass and frame from the top down, then rinse. Work from the legs: asingle step forward and back takes the effort off your arms. Swap sides, and share the poleacross the team. Never leave a raised pole unattended, even for a moment. Wear safety boots:a pole can slip through your hands.9Keep the wet paving safeSqueegee water off walkways and entrances as you go. In frost, grit the walkways and stop ifthe water freezes on the paving or in the hoses.10Check the glass and ground before handing backCheck the glass, seals, ground and equipment before leaving. Tell the client about damagedglass, leaks or residue before the area is reopened.11Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell thecustomer or whoever runs the site when the work is complete.Risk assessmentHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placePeople entering thework area or trippingover materialsStep 1Workers,occupants andvisitorsMark or barrier the active work area. Store tools and materialsaway from access routes.People using thebuilding or passingby walking into thework or over what itleavesStep 2Occupants,visitors, membersof the public andworkersKeep the barriers and signs up while the work is active. Givepeople a clear way round where their normal route is blocked.Someone climbs toreach a window thepole cannot, and fallsStep 3Window cleanersNo ladder comes off the van for this job. A window the polecannot reach is a different job with its own plan.A failed pole falls onsomeone, orlegionella grows in aneglected systemand spreads in thesprayStep 4Window cleanersand people nearbyTake a defective pole off the job. Keep the system cool when itis not in regular use. In warm months, drain the tank and filtersif it will stand idle for more than three days.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 3 of 4
  4. Example: Cleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed poleComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeThe pole touches anoverhead line, or thecurrent jumps to it,and electrocutes theperson holding itStep 5The personholding the poleTreat the pole as able to carry current, whatever water is in it.Stop and tell the site contact if you find a line the walk missed.Wind catches thecleaning equipmentand water-fed polesand blows them ontopeople nearbyStep 6The team andpeople nearbyCheck the forecast before you start and agree when the windstops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before youleave.A falling pole strikessomeone, orsomeone trips on ahoseStep 7People using thebuilding, visitorsand the publicNever run a hose across a road or vehicle route withoutbarriers. Keep the coned area up until the pole is down.Holding a pole up forlong periods strainsthe back, neck andshouldersStep 8Window cleanersTake regular breaks, and do other tasks between runs of polework. Stop if you cannot keep the pole under control in thewind. Stop and lower the pole if there is any risk of lightning.Someone slips onwet or icy pavingStep 9People using thebuilding, visitorsand windowcleanersKeep the wet-floor signs out until the paving is clear. Watchyour own footing while you look up at the pole.Damage, wet groundor equipment is leftwhere people can beexposedStep 10Occupants, publicand the clientKeep wet or closed areas protected until safe. Record defectsand remove all tools, hoses and waste.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 11Workers,occupants andvisitorsRemove waste by the agreed route. Record and protect anyunfinished work.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 4

Method statement and risk assessment, side by side

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.

Use an example, then make it yours

HSE says not to just copy an example and put your company name on it: that would not satisfy the law or protect your people.

The builder asks about your site and rewrites the hazards and steps.

RAMS example questions

Are these real jobs?

No. Every job, company, person and address here is made up. Each one is a worked example written with our builder, and every page says so.

Can I use one as it is?

No. Your site, your people and your emergency arrangements will be different. Change it to fit your job before anyone works to it.

Why do they carry ComplyOnSite branding?

They are made with our builder and printed in its standard design. A RAMS you build yourself carries your company name.

Word or PDF?

Both. Word if you will change the wording yourself, PDF to read or print. Or press Use this and edit it in the builder, then download your own copy.

Where is the blank?

On the RAMS template page. These examples are all filled in.

How were they checked?

Each one is read against published guidance, mainly from HSE, for its facts, the order of the work and its emergency arrangements. The sources are listed beside it. If a document changes, it comes off this page until it has been checked again. The check covers the example, not your job.