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Welding RAMS example

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Welding RAMS example

MIG welding a pump frame in a plant room

MIG welding bare mild steel at floor level in a closed plant room, with on-torch extraction, while the retail park keeps trading.

See the method statement on its ownDownload PDFDownload Word

What to change

  • Company, people, site and dates
  • Who issues the permit, and who is fire watcher
  • What captures the fume: outdoors, extraction cannot be relied on and RPE does the work
  • Whether the steel is painted: paint means a different fume and a prepared surface
  • The size of the room and how air gets in: a small closed space may be a confined space
  • Whether the frame carries any part of the building: then an engineer decides first
  • What is stored or lagged near the work
  • Emergency arrangements

Sources

Checked

  1. ComplyOnSitecomplyonsite.comWORKED EXAMPLE: RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENTMIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomHollins & Reed Metalwork Ltd · 10 and 11 November 2026 · In charge: Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Job detailsCompanyHollins & Reed Metalwork LtdSite and work areaPlant room, Kingsway Retail Park, StockportPlanned dates10 and 11 November 2026CustomerKingsway Retail Park Management LtdIn charge on siteDan HollinsTeamTwo people: Dan Hollins welds; Priya Shah is the fire watcher and doesno hot work.WorkMIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomPrepared byDan HollinsSignatureDateWork and boundariesMIG weld a new steel pump frame. Areas: Plant room, new pump base frame on the existing plinthWorking arrangementAccess: the floor or ground.The work area will be kept clear of other people.The retail park keeps trading. The plant room, about 8 m by 6 m and built in 2009, is closed toeveryone else while we work, with the door shut and the low and high louvres kept clear. Thefacilities manager issues the hot-work permit and walks the room with us. The screen keepssparks off the low louvres, so they are not boarded. The pump maker’s drawing calls for awelded base frame, so bolting will not do, and the frame is too big for the door in one piece. Thesections are cut in our workshop and welded here, so nothing is cut on site. A fault that wouldneed grinding out stops the work and is reported. Our weld procedure covers the joints and howthe steel is cleaned. The frame stands on the existing plinth and carries only the pump: no part ofthe building rests on it. The lagging on the pipes nearby is covered before we start. Dan HollinsWorked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 1 of 5
  2. Example: MIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomComplyOnSitewears flame-resistant overalls and gauntlets. Both of us wear powered air helmets, because theroom is small and fume can linger. Priya Shah stays behind the screen by the door, where shecan see the work. Hot work stops at 15:00, the watch runs to 16:00, and the last check is at 17:00.Emergency arrangementsFire: shout, break the glass at the call point outside the plant room door, and leave down the servicecorridor. While the detectors are off, Priya Shah is the detection for that zone: she raises the alarmfirst and tackles a fire only if it is safe. Close the gas cylinder if you can do it safely. Muster at therear service yard and report to the facilities manager, who tells the fire service the shielding gascylinder is on the welding trolley in the plant room. Burn or anyone taken ill: first aider S. Okafor,facilities office. Priya Shah rings 999, or Dan Hollins if she cannot. The facilities team meets thecrew at the service yard gate and walks them down the corridor.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.2Check the welding equipmentInspect the set, leads, torch, gas hose and connectors before plugging in. Check the wirefeeds cleanly and the extraction runs. Withdraw damaged equipment from use.3Check for hidden servicesFind cables and pipes before you disturb anything: drawings, then a detector. Mark what youfind. Nothing on this job is cut into or isolated. Not sure what is there? Do not start: ask the sitecontact.4Carry the steel, tools and metal parts 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.5Clear combustibles before hot workWalk the area with the site contact. Check around the work, below it and on the other side ofany partition. Move combustible material away, or cover it with flame-resistant covers. Protectopenings with non-combustible board. Agree which detector zone is isolated, who isolates itand who puts it back on. Place at least two suitable extinguishers at the work and post a firewatcher who is not doing the hot work.6Clean the steel and clamp the partClean the steel at each weld as the weld procedure says. Clamp the part in place before youstrike the arc.7Clamp the return to clean work metalClamp the current return close to the weld on clean metal. Do not use a handrail, pipe orbuilding frame unless it is the workpiece.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 2 of 5
  3. Example: MIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomComplyOnSite8Secure the shielding gas cylinderBring only the cylinder the job needs and secure it upright on the welding set trolley, beforeuse. Close the cylinder valve before connecting or disconnecting anything, and at the end ofeach shift. Keep the hose free of kinks and clear of hot metal.9Screen the arc from other peopleSet a welding screen around the work before striking the arc. Wear the correct welding filterand covering clothing.10Capture welding fume at the torchUse the on-torch extraction on every weld, set up to the maker’s instructions. Any air itdischarges into the work area must be filtered. The torch does not catch all of it, so the welderalso wears a powered air welding helmet with an APF of at least 20. Keep your head out of theplume.11Get the hot-work permit for this place and shiftGet a permit for this location and this shift, once the area is cleared and the fire cover is inplace. It states the place, the times, the precautions, how to raise the alarm, who is in controland who authorised it. Keep a copy on display at the work.12Work under the permitWeld only what the permit covers. Keep the fire watcher on duty during the work and throughevery break. Stop hot work two hours before the end of the working day.13Check each finished weldLook over every finished weld before you move on. Put right small faults on the spot, such as apoor stop or start. If you see a crack, stop and report it. Keep a record that the welds werechecked.14Complete the fire watch before handbackKeep a continuous fire watch for at least an hour after hot work stops, then make at least onemore check two hours after finishing. Inspect behind walls, below floors and in voids beforeclosing the permit. Have the detector zone put back on as soon as the work stops, and sign offthe permit.15Clear 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: MIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeElectric shock, burnsor a failed weldingreturn circuitStep 2The welder andnearby workersUse equipment suitable for the task and in good condition.Report defects before the arc is struck.Hitting a live cable orgas pipe causesshock, fire or gasescapeStep 3The person doingthe work andeveryone nearbyCheck again wherever the work moves. If you hit something,stop, keep clear and report it.Back and shoulderinjury from carryingheavy or long itemsStep 4Everyone handlingmaterialsUse a trolley or sack truck on the flat where the load suits one.Where the work is up a level, hand items up or hoist them.Never carry them up a ladder.Sparks, hot metal orspatter starts a fireStep 5Everyone in andnear the work areaSparks can travel a long way and start fires in other rooms:check the routes they can take. Put a cold method first if thejob can be done without heat.A loose part moves,or dirty metal makesmore fumeStep 6The welder andpeople nearbyStop and ask if you find paint or a coating you did not expect.Stray welding currentcauses shock, burnsor property damageStep 7The welder andpeople touchingnearby metalKeep the return path short. Stop if the return cannot attachsafely to the workpiece.A cylinder falls, or itsgas leaksStep 8The welder andpeople nearbyCheck the cylinder and fittings before use with leak detectionfluid or soapy water. Do not use a cylinder that leaks or isdamaged.Arc-eye, burns andharmful lightreaching peoplenearbyStep 9The welder,passers-by andnearby workersKeep unprotected people outside the screened area. Use asuitable welding curtain or screen.Breathing weldingfume: lung cancer,and manganese harmto the nervesStep 10The welder andpeople nearbyGeneral ventilation alone does not control welding fume. Keeppeople out of lingering fume, and keep anyone who is notprotected out of the welding area. Keep the extraction’s testrecord with the set. It needs a thorough examination at leastevery 14 months.Hot work startsbefore the fireprecautions are inplaceStep 11Everyone in andnear the work areaNo permit, no hot work. A new shift or a new place needs anew permit.Worked example. Change it to fit your job before you use it.Page 4 of 5
  5. Example: MIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomComplyOnSiteHazardWho might beharmed and howControls in placeA fire takes holdunseen during thework or a breakStep 12Everyone in andnear the work areaThe fire watcher raises the alarm first, and tackles a fire only ifit is safe. Stop and get the permit changed if the job or theplace changes.A weld that looksfinished has a fault,and the part fails inuseStep 13People who use orwork near the partThe welder checks their own work. Anything more than a smallfault goes to the person who asked for the weld.A smouldering firedevelops after thework stopsStep 14Everyone in andnear the work areaTell the site when the work and watch are finished. Keep to alonger watch if the site requires one.Debris, tools orunfinished work leftin the areaStep 15Workers,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.