RAMS Template for Roofers: What to Include in 2026

Falls from height are still the biggest killer in UK construction, and roof work accounts for a large share of them. That is why roofing RAMS get read closely. A vague document gets sent back, and the scaffold sits there costing money while you rewrite it.

What RAMS means for a roofer

The risk assessment identifies what could cause harm on this roof and how you will control it. The method statement sets out how the work will be done, in order, so those controls are in place before anyone steps off the ladder.

Every employer and self-employed roofer whose work puts others at risk must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. With five or more employees the significant findings must be written down. In practice, main contractors, housing associations and most insurers expect written RAMS whatever your size.

The regulations your RAMS should reflect

• Work at Height Regulations 2005: avoid work at height where you can, prevent falls where you cannot, and reduce the distance and consequences of any fall that remains.
• CDM 2015: applies to all construction work, domestic re-roofs included.
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012: asbestos cement sheets, soffits and undercloaks on older buildings.
• HSE guidance HSG33: Health and safety in roof work, the reference most reviewers have in mind.

A RAMS template for roofing work, section by section

1. Job details

Site address, client, principal contractor if there is one, your company, the named supervisor, the date of issue and a revision number.

2. Scope of work

Say exactly which roof and what you are doing to it. "Strip and re-tile rear main slope, 48 square metres, new breathable membrane and battens, renew lead to chimney" is useful. "Roof repairs" is not.

3. Access and edge protection

State how people get up, how they are stopped from falling off, and who put the protection there.

• Scaffold type, which elevations it covers and the working platform level at the eaves
• Guardrails with a top rail at least 950mm high, an intermediate rail and toe boards
• Scaffold erected by competent scaffolders, with a handover certificate before first use
• Inspections recorded before first use, at least every seven days and after bad weather or alteration
• Roof ladders for movement on the slope, and tied ladder access extending about one metre above the landing

If you plan to work without full edge protection because the task is short, say why. HSE treats short duration work as tasks measured in minutes, not hours.

4. Fragile surfaces

Treat any roof as fragile until a competent person has confirmed it is not. Rooflights, old fibre cement sheets and corroded metal sheets all give way without warning. Record how fragile areas are identified, covered or barriered off, and what staging is used to spread load.

5. Other hazards and controls

• Falling materials: exclusion zone at ground level, brick guards or debris netting, a chute or hoist for waste, nothing thrown from the roof
• Hot works: torch-on felt, bitumen boilers and lead welding need a hot works permit where the site requires one, extinguishers at the workface and a fire watch after work stops, commonly at least 60 minutes. Check the condition in your insurance policy
• Weather: wind, rain, frost and ice. Industry guidance from the NFRC suggests stopping work with rolled and sheet materials at mean wind speeds of around 17mph, and all laying at around 23mph
• Asbestos: asbestos cement is common on garages and outbuildings built before 2000. Identify it before you price the job
• Dust: cutting concrete and clay tiles releases silica. Use wet cutting or on-tool extraction and FFP3 masks
• Manual handling: use a hoist or conveyor and load out the scaffold evenly within its rated capacity
• Lead: gloves, no eating or smoking until hands are washed

6. Sequence of work

Write the method as numbered steps in the order they will happen: scaffold handover, protection to the ground and neighbours, strip, inspect timbers, felt and batten, load out, tile, flashings, clear down. Say how the roof is left weathertight each night.

7. Emergency and rescue plan

The Work at Height Regulations require you to plan for emergencies and rescue. Record how an injured person would be brought down, who the first aider is and the nearest A&E. Calling 999 is not a rescue plan on its own.

8. Competence, PPE and sign-off

List the team with relevant cards and training, the PPE required, and a briefing sheet that every operative signs before starting.

Worked example: re-roofing a 1930s semi

Rear slope, clay tiles, conservatory below the eaves, family living in.

• Hazard: fall from the eaves. Control: independent scaffold with double guardrails and toe boards, handover certificate held on site.
• Hazard: fall or dropped tiles through the conservatory roof. Control: scaffold bridged over the conservatory with a boarded and sheeted protection deck. Nobody stands on the glazing bars.
• Hazard: rotten battens and sarking giving way during the strip. Control: work from roof ladders hooked over the ridge, strip from the top down.

Three hazards that belong to this roof are worth more than ten pages that could describe any roof in the country.

Mistakes that get roofing RAMS rejected

• Edge protection described as "scaffold as required" with no detail
• Rooflights and fragile sheets not mentioned
• No rescue plan
• Hot works with no fire watch period
• Wrong address or scope carried over from the last job

Spend less time on the paperwork

MyQS includes a RAMS generator that produces trade-specific risk assessments and method statements for UK roofers in minutes, ready to download as a PDF, so you edit the details for the job and have a competent person check it before it goes to site.

FAQ: RAMS for roofers

Q: Do I need RAMS for a small domestic roof repair?
A: You must always assess the risk, and work at height must be planned however short the job. A written record is a legal requirement with five or more employees. For a one-hour repair a short document is enough, provided it says how you get up and what stops you falling.

Q: Can I work off a ladder without scaffold?
A: Only for low risk, short duration tasks where the ladder can be secured and a safer method is not reasonably practicable. Re-roofing and anything lasting hours needs proper edge protection.

Q: How often should a roofing RAMS be updated?
A: Whenever the job changes. That includes a scaffold alteration, finding asbestos or rotten structure, a change of team or a near miss. Issue a new revision and brief everyone again.

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