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
A roofing RAMS has to deal with height first. Most principal contractors will not let a roofing gang sign in until they can see how falls, fragile surfaces and dropped materials will be controlled on that particular roof, not on a generic one.
This sample starts from the hazards that show up on domestic re-roofs, flat-roof overlays and small commercial repairs. Edge protection, a fragile-roof check, and a weather stop rule are in the base. Your site address, plant and any extra hazards are added when you build a draft. A competent person still has to walk the roof and change anything that does not fit.
When to use it. Use it before strip-and-relay, flat-roof replacement, leadwork, chimney repairs, or any job where people or materials go above ground level. Ladders used only as access still need a plan.
How people get onto the roof, and how they are stopped from falling from an edge, an opening or a fragile surface.
A check for roof lights, asbestos cement and old garage sheets before anyone walks the area.
Where materials land, and how tiles, timber and lead get up and down without being thrown.
The weather limit: who stops the job in wind, ice or heavy rain.
Manual handling of ridge tiles and long timber, and any hot bitumen or lead work.
Briefing and a signature before the first person goes up.
Sample excerpt
From the roofing base inside RamsBox. It is not a RAMS for a real address until you add the site.
Fall from the roof edge, an opening, or through a fragile surface. Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Put edge protection or a scaffold working platform in place before anyone goes onto the roof.
Mark roof lights, voids and suspected fragile sheets on arrival and cover or barrier them before foot traffic.
Sign in, find the client or principal contractor contact, and confirm the roof access and drop zone.
Walk the ground and, from a safe place, look for overhead lines, fragile sheets, roof lights and public edges.
Brief every operative on this RAMS. No one goes up until the brief is signed.
Hazards and controls
Fall from the roof edge, an opening, or through a fragile surface
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 15 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Put edge protection or a scaffold working platform in place before anyone goes onto the roof.
Mark roof lights, voids and suspected fragile sheets on arrival and cover or barrier them before foot traffic.
Ladders are for access only. They are footed or tied, and set at a safe angle on firm ground.
Stop the job in high wind, ice, or heavy rain. The supervisor makes that call.
Materials or tools falling onto people below
Who might be harmed: Other contractors and visitors on site; Members of the public next to the work
Initial 12 (High) · residual 4 (Low)
Set an exclusion zone under the eaves and on any public side before stripping starts.
Stack tiles and lead away from edges. Nothing is thrown from the roof.
Use a hoist, gin wheel or mechanical handler for heavy lifts rather than carrying sheets up a ladder.
Manual handling of tiles, felt, timber and lead
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 12 (High) · residual 4 (Low)
Break loads down. Two people lift ridge tiles, lead rolls and long timber.
Keep a clear path from the drop zone to the roof ladder so people are not twisting on a slope.
Contact with overhead services or a live cable in the loft
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 10 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Look for overhead lines before scaffolding or a MEWP is set. Keep the stated clearance.
Treat unknown cables in lofts as live until a competent person proves otherwise. Do not cut them.
Disturbing asbestos cement sheets, soffits or old insulation
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 10 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
If asbestos is suspected and not in a current survey, stop and do not break the material.
Only people with the right category of training remove licensed or non-licensed asbestos, and only under a separate plan.
Cuts, burns and fumes from lead, bitumen or disc cutting
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 9 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Hot bitumen and lead-welding follow the hot-works controls if they are in this job: permit, extinguisher, fire watch.
Disc cutters are used with the guard on, dust suppression where silica is likely, and eye and hearing protection.
Wash lead dust off skin. No eating on the roof.
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.
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.
HSE INDG401 Working at height: a brief guide. Short HSE guide to the Work at Height Regulations. It does not replace a site-specific method.
HSE HSG33 Health and safety in roof work. HSE guidance on fragile roofs, edge protection and short-duration roof work. Follow the current edition.
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.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Lifting equipment and lifting operations must be planned, supervised and carried out safely.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess what remains, and reduce the risk.
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.
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.
Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Assess noise from tools such as cutters and breakers, and control exposure. Hearing protection is not the first control.
Sequence, tickets and PPE
Sign in, find the client or principal contractor contact, and confirm the roof access and drop zone. Confirm who is in charge, the scaffold handover, and where the drop zone is before anyone unloads.
Walk the ground and, from a safe place, look for overhead lines, fragile sheets, roof lights and public edges. Stay at ground level for this look. Mark overhead lines, roof lights and public edges before access goes up.
Brief every operative on this RAMS. No one goes up until the brief is signed. Read the hazards and the stop rule. No one goes onto the roof until the briefing is signed.
Install the access and edge protection described for this job before materials are lifted. Edge protection and the agreed access are complete and checked before tiles or timber are lifted.
Set the exclusion zone and the materials landing area. Barriers and signs in place, banksman present, footpath diversion agreed.
Carry out the roofing work in the order agreed, keeping the working edge protected as the job moves. Keep the working edge protected as the work moves. Stop if the edge protection no longer covers the open area.
Lower waste in a controlled way. Do not bomb tiles or timber off the roof. Waste goes down the chute or hoist. No one stands under a load, and nothing is thrown from the roof.
Clear the roof, inspect the work area, remove access only when the roof is clear of people, and sign out. The roof is empty of people before access comes down. Walk the ground and sign out with the client.
CSCS or an equivalent recognised card for the operatives on a managed site
Working at height training for anyone going onto the roof
IPAF for anyone operating a MEWP, if one is used
PASMA for mobile tower assembly, if a tower is used
Asbestos awareness, and a stop-and-report rule
Safety helmet when anyone is working above, or under a scaffold
Safety boots with midsole protection
Gloves suitable for the material being handled
Eye protection when cutting or drilling
Harness and anchor only where the method says fall arrest is the control, with a rescue plan
DRAFT - needs competent person review. A competent person still has to check the draft against the site.
Questions on roofing RAMS
Does a one-day domestic re-roof still need a RAMS?
If someone can fall, or materials can fall on someone else, write it down. Domestic clients and main contractors both ask for it, and the Work at Height Regulations apply whether or not CDM notification is required.
Can the crew work from a ladder?
The base template treats ladders as access, not a working platform. Short-duration light work is only acceptable where a safer platform is not reasonably practicable and the competent person records why.
What about old garage roofs and roof lights?
Asbestos cement and roof lights are called out as fragile surfaces. The draft tells the crew to cover or barrier them before anyone walks the area, and to stop if asbestos is suspected and not already in the plan.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement for roofing?
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require the work to be planned, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a suitable and sufficient assessment. A RAMS is the usual way a contractor writes that plan down. A domestic re-roof is not exempt just because CDM notification is not required.
Who should write a roofing RAMS?
Someone who understands this roof, not a generic office template. The person who will supervise the gang is usually the right author. A competent person then checks it against the actual edge, the access and the fragile areas before the briefing.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement on a roof?
The risk assessment names the fall, the dropped materials and who is under the eaves. The method statement says the order: look from a safe place, install edge protection, set the drop zone, then strip. One without the other does not tell the crew when the protection has to be in place.
Does a one-day domestic re-roof still need edge protection written down?
If someone can fall, or a tile can fall on a neighbour, write the control. Ladders used only as access still belong in the method. Short duration is not a reason to skip the plan.
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.