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Lorry loader RAMS example

Worked examples for common jobs, written with our builder. Read, download, adapt.

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Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loader

Packs of blocks and plasterboard landed on a small building site, on a standing lift plan reviewed for this site.

See the method statement on its ownDownload PDFDownload Word

What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • Domestic or trade customer: it changes who plans the lift
  • Ground, cellars and drains under the set-down
  • Overhead lines within 10 m
  • Public footway or road
  • Who slings
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTUnloading a builders’ merchant delivery with alorry loaderHollins & Reed Builders Merchants Ltd · 12 October 2026 (one delivery) · In charge: Tom EllisWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Builders Merchants LtdSite and work areaPlot 3, Hawthorn Road, StockportPlanned dates12 October 2026 (one delivery)CustomerThornley Vale Estates LtdIn charge on siteTom EllisTeamThree people: Dan Hollins, the merchant’s appointed person, plannedthe lift and is not on site; Tom Ellis, the merchant’s driver, operates thelorry loader and supervises the lift; Priya Shah, the site’s namedbanksman, is the trained slinger signaller. Anyone can stop the lift.WorkUnloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderPrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesLorry loader lift. Areas: Hardstanding beside Plot 3Working arrangementAccess: the floor or ground.Lift plan: merchant’s standing delivery plan, reviewed for this site.Other people will use parts of the area at times.Site staff only. The load is six packs of plasterboard and four packs of blocks, about 1.2 t a packat most, weights from the delivery ticket, lifted with the loader’s pallet forks and landed onbearers on the hardstanding. Everything lifts off from the ground, by the remote control, sonobody goes on the bed. The merchant and the site agreed who does what before the day. TheWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 6
  2. Example: Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderComplyOnSitesite confirmed the weight limits, access, ground, and that there are no cellars, voids or drainsunder the set-down and no overhead line within 10 m. The driver waits in the agreed safe placewhen not lifting.Emergency arrangementsThe driver is a visitor: Priya Shah gives the assembly point, first aider and access on arrival, and thedriver has the exact address and the merchant’s lone-working contact. Load stuck in the air: nobodygoes under it; the operator lands it. Crushed by a stabiliser or the load: stop the crane, isolate thecontrols, ring 999. Overhead line contact: stay clear, ring 999 and ask for the line owner. Priya Shahrings 999 and meets the crew at the site gate; if she is the one hurt, the driver makes the call. Testthe radios before lifting. Lose contact during a lift: stop. Load shifted or someone trapped: stop allmovement, keep people clear, call 999. Do not release any more straps.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.3Work to the lift planEvery lift is planned before it starts by someone who knows this kind of lift. A routine lift thesame crew does every day can run on one standing plan; anything different gets plannedagain. The plan gives the weight of the crane and everything on the hook, the radius, theslings, the load route, the landing point and the wind limit. No plan on site, no set-up. Read itwith the crew on the day.4Delivery lift: the firm delivering plans and runs itThis delivery is planned and run by the firm delivering, under its own appointed person. Thepeople named in the team carry out the roles in the plan, and anyone can stop the lift.5Everyone knows their job on the liftName the driver, the slinger signaller and the person supervising before the first lift. Onlytrained people drive the crane, sling loads or give signals. One person gives the signals at atime, and everyone knows who it is.6Know the weight before you hook onGet the real weight from the ticket, the drawing or the supplier; do not guess it. Work theweight against the crane chart at the radius you are actually lifting at, not the shortest one.Look at where the load balances, and add the weight of the slings, beam or frame.7Check the weather before you startStop handling big loads when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, iceor lightning.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 6
  3. Example: Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderComplyOnSite8Keep people out from under the loadFence or tape off the area the load travels over and the area the crane slews over, before thefirst lift. Nobody stands under a suspended load or inside the swing of the crane. Carry theload over clear ground wherever you can, not over people or occupied buildings.9Bring the lorry in with a banksmanUse a banksman if the lorry has to reverse. Keep people out of the reversing area.10Park the lorry loader and set the stabilisers outPark on firm level ground, handbrake on, engine and PTO set as the machine needs, beforeanything comes off. Put the stabilisers fully out on pads, and know what the crane can lift withthe spread you have got. Watch the stabiliser legs the whole time they move, and stand clearof them and the vehicle body.11Check the crane and the tackleLook at the crane report: lifting accessories get a thorough examination every 6 months, thecrane every 12 months. Do the daily checks the machine needs and look over every sling,attachment, shackle and hook before it goes on. Everything on the hook is marked with what itcan lift.12Check the forks or grab before every liftLook over the forks or grab for damage, and check it is marked with what it can lift. Check itsuits the pack and can take the weight.13Loose bits and banded packsPut loose material in a proper lifting bin or net, never slung straight off the pack bands. Checkbanding is tight and unbroken; re-band or net anything that has been opened. Fill bins belowthe rim so nothing can bounce out in the air.14Check the load before the straps come offCheck how the load has shifted in transit before you release a strap, and stand clear when youdo.15Seat the pack so it cannot slipSet the forks or grab fully under or around the pack so it sits level and cannot slide off. Lift itjust clear of the ground, stop, and check it sits level and nothing has moved before it goes up.16Lift the load off the bed in the right orderUnload evenly from both sides so the lorry does not go lopsided as the bed empties. Unloadfrom the ground if you can. Anyone who has to go on the bed needs proper access andsomething to stop them falling.17Land it before you unhook itHave the landing spot ready and packed with bearers before the load leaves the ground. Bringit down slow, land it fully, make sure it is stable on its own, then release it. Stack and tie whatyou land so it cannot topple once the crane has gone.18Stop the lift if anything changesStop for wind above the limit in the plan, for poor visibility, and for anyone walking into thezone. Stop if the load is not behaving, the crane makes a noise it should not, or a warningWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 3 of 6
  4. Example: Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderComplyOnSitecomes up. Land the load, or set it down where it is safe, before anyone goes to sort theproblem out.19Stow everything before the lorry movesCheck nothing is loose. Bring the stabilisers fully in and stow the crane before the lorry moves.20Clear 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.The crane isoverloaded or set upwrong becausenobody worked thelift out before itstartedStep 3The lift crew andeveryone thecrane can reachKeep the plan on the job where the crew can see it. If the load,the ground or the spot is not what the plan says, stop and get itplanned again.Nobody is in chargeof the lift becauseeach side thinks theother isStep 4The lift crew andeveryone thecrane can reachSay in the team on this document who plans, who operates,who slings and who can stop the lift. Agree the ground,services and people on the site before the day.Two people signal atonce, or somebodyuntrained slings aload and it comes offthe hookStep 5The lift crew andanyone near theliftAnyone on the lift can call stop and the driver stops. Swap thesignaller only by telling the driver first.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 6
  5. Example: Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeThe crane tips or thejib fails because theload is heavier, orfurther out, thananyone thoughtStep 6The lift crew andeveryone thecrane can reachIf nobody can tell you the weight, do not lift it. Never work thecrane past what the chart allows, even for one lift.Wind catches the bigloads and blowsthem onto peoplenearbyStep 7The 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 dropped load, orthe crane slewinground, strikessomebody standingwhere they shouldnot beStep 8The lift crew, othertrades and thepublicHave someone watching the zone while a load is in the air.Stop the lift if anyone walks into it, and start again only when itis clear.The lorry strikessomeone whilereversingStep 9Site staff andanyone on therouteThe driver stops if the banksman goes out of sight.The lorry tips as thecrane reaches out, ora tilting stabiliser legcrushes the operatoragainst the bodyStep 10The driver andanyone standingby the lorryPin or lock a tilting leg upright before you move the stabiliserbeam, and never tilt and retract together. Use the remotecontrol and stand where you can see the load and the legs.A worn sling,damaged hook or anout-of-date cranefails with the load inthe airStep 11The lift crew andeveryone belowthe loadBin any sling with cuts, kinks, frayed rope or a stretched link;do not knot it to shorten it. A crane out of date for examinationdoes not lift until it is done.A damaged oroverloadedattachment drops theloadStep 12Everyone belowthe loadTake anything damaged out of use straight away.A brick, a board or abit of waste falls outof the load in the airStep 13Everyone belowthe load routeNever lift a pack by its banding alone. Clear loose bits off theload before it moves.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 5 of 6
  6. Example: Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeBanded or stackedmaterial falls off thebed when the strapscome offStep 14The driver andanyone near thelorryIf the load has moved in transit, get help before you releaseanything.The pack slides offthe forks, or dropsout of the grabStep 15Everyone near orbelow the loadNobody rides the load and nobody puts a hand under it. Set itback down and reset it if it does not sit right on the trial lift.The lorry goeslopsided, or thedriver falls climbingon the bedStep 16The driver andanyone near thelorryNever stand between the load and the lorry while the crane ismoving it. If the operator leaves the controls to attach a sling,isolate them first.A landed load topplesor rolls ontosomebody once thecrane takes theweight off itStep 17The slinger andanyone workingnear the landingspotNever unhook a load that is leaning or propped againstsomething. Keep hands and feet out from under while it isbeing set down.Carrying on with a liftthat no longermatches the planStep 18The lift crew andeveryone thecrane can reachAnybody can call stop, including the driver. Do not start againuntil the person in charge of the lift says so.The lorry moves withthe crane or astabiliser outStep 19The driver andpeople on therouteWalk round the lorry before driving off.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 20Workers,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 6 of 6

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.