RAMS for Electricians: A Practical Guide to Risk Assessments and Method Statements
If you're an electrician working on commercial, industrial, or multi-trade sites, you'll almost certainly be asked to produce RAMS before you start. RAMS stands for Risk Assessment + Method Statement — two separate documents that together explain what hazards your work creates and exactly how you'll carry it out safely. This guide explains what good electrical RAMS looks like in practice.
What RAMS Actually Are (and Aren't)
A Risk Assessment is a legal requirement under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It requires you to identify foreseeable hazards, assess who could be harmed and how, and put suitable controls in place.
A Method Statement (sometimes called a safe system of work) is not separately required by a single piece of legislation, but it translates your risk assessment into a step-by-step sequence of work. Together, the two documents form your RAMS.
RAMS are not the same as a Fire Risk Assessment, which is a standalone document required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and has no method statement component.
When Do Electricians Need RAMS?
You need RAMS whenever:
- A principal contractor, client, or site rules require them (extremely common on commercial and industrial sites)
- Your work creates significant risk — isolation of live systems, work at height, confined spaces, hazardous substances
- You are working under CDM 2015 in a construction project context and are a contractor with duties to plan, manage and monitor your own work
Even on smaller jobs where no one has asked, a written risk assessment is still legally required if you employ five or more people. Below that threshold the duty to assess still exists — you just don't have to write it down, though doing so is strongly advisable.
Key Hazards to Address in an Electrical Risk Assessment
Good electrical RAMS are specific to the actual task, not a generic form ticked through in five minutes. Common hazards to assess include:
| Hazard | Typical Controls |
|---|---|
| Contact with live conductors | Isolation, lock-off, prove dead (test before touch) |
| Electric arc flash | Isolation confirmed dead before work; arc-rated PPE if live working unavoidable |
| Working at height (cable runs, consumer units, distribution boards) | Work at Height Regulations 2005; correct access equipment, edge protection |
| Manual handling of heavy cable drums or distribution boards | Mechanical aids, team lifts, route planning |
| Hazardous substances (lead solder, cutting fluids, cable lubricants) | COSHH Regulations 2002 assessment; substitution, ventilation, RPE if needed |
| Fire risk from hot works or cable penetrations | Permit to work, passive fire protection reinstated, fire watcher where required |
| Other trades and public in the vicinity | Exclusion zones, barriers, signage, coordination with principal contractor |
The Correct Hierarchy of Controls
Listing "wear gloves" as your first line of defence is a common mistake. The hierarchy runs:
- Eliminate — can the hazard be removed entirely? (e.g. rerouting to avoid a buried service)
- Substitute — a less hazardous alternative (e.g. low-voltage temporary supplies during fit-out)
- Engineering controls — isolation, lock-off/tag-out, RCD protection, barriers
- Administrative controls — permits to work, safe isolation procedures, toolbox talks, supervision
- PPE — insulated tools to GS38 guidance, arc-rated clothing where assessed as necessary, safety footwear
PPE sits at the bottom because it does nothing to reduce the hazard itself — it only limits injury if everything else fails.
What a Method Statement for Electrical Work Should Cover
Your method statement should be task-specific and written in plain, logical sequence. A competent electrician's method statement for, say, isolating and replacing a main distribution board might include:
- Scope and description of the specific work
- Names and competencies of the people doing it
- Plant, tools, and test equipment required (including calibration status of voltage indicators)
- Step-by-step sequence: notify duty holder → identify correct isolation point → isolate → lock off → prove dead with a two-pole voltage indicator proved on a known source → begin work → reinstate and re-energise safely
- Emergency arrangements: location of first aid kit, nearest A&E, what to do in the event of electric shock
- Relevant legislation and standards referenced (BS 7671, GS 38, etc.)
Avoid vague language like "follow safe working practices." Every step should be specific enough that another competent electrician could follow it without asking questions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Generic RAMS copied from the internet — site managers and principal contractors can spot them instantly, and they offer you no real protection
- No mention of isolation procedures — this is the single most critical control in electrical work; its absence is a serious gap
- Ignoring other trades — your risk assessment must consider how your work affects, and is affected by, others on site
- Treating RAMS as a one-off — if the scope of work changes significantly, review and update your documents before continuing
Keeping Your RAMS Fit for Purpose
Review your RAMS if: the task changes, an incident or near-miss occurs, there is a change in the workforce, or new information about a hazard emerges. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires your assessment to remain suitable and sufficient for the work being done — not just at the start of the job.
Well-written RAMS protect your workers, demonstrate your professionalism to clients and principal contractors, and show the HSE that you have thought carefully about how your work is carried out safely.