Documents are AI-assisted drafts and must be checked and approved by a competent person before use. Not legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer
Electrical RAMS fail when they say 'isolate' and stop there. A principal contractor, and a decent client, wants to see how the circuit will be locked off, how it will be proved dead, and what happens if the building must stay partly live.
This sample is written for installation, replacement and fault-finding by a competent electrician. It assumes live working is not the plan. If a test cannot be done dead, that is a separate decision by a competent person, not something the draft should hide.
When to use it. Consumer unit changes, new circuits, lighting replacement, making good after other trades, and any job inside a live building. Minor works still need a plan when other people are nearby.
How the circuit will be isolated, locked off and proved dead, including the tester and proving unit.
What stays live in an occupied building, and how other trades are kept off that board.
Work at height for fittings, and access that is not a chair or an unfooted ladder.
Asbestos in old boards, fuse carriers and heater cupboards: stop if it is not in a survey.
That certification under BS 7671 is separate from this RAMS.
Who is competent to do the work, without claiming a card the company has not confirmed.
Sample excerpt
From the electrical base inside RamsBox. It is not a RAMS for a real address until you add the site.
Electric shock from a circuit thought to be dead. Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Identify the circuit, isolate at the correct device, lock off and tag. Keep the key with the person doing the work.
Prove the tester, prove the circuit dead, prove the tester again, with GS38 leads.
Agree the extent of the work, the circuits affected, and how long supplies will be off.
Brief operatives and tell other trades which areas will lose power.
Isolate, lock off, tag, and prove dead before any conductor is exposed.
Hazards and controls
Electric shock from a circuit thought to be dead
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 15 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Identify the circuit, isolate at the correct device, lock off and tag. Keep the key with the person doing the work.
Prove the tester, prove the circuit dead, prove the tester again, with GS38 leads.
If isolation cannot be proved, stop. Do not start on memory or on a label alone.
Arc flash or burns at a distribution board
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 10 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Do not remove covers on live gear as a shortcut. Dead working is the method.
Stand to the side when a device that may be faulty is re-energised, after people are clear and the visual check is done.
Fire from a poor connection or overloaded temporary supply
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 8 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Terminations are tightened to the manufacturer's method and inspected before energising.
Temporary supplies are from a maintained source, RCD protected where required, and not daisy-chained from domestic sockets as a workshop.
Falls while replacing high-level lights or containment
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 12 (High) · residual 4 (Low)
Use a podium, tower or MEWP for sustained work overhead. Ladders are not the default working place.
IPAF or PASMA competence applies if that access equipment is used.
Asbestos in old boards, gaskets, fuse carriers and ceiling tiles
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 10 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Stop if a material might be asbestos and it is not covered by a survey and a plan.
Do not drill suspect boards 'to have a look'.
Other trades and occupants restoring a supply
Who might be harmed: Other contractors and visitors on site; occupants
Initial 12 (High) · residual 4 (Low)
Tell the person in charge which circuits are off and for how long.
The lock-off stays on until the electrician who fitted it removes it.
Relevant legislation and guidance
Only the UK sources kept for this trade. This is not legal advice, and RamsBox is not affiliated with HSE.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Employers and the self-employed must protect workers and others so far as is reasonably practicable.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The assessment must be suitable and sufficient, and the controls must be put in place.
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022). PPE is the last resort in the hierarchy of control. It must be suitable, maintained, and provided to limb (b) workers as well as employees after the 2022 amendment.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. The responsible person reports specified injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences. This RAMS does not decide whether a report is due.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Where this is construction work, the contractor plans, manages and monitors it. This RAMS does not replace a construction phase plan.
HSE L153 Managing health and safety in construction. HSE guidance on CDM 2015. Use it to judge whether the plan is proportionate to the job.
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Electrical systems must be safe. Work on or near live conductors is avoided unless it is unreasonable to work dead.
BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IET Wiring Regulations). The UK standard for electrical installation work. This RAMS does not replace design or certification.
HSE HSG85 Electricity at work: safe working practices. HSE guidance on isolation, proving dead and safe working. Follow the current edition.
HSE GS38 Electrical test equipment for use on low voltage electrical systems. Test leads and probes should meet GS38 where electrical testing is part of the job.
Work at Height Regulations 2005. Avoid work at height where you can. Otherwise prevent a fall, and only then minimise the distance and the consequences.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Work equipment must be suitable, maintained, and used by people who have been given the right information and training.
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Do not disturb suspected asbestos. Stop and follow the survey and a specific plan. This RAMS is not an asbestos method.
Sequence, tickets and PPE
Agree the extent of the work, the circuits affected, and how long supplies will be off. Write down the circuits, how long they are off, and who else needs to know before isolation.
Brief operatives and tell other trades which areas will lose power. Tell other trades which sockets and lights will go off, and when they come back.
Isolate, lock off, tag, and prove dead before any conductor is exposed. Lock off and tag at the point of isolation, then prove dead with a proving unit tested before and after.
Carry out the installation or repair. Keep covers on gear that is still live. Covers stay on live gear. Live working is not this method.
Inspect the work, remove tools and offcuts, and check polarity and connections before any re-energisation. Tools and offcuts out. Polarity and connections checked before any re-energisation.
Remove the lock only when it is safe, re-energise, and test to the standard required for the job. Only the person who applied the lock removes it, then test to the standard this job needs.
Complete the certificates or minor-works record separately from this RAMS. Certificates or the minor-works record are completed separately. This RAMS is not that record.
Hand the area back and tell the person in charge the supply is restored. Tell the person in charge the supply is restored and which circuits were worked on.
Competent electrician: ECS/JIB or equivalent, with BS 7671 current for the work
Safe isolation procedure practised, not just written
CSCS or site card where the principal contractor requires it
IPAF or PASMA where MEWP or a mobile tower is the access method
Safety footwear
Insulated tools for the task
Eye protection when drilling or cutting
Gloves when handling metal containment and when the COSHH sheet requires them
Head protection on a construction site or where work is overhead
DRAFT - needs competent person review. A competent person still has to check the draft against the site.
Questions on electrical RAMS
Is a RAMS the same as an electrical installation certificate?
No. The RAMS is the plan for doing the work without hurting people. Certification and BS 7671 paperwork are separate and still required where the wiring regulations say so.
Do you expect live working?
The base controls say the circuit is isolated, locked off and proved dead with a proving unit and a GS38-compliant tester. Live work is not described as normal practice.
What card should be on the RAMS?
The competency line asks for a competent electrician, typically an ECS gold card or equivalent, and BS 7671 qualification. The draft does not claim your company holds them. You confirm that.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement for electrical work?
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems to be safe and live work to be avoided unless it is unreasonable to work dead. A RAMS is how you show the isolation plan. It does not replace an electrical installation certificate or minor works record.
Who should write an electrical RAMS?
A competent electrician who will be on the job, typically someone with the BS 7671 knowledge the work needs. An administrator can type it up. They should not invent the isolation method.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement for an electrician?
The assessment scores shock, arc and falls. The method states the order: identify the circuit, isolate, lock, prove the tester, prove dead, then work. 'Isolate before starting' is not a method if it never says how the circuit is proved dead.
Should live working appear as normal practice?
No. The base controls assume the circuit is dead. If a test cannot be done dead, that is a separate decision by a competent person, with its own justification, not a line hidden in a generic RAMS.
AI-assisted draft. A competent person must review it and approve it for the site before use. RamsBox does not provide health and safety advice and is not affiliated with HSE.