Video verification means an alarm activation is confirmed by a video clip, so a monitoring centre can check what happened before it calls a response. This draft is for installing and looking after the equipment. It is not the monitoring service, and it does not promise that a response will attend.
A job always includes the wireless units: battery-powered intruder alarms with built-in cameras, a control panel, keypads, sirens, and a cellular or radio link. They are used on construction sites, void properties and vacant buildings. Some jobs also include a temporary CCTV tower, wireless or on 4G, solar or battery powered, often on a ballasted base or a trailer. Tick Includes CCTV towers on the form only when that kit is part of the job. No brand is assumed.
Enter the highest camera mounting height in metres. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply at any height. Up to 2.5 metres, use a stepladder, podium or hop-up. Over 2.5 metres and up to 4 metres, use podium steps, or a leaning ladder only for short light work with stability measures, otherwise a mobile tower. Over 4 metres, use a mobile tower or a MEWP, with trained operators, a rescue plan and an exclusion zone, and do not use a leaning ladder for the installation.
The hazard list below includes the wireless units and, further down, CCTV towers. On the form, leave Includes CCTV towers unticked and those tower hazards and method steps are left out of the draft. The work-at-height controls follow the highest camera mounting height you enter. The extract is written for cameras at 2.5 metres.
When to use it Use it for a video verification install on a construction site, a void property or a vacant building, with or without a CCTV tower. Change it when the mounting height, the tower, or the monitoring-centre arrangement changes.
What video verification means: the monitoring centre confirms an activation by video before it calls a response.
Wireless alarm units with cameras, a control panel, keypads, sirens, and a cellular or radio link.
The highest camera mounting height, and controls that follow it. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply at any height.
Drilling into unknown walls: check the asbestos register, stop if asbestos is suspected, and look for buried cables and pipes.
Void and derelict buildings: structure, sharps, needles, vermin, lighting, lone working and trespassers.
Lithium and lead-acid batteries, siren noise, putting the system on test, and keyholding.
Camera siting, signage and privacy masking, as a reminder of ICO video-surveillance guidance, not as legal advice.
When the job includes a CCTV tower: towing and siting, ballast, mast stability and wind, overhead lines, solar panels or a generator.
Sample excerpt
An extract from the RamsBox video verification systems template. It becomes a RAMS for a real address only once you add your site details.
Fall while mounting a camera, detector or siren. Cameras mounted at up to 2.5 m. Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply at any height. Cameras mounted at up to 2.5 m. Avoid the climb if the unit can be mounted from the ground.
Use a stepladder, podium or hop-up, and inspect it before use. Keep three points of contact, do not overreach, and keep the task short.
Survey the site, the building and where each camera will look. Check the asbestos register, the structure, and who will be working alone.
Agree keyholding and access with the client before anyone is given keys or codes.
Mount the wireless detectors, cameras, keypads and sirens.
Hazards and controls
Fall while mounting a camera, detector or siren. Cameras mounted at up to 2.5 m
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 15 (high) · Residual 5 (medium)
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply at any height. Cameras mounted at up to 2.5 m. Avoid the climb if the unit can be mounted from the ground.
Use a stepladder, podium or hop-up, and inspect it before use. Keep three points of contact, do not overreach, and keep the task short.
Have a second person at the foot of the steps where that is practical.
Drilling into asbestos, a cable or a pipe
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 10 (high) · Residual 5 (medium)
Check the asbestos register before drilling in a void or an older building. If there is no register and the material looks suspect, stop. Do not take a sample.
Use a cable and pipe detector where you can, and assume services are present until the position is clear.
Wear eye protection. If the wall will not take the fixing, stop and choose another position rather than forcing it.
Injury inside a void or derelict building
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 12 (high) · Residual 6 (medium)
Look at the structure before you go in: floors, stairs and anything that could collapse. Do not enter a space that is unsafe.
Expect sharps, needles and vermin. Wear gloves and boots. Do not put a hand where you cannot see.
Take a torch. Poor lighting is a reason to stop, not to rush.
If someone is in the building who should not be, withdraw. Do not confront them. Call the police if there is a threat.
Lone working on a void property, a vacant building or a battery visit
Who might be harmed: The person working alone
Initial 12 (high) · Residual 6 (medium)
A named person knows where you are, when you are due to call, and what they will do if you do not.
Keep a working phone. Do not start the visit if you cannot get a signal and nobody knows you are there.
Leave if the building is not as described, or if you feel unsafe. A check-call is not a reason to go further in.
Fire or injury from lithium or lead-acid batteries
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 12 (high) · Residual 4 (low)
Charge and store batteries as the instructions say, away from exits and combustibles. Do not charge a damaged or swelling lithium battery.
Carry spare batteries so they cannot short on metal tools.
Dispose of spent batteries through a suitable waste route. Do not put them in a skip.
If a battery is alight, raise the alarm and get people out. Do not pick it up.
Hearing damage from a siren test
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task; people nearby
Initial 9 (medium) · Residual 4 (low)
Warn everyone nearby before a sounder test, and keep the test short.
Wear hearing protection if you have to stand near the siren.
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 still apply. Hearing protection is not a reason to leave a siren sounding.
A false activation calling a response while the system is being worked on
Who might be harmed: The monitoring centre, a keyholder, and people sent to the site
Initial 9 (medium) · Residual 2 (low)
Video verification means an alarm activation is confirmed by video, so the monitoring centre can check what happened before it calls a response.
Put the system on test before any detector, door or siren is triggered. On test means the centre will not treat those activations as a live alarm.
Confirm the centre has the right site and the right time window. Take it off test only when the work is finished and the centre agrees.
Do not leave site with the system still on test, or off test but not commissioned, without telling the centre.
Lost keys, unknown codes, or entry without authority
Who might be harmed: The client, neighbours, and the person holding the keys
Initial 9 (medium) · Residual 2 (low)
Agree who holds keys and codes, and sign them in and out. Do not copy a key or share a code beyond that list.
Confirm you are expected before you enter a void or vacant building.
On the last visit, return keys to the agreed person. Do not take them home.
Cameras capturing neighbours, the public or people inside a home
Who might be harmed: People who can be identified in the footage
Initial 9 (medium) · Residual 4 (low)
Point cameras at the area that needs to be covered, not at a neighbour's window or a pavement that is not part of the job.
Use privacy masking where the picture would otherwise show a place it should not.
Put up signs that cameras are in use, where people can see them before they enter. This is a reminder of ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) video-surveillance guidance, not legal advice and not a data protection assessment.
Manual handling, towing and reversing while delivering a CCTV tower or trailer
Who might be harmed: Operatives, the driver, and people on foot
Initial 12 (high) · Residual 6 (medium)
Plan the lift. Use enough people or a machine for the tower, the ballast and the batteries. Do not drag a mast by hand.
Tow only with a suitable vehicle and a driver who is competent to tow that trailer. Check the lights, the hitch and the breakaway cable before leaving.
Reverse with a banksman who stands where the driver can see them. Nobody stands between the trailer and a wall or another vehicle.
A CCTV tower or mast becoming unstable in the wind, or striking an overhead line
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 10 (high) · Residual 5 (medium)
Follow the manufacturer's limits for ballast, outriggers and wind. Lower the mast when the wind reaches that limit.
Do not raise the mast until the ballast and outriggers are in place, on ground that will take the base.
Look for overhead power lines before the mast goes up, and keep clear of them. Locate buried services before any ground anchor goes in. Stop if the position is not clear.
Solar panels, a generator, or people walking into a CCTV tower
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 12 (high) · Residual 3 (low)
Fit solar panels only as the tower instructions allow. Cover or isolate them while handling so the leads are not treated as dead.
If a generator is used, keep fuel in a marked container, site it so fumes do not enter a building, and keep it inside the exclusion zone.
Barrier the tower and the trailer. Tell the public and other trades not to climb it or to pass under a raised mast.
Relevant legislation and guidance
The UK law and guidance most relevant to this trade. This is not legal advice, and RamsBox is not affiliated with the 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 and maintained. Since the 2022 amendment, it must also be provided to limb (b) workers (workers who are not employees), not just employees.
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.
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.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess what remains, and reduce the risk.
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.
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.
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.
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Covers welfare, floors, lighting and a safe place of work where the regulations apply to the premises.
HSE INDG73 Working alone. HSE guide on lone working. A check-call is an arrangement, not a control that makes a dangerous entry safe.
HSE guidance on violence at work. HSE expects violence from members of the public to be assessed and controlled, including withdrawal and reporting.
Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. Camera images of identifiable people are personal data. This RAMS is a reminder about siting, signage and privacy masking. It is not a data protection assessment or legal advice.
ICO guidance on video surveillance. The Information Commissioner's Office publishes guidance on CCTV, including where cameras look and how people are told. Follow the current guidance. This draft does not apply it for you.
Sequence, qualifications and PPE
PPE is personal protective equipment. Confirm the qualifications and the PPE before anyone starts.
Survey the site, the building and where each camera will look. Check the asbestos register, the structure, and who will be working alone.
Agree keyholding and access with the client before anyone is given keys or codes.
Mount the wireless detectors, cameras, keypads and sirens.
Put the system on test with the monitoring centre, commission it, and take it off test only when the centre confirms.
Hand over the zones, the codes and the access arrangement. Record what the centre will do when video confirms an activation.
Visit to check batteries, cameras and the signal. Tell the monitoring centre before any test.
Remove the equipment when the hire or the job ends, and make good the fixings.
Deliver the CCTV tower or trailer and site it.
Set the ballast and outriggers, then raise the mast only within the wind limit.
Connect solar panels or a generator where this tower uses them, and close the exclusion zone.
Asbestos awareness before drilling in a void or an older building
The access method named in this RAMS. A MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) needs a trained operator and a rescue plan. A mobile tower needs a person trained to build it.
A person who can put the system on test with the monitoring centre and take it off test again
Lone-working arrangements agreed before a visit to a void or vacant building
Safety boots
Hi-vis jacket or vest where vehicles, a tower or the public are nearby
Gloves for fixings, batteries and void properties
Eye protection when drilling
Hearing protection when a siren is tested nearby
Hard hat where the site, or work under a mast, requires one
DRAFT – needs competent-person review. A competent person still has to check the draft against the site.
Questions on video verification systems RAMS
What does video verification mean?+
The detector sends a video clip with the alarm activation. The monitoring centre looks at that clip and decides whether to call a response. The RAMS covers installing and maintaining the equipment. It does not set the centre's procedures, and it is not legal advice on surveillance.
Does every job include a CCTV tower?+
No. Wireless alarm cameras are always in the draft. Tower hazards, such as towing a trailer, ballast, mast stability, wind, overhead lines, solar panels and generators, are added only when you tick Includes CCTV towers.
Do the Work at Height Regulations apply if the camera is only at 2.5 metres?+
Yes. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply at any height where a person could fall, including 2.5 metres. Enter the highest camera mounting height. Up to 2.5 metres the draft uses a stepladder, podium or hop-up, inspected before use, with three points of contact, no overreaching, and a second person where that is practical. Over 2.5 metres and up to 4 metres, it uses podium steps, or a leaning ladder only for short light work with stability measures, otherwise a mobile tower. Over 4 metres it uses a mobile tower or a MEWP (mobile elevating work platform), with trained operators, a rescue plan and an exclusion zone, and no leaning ladder for the installation.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement for video verification work?+
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies to the installers and to anyone affected by the work. Work at height, asbestos and lone working have to be assessed. Where the job is construction work, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) expect it to be planned. A RAMS is the usual way to write that plan down. It is not a certificate, and it is not a data protection assessment.
Who should write a video verification RAMS?+
The person who will supervise the install and who can talk to the monitoring centre. They should know the highest camera mounting height, and whether a tower is included. A competent person then checks it against the building before anyone drills or raises a mast.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement for this work?+
The risk assessment names the fall, the void building, the batteries, the siren and, if you include one, the tower. The method statement is the order: survey, install, put the system on test, hand over, then return for batteries. A tower adds delivery, siting and raising the mast to that order.
Does the draft tell the monitoring centre how to respond?+
No. It tells the installers to put the system on test so a clip sent during the work is not treated as a live alarm. What the centre does with a verified activation is the centre's procedure, not this RAMS.
A competent person must review this and approve it for the site before use. RamsBox does not provide health and safety advice and is not affiliated with the HSE.