RAMS

[Wendelspanswick]

Risk Assessment and Method Statements.

We use a generic RAMS and most of our sites are happy with it but a major hospital has a new H&S manager who wants tailored RAMS for each risk so...
Working at heights.
Working in confined spaces.
Working in public corridors.
Working in public stairwells.
Lone working.
Use of power tools on site.
Working in electrical plant rooms.

Any one have links to RAMS where I can cull information from so I don't have to spend hours drawing them up from scratch.

 

[MattH]

I used to use a website service where you entered the site details and all the different activities that would be undertaken and it would generate both documents tailored to the job.

 

[Richard.]

I write them all the time and like yourself there are many occasions where a generic template won't do.
The risk assessment itself isn't too bad because I use a simple 8x8 matrix that depending on the work involvement I just change the risks, change the measures and set the values.
The MS however I end up writing from scratch. Discription of the work involved,
What I'm going to do as a contractor and what the company/site are responsible for
I am happy to have a look this evening at some of my example RAMS that have got through the most stringent examination and if you wish to send me your email I can try and get something over to you that you can have a look at and take info from.

 

[Richard.]

Working at heights.
Working in confined spaces.
Working in public corridors.
Working in public stairwells.
Lone working.
Use of power tools on site.
Working in electrical plant rooms

Are you saying this new HnS guy wants you to submit a seperate set of RAMS for each of the activities above?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Are you saying this new HnS guy wants you to submit a seperate set of RAMS for each of the activities above?

Cheers for the offer Richard. Yes the new H&S manager wants individual RAMS for each of the areas above, we usually just submit a catchall that covers most bases but he's not happy with that.

 

[Parm]

H&S dude is on the ball if he's recognised RAMS as generic

Far to many prosecutions where things have happened when only generic RAMS have been in place

It's easy to adapt if required

 

[Richard.]

Cheers for the offer Richard. Yes the new H&S manager wants individual RAMS for each of the areas above, we usually just submit a catchall that covers most bases but he's not happy with that.

That's completely ridiculas. I've written rams to get into the most secure stringent sites going where the detail needs to get down to the nuts and bolts yet I've still been allowed to place all working activities on one document. He clearly wants to make a name for himself. Oh well rules are rules and if you want the work that's what you've got to do.

 

[8ob]

Same as @MattH we use an online H&S company to deal with RAMS, there is normally enough content to make most site agents eyes glaze over and launch them into the filing cabinet.

Bob

 

[dobbslc]

Bloodly health and safety!
I was wearing gloves today as that's what I'm meant to do on site when the finger got caught on the screwdriver bit in my battery drill, wrapped round it and crushed ma bloody finger tip!!!
What I can say that the RAMS definitely don't have anything in them about swearing loudly.

 

[Pete.]

Risk assessments should be tailored to each task and all foreseeable risks addressed. It's the norm nowadays, generic stuff carries a huge liability.

From your list above I would use the following approach:

Working at heights - task-specific (or access method-specific), so I'd do a canned paragraph for steps (if they allow them), podium, ally tower and tag it onto the job sheet then use your RA as a tool to mitigate risk. Set a hierarchy of (for instance) tower, podium, steps where you MUST use the soonest one in the list if it's possible. If they don't allow stepladders then you can get podium steps with little handrails and a small platform and chain. Even those are not allowed on many sites though, I had to get a speacial permit for one job for my engineer to use them to park out ceilings.

Working in confined spaces - completely stand-alone document, risks and control measures apply only to the actual confined space and escape procedures not the task at hand. I would NOT put all the confined space measures in a normal RAMS except to note that the area is a confined space and the confined space procedures must be followed, along with the relevant document. This is because a RAMS needs only be signed on to once but a confined space access has several layers of controls. If you're regularly going into confined spaces you will already have this plus a top man and escape plan.
If you don't do confined spaces but they want it addressed, put a paragraph in the MS titled "Confined space work" and state 'No confined space work is undertaken under these RAMS'

Working in public corridors - combine with stairwells as "Working in areas accessible to the public"and add it as a subsection to every MS.

Working in public stairwells - as above. I would have the buildings manager supply me with theirs to plagiarise, or just use theirs they must have one and if you use it you can't be wrong.

Lone working - no idea what they want here. If you do lone working you must have a lone worker's policy. If not I'd ask for their own policy and write it into your MS.

Use of power tools on site - covered by PUWER legal requirement, you should have this.

Working in electrical plant rooms - easy one, ask them for their control procedures and copy them in. THEY have to put the access controls in for plant rooms IMO.

 

[Mee]

Bloodly health and safety!
I was wearing gloves today as that's what I'm meant to do on site when the finger got caught on the screwdriver bit in my battery drill, wrapped round it and crushed ma bloody finger tip!!!
What I can say that the RAMS definitely don't have anything in them about swearing loudly

Brilliant.

 

[Mee]

We use a generic template with all the sections incorporated into them, we also use drop and drag from an additional file to cater for specific risks in specific areas.

 

[Richard.]

Risk assessments should be tailored to each task and all foreseeable risks addressed. It's the norm nowadays, generic stuff carries a huge liability.

From your list above I would use the following approach:

Working at heights - task-specific (or access method-specific), so I'd do a canned paragraph for steps (if they allow them), podium, ally tower and tag it onto the job sheet then use your RA as a tool to mitigate risk. Set a hierarchy of (for instance) tower, podium, steps where you MUST use the soonest one in the list if it's possible. If they don't allow stepladders then you can get podium steps with little handrails and a small platform and chain. Even those are not allowed on many sites though, I had to get a speacial permit for one job for my engineer to use them to park out ceilings.

Working in confined spaces - completely stand-alone document, risks and control measures apply only to the actual confined space and escape procedures not the task at hand. I would NOT put all the confined space measures in a normal RAMS except to note that the area is a confined space and the confined space procedures must be followed, along with the relevant document. This is because a RAMS needs only be signed on to once but a confined space access has several layers of controls. If you're regularly going into confined spaces you will already have this plus a top man and escape plan.
If you don't do confined spaces but they want it addressed, put a paragraph in the MS titled "Confined space work" and state 'No confined space work is undertaken under these RAMS'

Working in public corridors - combine with stairwells as "Working in areas accessible to the public"and add it as a subsection to every MS.

Working in public stairwells - as above. I would have the buildings manager supply me with theirs to plagiarise, or just use theirs they must have one and if you use it you can't be wrong.

Lone working - no idea what they want here. If you do lone working you must have a lone worker's policy. If not I'd ask for their own policy and write it into your MS.

Use of power tools on site - covered by PUWER legal requirement, you should have this.

Working in electrical plant rooms - easy one, ask them for their control procedures and copy them in. THEY have to put the access controls in for plant rooms IMO.

There is the right info here Pete but there is not any need for seperate Rams on any of the above. Correctly detailed in 1 rams document would nicely cover all of those activities without been generic. The only seperate docs needed would be your task specific permits which again would be mentioned in the rams.

 

[Pete.]

Quite right Richard I would never have more than one document covering a task, it leads to confusion and mistakes. The working at height I would add as a paragraph with it's own a sub-heading, in fact I might even do a whole section on "access to work areas" and include working in public-accessible places along with working at height and perhaps entry-permit places like electrical switch rooms. The reason is that working at height carries it's own risks, but doing it in a public-accessible area carries additional ones, for both the worker and the public.

 

[AdrianH]

Sorry writing war and peace here:

We also have a set of Generic Risk assessments, MS are generally done on a per site basis and also to match their own working procedures, for example booking on site, off site, tool checks down time and regression if we change anything to get it back if the stuff hits the fan.

Getting back to Risk assessments we also produce site specific RA's which are a combination of risks in one document. Our work can include prisons to chemical production to installing radios in buses in their garages. So a lot require you to understand their safety procedures first.

There should also be room in the RA's for on site changes, i.e additional items that could be a risk on the day, such as they have a crane in, doing some unexpected digging etc. Access from the general public?

The problems crop up more than a few times, as follows: Company calls and asks for a quote can we do X, Y or Z, answer yes we can.

Can you send some Rams, er OK these are our generics for the hazards we think we are likely to face on your site, let us know what hazards you have on site we are not aware of. No they wont do we need specific to us RA's, OK without a survey we can not provide, can you identify as the site team what risks are present for us to have to deal with, you should be identifying risks to us as your contractors? No we cant do that! OK then we shall come and do a preliminary survey, the cost will be added to the quote for your work. Do you need a survey it is only X?

The biggest argument, sorry discussion was with a facilities Management team for a Hilltop radio site. They are paid by the client to manage accreditation and access to their clients site, our client pays annual fees to have radio kit on there and for access to maintain. The management team could not provide any details of terrain, RF hazards, power levels heights operation times or anything for the site they managed but would not allow access to thge ground equipment cabin for maintenance work without approved risk assessments, so it ended up being a too and fro for a few weeks of forms.

One thing with health and safety is, don't blame the idea, it is good in what it is trying to achieve and that is basically, assess the risks, minimize the occurrence to an acceptable level, review it, issue.

The problem is we all have our own interpretations.

You had this list: this is just some of my initial thoughts not knowing what work you would be doing.

Working at heights. Roof access, MEWPS, scaffolding, ladders, what restraint/fall arrest systems can you use, from air bags down to harness/lanyard as the last line. If you are using a fall arrest system do you have a rescue procedure?
Working in confined spaces. Specialist training/rescue procedures, what gases/fumes/ventilation volumes do you need to contend with?
Working in public corridors.Danger from the public as well as danger to the public. barriers, screens, dust, fumes, noise etc.
Working in public stairwells. Include in working at height and public areas
Lone working. See if they already have a lone worker radio system/porter system you could use whilst on site. minimum logging in/off site. logging in at set times.
Use of power tools on site. PAT testing, trailing cables, reduce risks with battery operated gear, noise, vibration, dust etc.
Working in electrical plant rooms. This can be simple or a minefield, we worked in 11KV subs but never touched their kit so had an exclusion zone and evacuation procedure in-case of fault on their systems, can go up to a complete permit to work system with isolations and interlocks to full electrical tests on cables and cabinets etc.

Sorry again for the long post but I would think if an amount of work in a hospital including public areas you are talking of a permit to work system which is a bit more detailed then just RAMS.

Adrian

Quick addition confined spaces would generally make it high risk and permit to work system at many locations.

 

[8ob]

Kinell!

Bob

 

[AdrianH]

Kinell!

Bob

It is what is faced today and why a lot of production industry seems to have left the UK because of.

Just a word of note as I get the HSE news reports, as I am sure many others here do. If a person is injured there always seems to be a prosecution, the penalties and costs seem to relate to how much effort and risk minimisation has been done to cover the hazards. If there is an accident then you have not done enough!


Adrian

 

[500e]

We do the same as Bob & Adrian if it is out of the run of mill we add cost, we also never supply paper copied only CD

 

[addjunkie]

Risk assesment is one of the best things to come i to industry in recent years....if it is used properly.ie done at site not just a typing excercise.

There is some good stuff above. The confined space piece is very important and should really be controlled under permit to work....obviously the hazards and controls vary massivly depending on the space. But yearly there is two people killed, one gets in trouble, his mate, goes to help....topman or stanbyman what ever you want to call him, needs to be a specific role. No other duties. But to log people in and out, call for help if required, they should not participate in the task. Id also make sure you are fully aware of what is considered a confined space and what isnt. Ask the hse person for theirs if you have to work to it.

Control of work , permits, isolations etc are my daily bread and butter these days, if you need anything really specific send me you mail address by pm and i will see what examples I can borrow from my blue chip employers massive collection for you. Headers removed obviously.

Hot work and live electrical work are other areas that should be covered.

 

[Wedg1e]

The problem is we all have our own interpretations.

Aye, my RA goes something like: am I happy to do the job I can see needs doing, if so get on with it. The MS is: do whatever you have to do.
I always say I won't take a risk at work that I wouldnt take at home and as I'm happy to (for example) climb a ladder to service my house aircon, why isn't that kosher at work just because I'm up a different ladder working on a different type of equipment? I'll choose where and when to take the risks.

The confined space piece is very important and should really be controlled under permit to work....obviously the hazards and controls vary massivly depending on the space. But yearly there is two people killed, one gets in trouble, his mate, goes to help....topman or stanbyman what ever you want to call him, needs to be a specific role. No other duties.

I was on a job in Gosport a few years back, stripping a pipeline out of a concrete culvert. The actual underground risks were few but we had a topman anyway. One day I needed some kit, walked back to the access manhole, shouted up, no reply. Clipped on fall arrest, climbed ladder... no topman. Extracted myself and went to look and found topman playing Solitaire on laptop in the site office 100 yards away.
Anywhere else he'd have been booted out but as he was the boss's brother-in-law, I knew there was no point mentioning it