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Tarmac laying RAMS example

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Tarmac laying RAMS example

Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly open

Old surface tested and planed off, private retail car park, laid bay block by bay block with shoppers around.

See the method statement on its ownDownload PDFDownload Word

What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • Age of the surface and the tar result
  • Whether any of it is highway
  • Open or closed car park
  • Paver or hand lay
  • Tipper access and overhead lines
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTTarmac resurfacing on a car park that stayspartly openHollins & Reed Surfacing Ltd · 12 to 16 October 2026 · In charge: Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Surfacing LtdSite and work areaThornley Vale Retail Park car park, StockportPlanned dates12 to 16 October 2026CustomerThornley Vale Estates LtdIn charge on siteDan HollinsTeamFive people: Dan Hollins leads and runs the paver; Priya Shah rakes andchecks levels; Tom Ellis drives the roller; a shovel driver and a signallerwork with them.WorkTarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openPrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesLay asphalt surfacing. Areas: Bay blocks A to D, one block at a timeWorking arrangementAccess: the floor or ground.Other people will be using the area.The old surface was tested for tar before planing: clear. The car park stays partly open; each bayblock is closed with barriers while we work, to the phasing drawing, and shoppers are kept out.Hot mat is treated as a danger to people until it has cooled. Reversing areas are marked. Tipperstip on firm level ground with a signaller, never with the body raised near overhead wires.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 5
  2. Example: Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openComplyOnSiteEmergency arrangementsBitumen burn: cool with water for at least 20 minutes, from the water containers kept at the work.Do not try to take the bitumen off on site; the burns card goes with the patient. Fuel or plant fire:everyone clear, shut the plant down if it is safe. Tipper touching an overhead line: stay clear andring the line owner on the number on the site board. Ambulance route: the east entrance, kept openthrough every phase, plant never parked across it. The signaller rings 999 and meets the crewthere. Fire routes for the shops stay open. First aider: Priya Shah, kit in the cab. The address to giveis Thornley Vale Retail Park, Stockport.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.3Test the old surface for coal tarTest before planing. Coal tar was used in all layers until the mid-1980s. A PAK marker is ascreen, not a result. Where nothing is known, assume the arisings are hazardous.4Find and isolate hidden servicesFind cables and pipes before you disturb anything: drawings, then a detector. Mark what youfind. Not sure what is there? Turn the supply off, or do not start. Have cables and gas isolatedby the right person and prove them dead before you start.5Check the weather before you startStop handling signs, covers and loose materials when the wind is strong enough to catch them.Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.6Carry the cones, barriers and hand tools safelyPlan the route, clear it, and get help with anything long or heavy. Store materials close to thework so nobody carries further than they need to.7Keep the delivery route safeUse a firm, even route suitable for the delivery vehicle and the work area. Separate drivers,pedestrians and surfacing plant before hot material arrives. Tip on firm, level ground with asignaller, not in high winds. No raised body near overhead wires.8Plane or break out the old surfaceKeep the dust down. Cut-off saw work needs water and an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3), fittested and clean-shaven. Sweep and clear it, and remove standing water before anything islaid.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 5
  3. Example: Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openComplyOnSite9Check and prepare the baseCheck the base, levels, drainage, cleanliness and moisture before asphalt is delivered. Do notlay on a wet, contaminated or damaged base; put it right or stop the job.10Reset covers and ironwork on a sound bedFind every cover, gully and fixed feature, and reset each on a sound bed before laying.11Apply the bond coatApply bituminous emulsion to the cleaned surface.12Control the paver and delivery gapKeep the paver, delivery vehicle and roller moving in the agreed sequence. Use clear signalsand keep people out of the paver and reversing zones.13Assess vibration from the pedestrian roller or plateNote how long each person's hands are on each tool while it runs. Take the tool's vibrationfigure from the maker or HSE's table and check it fits how you use it. Points per hour timeshours 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-vibrationkit or less time, and never pass 400. Write the result down. Sharing the work does not replacethis.14Spread the specified asphalt courseLay the specified mix to the agreed line, level, thickness and course sequence. Keep the matfree from contamination and keep people clear of the paver and hot material.15Compact the asphalt in sequenceCompact uniformly with the agreed roller type, load and sequence while the mat is at thespecified temperature. Keep the roller route separate from people and other plant. Wear earprotection on or near the roller.16Cool, inspect and release the routeKeep vehicles and pedestrians off until the fresh surfacing has cooled and passed the projectcheck. Remove barriers only after the customer or site contact accepts the route and defectsare corrected.17Clear 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.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 3 of 5
  4. Example: Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placePeople 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.Coal tar in the oldsurface is breathedin, touched or sent tothe wrong tipStep 3Surfacing teamand whoever takesthe wasteDo a full assessment, including COSHH, if tar is found. Keepthe waste records for any tar-bound arisings.Hitting a live cable orgas pipe causesshock, fire or gasescapeStep 4The person doingthe work andeveryone nearbyCheck again wherever the work moves. If you hit something,stop, keep clear and report it.Wind catches thesigns, covers andloose materials andblows them ontopeople nearbyStep 5The team andpeople nearbyCheck the forecast before you start and agree when the windstops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before youleave.Back and shoulderinjury from carryingheavy or long itemsStep 6Everyone handlingmaterialsUse a trolley or sack truck on the flat where the load suits one.A vehicle or personslips, trips or isstruck on the deliveryrouteStep 7Surfacing team,drivers andpedestriansUse the agreed traffic plan and a trained vehicle marshal. Keeppeople out of the reversing and unloading area.Silica dust fromplaning and sawingold asphaltStep 8Surfacing teamand people nearthe workKeep the public out of the working area. Stop sawing if thewater stops. Stop if the arisings do not match the test.A failed or unevenbase leaves adefective surfaceand creates trips orskidsStep 9Surfacing team,drivers and peopleusing the routeRecord the base check before delivery. Keep rain and standingwater out of the laying area.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 5
  5. Example: Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeA cover left loose orproud becomes a tripor a failure undertrafficStep 10Everyone usingthe surfaceDo not lay over a cover that has not been checked.Skin contact withbitumen emulsionStep 11Surfacing teamWear gloves and long sleeves, and wash any splash off skinstraight away. Keep people and vehicles off the coated area.A delivery vehicle orpaver strikes aperson or stops themat from being laidevenlyStep 12Surfacing team,drivers andpedestriansUse one agreed marshal and visible signals. Stop plant beforeanyone enters its operating area.Hand-arm vibrationfrom the pedestrianroller or plateStep 13The roller operatorKeep the tools maintained and hands warm. Gloves do not stopvibration. Give health checks to anyone above the action value.Hot asphalt ormoving plant injuressomeone, or thefinished course isunevenStep 14Surfacing team,drivers and peoplenearbyHave a competent supervisor control laying and finishing. Usethe agreed plant route and exclusion area.Poor density,displaced asphalt ora roller strikessomeoneStep 15Surfacing teamand people nearthe plantUse the approved trial or project compaction method. Use atrained operator and clear signals.A road user entersfresh asphalt, isburned or damagesan unfinished surfaceStep 16Drivers,pedestrians andsurfacing teamKeep the closure and diversion in place through cooling.Record the inspection and handover.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 17Workers,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 5 of 5

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.