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
Hot works is where a thin RAMS causes real fires. Soldering, grinding, welding, lead-welding and bitumen boilers all need the same backbone: a permit, combustibles gone or covered, extinguishers to hand, and someone who stays after the flame is out.
This sample is the method for doing hot works safely, not a fire-risk assessment of a whole building. Insurers and principal contractors commonly expect a continuous watch during the work and for at least 60 minutes afterwards. If the site permit asks for longer, the permit wins.
When to use it. Any grinding, welding, brazing, soldering, torch work or bitumen boiler on a site that is not a purpose-built hot-works bay. Roof leadwork and steel cutting in a refurbishment are typical.
The permit: who issues it, when it expires, and what is moved or protected first.
Extinguishers, a fire watch during the work, and a watch after the last spark.
Combustibles, cylinders, and how gas is isolated at the end of the shift.
The building’s fire alarm and whether the responsible person has agreed any isolation.
Burns, fumes and the people on the floors above and below.
That this RAMS is not a fire risk assessment of the whole premises.
Sample excerpt
From the hot works base inside RamsBox. It is not a RAMS for a real address until you add the site.
Fire in the building, a roof void, or waste from sparks and hot slag. Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Take a hot-works permit where the site has one. If it has none, complete the same checks and name them on the briefing.
Remove combustibles. Where they cannot move, cover them with fire blankets and wet down if the method allows.
Confirm whether a site permit is required and who can issue it.
Walk the area, including the other side of walls, floors and roof voids, for combustibles and people.
Clear or cover combustibles. Place extinguishers. Name the fire watch.
Hazards and controls
Fire in the building, a roof void, or waste from sparks and hot slag
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 15 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Take a hot-works permit where the site has one. If it has none, complete the same checks and name them on the briefing.
Remove combustibles. Where they cannot move, cover them with fire blankets and wet down if the method allows.
A suitable extinguisher is at the point of work, and the user knows which type it is.
Fire watch during the work and for at least 60 minutes after, longer if the permit says so. Check the far side of walls and voids.
Burns to the operative
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 9 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Gloves, eye protection and clothing suitable for the process. No synthetic tops that melt.
Allow metal to cool or mark it hot. Do not leave freshly cut steel where someone will grab it.
Fumes from welding, lead or bitumen in a poorly ventilated space
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 12 (High) · residual 6 (Medium)
Ventilate. Do not weld or run a boiler in a small room with the door shut.
Use the extraction or respirator the COSHH assessment names for that fume.
Gas cylinders: fire, leak, or a cylinder falling
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 10 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Cylinders upright, secured, and fitted with flashback arrestors where the process requires them.
Store spares outside where the site allows, away from the hot work and from waste.
Check hoses before lighting up. Shut cylinders at the valve at every break, not only at the torch.
Sparks reaching the public or other trades
Who might be harmed: Members of the public next to the work; Other contractors and visitors on site
Initial 12 (High) · residual 4 (Low)
Screen the work. Stop other trades from passing through the spark zone.
Do not grind next to a site hoarding with pedestrians on the other side unless screens contain the sparks.
Bitumen boiler fire or scald
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 8 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
The boiler is sited level, away from the building edge and from combustibles, and never left unattended while lit.
Do not heat the boiler with an improvised burner. Follow the manufacturer's setup.
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.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The responsible person for the premises owns the fire risk assessment. A hot-works RAMS does not replace it.
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002. If a flammable atmosphere could exist, stop and assess it under DSEAR before any hot work. This draft assumes it does not.
HSE HSG168 Fire safety in construction. HSE guidance on fire risk during construction, including hot works. Follow the current edition and the site permit.
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 Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Assess exposure to hazardous substances, including dusts, and control it. The safety data sheet informs the assessment.
Sequence, tickets and PPE
Confirm whether a site permit is required and who can issue it. A hot-work permit is in place before any torch, grinder or boiler is lit, where the site requires one.
Walk the area, including the other side of walls, floors and roof voids, for combustibles and people. Check the other side of walls, floors and roof voids for combustibles and people.
Clear or cover combustibles. Place extinguishers. Name the fire watch. Combustibles cleared or covered, extinguishers in place, and a named fire watch.
Brief everyone, including other trades who must stay out. Other trades stay out of the area for the duration of the permit.
Set up cylinders or the boiler as the manufacturer describes. Leak-check before use. Cylinders or the boiler set up as the manufacturer describes, and leak-checked before use.
Carry out the hot work. The fire watch stays in place. The fire watch stays at the point of work for the whole burn.
Stop, shut valves, and keep the fire watch for at least 60 minutes. Valves shut. Fire watch remains for at least 60 minutes after the last heat.
Do a final check of voids and the work area before leaving the site. Voids and the work area checked again before anyone leaves the site.
Trained and experienced in the specific hot process being used
Knows how to use the extinguisher provided
A second person briefed as fire watch where the spark path is hidden
CSCS or site card where the principal contractor requires it
Eye protection or a welding visor matched to the process
Flame-resistant or cotton clothing. No nylon
Gauntlets for welding and bitumen
Safety boots
Respirator if the COSHH assessment requires it
DRAFT - needs competent person review. A competent person still has to check the draft against the site.
Questions on hot works RAMS
Is a permit always required?
On managed sites, yes, take the principal contractor's hot-works permit. On a small domestic job with no permit system, the draft still uses the same checks: clear combustibles, extinguisher, and a named fire watch. Write those names on the briefing sheet.
How long is the fire watch?
The base text says continuous watching during the work and for at least 60 minutes after it stops, then a further check before the site is left. Extend it if the permit or the materials (timber floors, voids, insulation) justify it.
Can the same person weld and be the fire watch?
Not if they cannot see the other side of a wall or a roof void. The draft asks for a second person where spark paths are hidden.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement for hot works?
Hot work has to be planned. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 sits with the responsible person for the premises, and DSEAR applies where a dangerous substance can create a fire or explosion risk. A hot-works RAMS and a permit are how contractors show the controls for this task. They do not replace a fire risk assessment of the building.
Who should write a hot-works RAMS?
The person in charge of the welding, grinding or bitumen, together with whoever will issue the permit. The responsible person for the building needs to agree alarm isolations and the fire watch. Do not copy a permit from the last job.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement for hot works?
The assessment identifies flame, sparks, fumes and cylinders. The method is timed: clear combustibles, issue the permit, do the work, fire-watch, then close the permit. A method that ends when the torch is put down is incomplete.
Is a hot-works RAMS the same as a fire risk assessment?
No. A fire risk assessment looks at the premises and the responsible person’s duties. A hot-works RAMS looks at one task. RamsBox drafts the task RAMS. The fire risk assessment template explains the other document.
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.