RAMS for Window Cleaners: A Practical Guide for UK Contractors
If you clean windows commercially in the UK, you almost certainly need a RAMS — a Risk Assessment and Method Statement — before you start work. Clients, facilities managers and principal contractors routinely ask for one, and more importantly, the law requires the underlying risk assessment regardless of whether anyone asks to see it.
This guide explains what a proper RAMS for window cleaners should contain, which regulations apply, and how to structure your controls so they actually manage the risk rather than just tick a box.
What Is a RAMS and Who Needs One?
A RAMS combines two documents:
- Risk Assessment — identifies hazards, evaluates the likelihood and severity of harm, and records the controls you will apply. This is a legal duty under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for any employer or self-employed person.
- Method Statement — sets out the safe system of work step by step: the sequence of tasks, the equipment to be used, and who is responsible for what.
Window cleaners of all sizes need both. Even a sole trader is classed as self-employed and falls under Reg 3. The method statement is not itself a statutory requirement, but it is the practical document that turns your risk assessment into real-world instruction for operatives.
The Key Hazards to Assess
1. Working at Height
This is the dominant risk. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require you to avoid working at height where reasonably practicable, and where you cannot avoid it, to prevent falls, then arrest falls if prevention is not practicable.
Apply the hierarchy:
- Eliminate — can the work be done from ground level? Water-fed pole (WFP) systems allow most low-to-medium rise work to be done with both feet on the ground. This is the preferred solution.
- Substitute — if access equipment is needed, choose the least risky option. A mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) offers a stable working platform with guardrails; it is generally safer than a ladder for prolonged work.
- Engineering controls — where MEWPs cannot reach (e.g. complex rooflines or restricted access), rope access or cradle systems with appropriate anchor points and fall-arrest may be required.
- Administrative controls — written safe systems of work, competence requirements, exclusion zones below the work area.
- PPE — fall-arrest harnesses as a last resort or backup, not a primary control.
Ladders should only be used for low-risk, short-duration tasks where other equipment is not reasonably practicable. Never treat a ladder as the default.
2. Chemical Cleaning Products (COSHH)
Many window cleaning products — glass restorer, frame cleaner, anti-smear additives — are hazardous substances. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require you to assess exposure and apply controls. Check the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each product. Note skin sensitisers, irritants and any requirement for eye protection or chemical-resistant gloves.
3. Slips, Trips and Falls at Ground Level
Wet surfaces around WFP trolleys and hoses, trailing hoses across footpaths, and uneven ground near a building base all create slip and trip hazards for your operatives and members of the public.
4. Traffic and Pedestrian Management
Working near car parks, busy entrances or public footpaths means your exclusion zone must be properly signed and, where necessary, barriers used to keep pedestrians clear of overhead work.
5. Manual Handling
WFP poles can be unwieldy; carrying equipment up stairs or across uneven ground creates musculoskeletal risk. Assess under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
6. Lone Working
Many window cleaners work alone. Your risk assessment must consider how you will raise the alarm if injured, and whether any task (e.g. using rope access) requires a second person present.
Structuring Your Method Statement
A method statement for window cleaning should follow the actual sequence of work. A typical structure:
| Section | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Scope of works | Site address, building type, specific areas to be cleaned |
| Access equipment | WFP, ladder, MEWP — specification and inspection status |
| Pre-task checks | Equipment inspection, anchor point checks, weather assessment |
| Exclusion zones | How they are established, signed and maintained |
| Cleaning process | Step-by-step sequence, products used, dilution rates |
| Emergency arrangements | First aid, emergency contacts, rescue plan for height work |
| Competence | Named operatives, relevant training (e.g. PASMA, IPAF, IRATA) |
Competence and Training
Your RAMS is only credible if the people doing the work are competent. For window cleaners this typically means:
- PASMA qualification for mobile tower scaffold use
- IPAF (PAL card) for MEWP operation
- IRATA certification for rope access
- First aid at work for operatives working alone or at height
Site-Specific Is Not Optional
A generic RAMS downloaded from the internet and unchanged does not satisfy Reg 3. Your risk assessment must reflect the actual site — the building height, the ground conditions, the proximity of the public, the specific access equipment you will use, and the specific products you will apply. Update it whenever conditions change significantly.
A well-written, site-specific RAMS protects your workers, satisfies your clients, and demonstrates the professionalism that separates serious contractors from those who will eventually have a serious incident.