The example job: site welding of mezzanine steel connections at height, in an occupied building, under a hot works permit.
Fabora resources
A completed welding RAMS example, walked through part by part.
Templates show you the structure, but most people writing their first RAMS want to see a finished one. This is a completed site welding RAMS for a fictional job (14 beam-to-column connections on a mezzanine, welded from a MEWP inside an occupied building), written the way a principal contractor expects to receive it. Every section is shown below, and the whole document is free to download and pull apart.
Short answer
A RAMS document has two halves: a risk assessment that scores each hazard and states the controls, and a method statement that sets out the sequence of work step by step. This example shows both, completed for a realistic site welding job.
- The example job: site welding of mezzanine steel connections at height, in an occupied building, under a hot works permit.
- Ten welding hazards scored on a 5x5 matrix, with controls before and after, including fume, fire, cylinders and arc radiation.
- A nine-step method statement from sign-in to permit sign-back, plus COSHH, PPE, emergency arrangements and the briefing sign-off sheet.
- Free to download as an editable Word document; the blank templates are on the free templates page.
Example Fabrication Ltd is fictional and this is an illustration, not a document to copy. A real RAMS must reflect your actual job, site and controls, and be reviewed by a competent person before work starts.
Written by the Fabora team and reviewed by a time-served UK steel fabricator. Updated July 2026.
Practical summary
What to take from this page
A RAMS document has two halves: a risk assessment that scores each hazard and states the controls, and a method statement that sets out the sequence of work step by step. This example shows both, completed for a realistic site welding job.
Example Fabrication Ltd is fictional and this is an illustration, not a document to copy. A real RAMS must reflect your actual job, site and controls, and be reviewed by a competent person before work starts. For official detail, use the source links later on this page.
Ten welding hazards scored on a 5x5 matrix, with controls before and after, including fume, fire, cylinders and arc radiation.
A nine-step method statement from sign-in to permit sign-back, plus COSHH, PPE, emergency arrangements and the briefing sign-off sheet.
Free to download as an editable Word document; the blank templates are on the free templates page.
Free download
Download the free template
Editable and free, with no signup. Fill it in for your job, then keep it for the next one.
Stop re-typing it every job
The template is a good start. Fabora RAMS turns it into reusable, editable RAMS you build in minutes — saved hazard, COSHH and PPE libraries, branded PDF export and revisions, instead of editing the same Word file every time.
The job
The example job, and why it makes a good RAMS
A RAMS only makes sense against a real job, so this example uses a specific one rather than vague placeholder text.
The work
Example Fabrication Ltd is welding 14 beam-to-column moment connections on a new mezzanine, working to drawings and a weld procedure specification, at heights of 3.2 m to 4.1 m from a MEWP.
What makes it demanding
The building is occupied by other trades, so the RAMS has to deal with hot works permits, fire watch, screening, an exclusion zone below the workface and welding fume control indoors, all at once.
Why that matters for the example
A RAMS for an easy job teaches you very little. This one shows how the risk assessment and the method statement carry the load when several serious hazards overlap.
Part by part
What each section of the RAMS document contains
The completed document runs in the order a reviewer expects. Here is what each part does, using the example's own content.
1. Project and document details
Who is doing the work, where, under what reference and revision, who prepared the document and who approved it. The example is reference EF-RAMS-2026-041, revision A, prepared by the contracts manager and approved by a competent person.
2. Scope of work
One paragraph that says exactly what is being done: the 14 connections, the drawings and weld procedure, the access method, the occupied building and the permit system. If the scope is vague, everything after it is guesswork.
3 and 4. Risk matrix and risk assessment
Each hazard is scored likelihood x severity before and after controls on a 5x5 matrix. The example's welding fume row starts at 16 (4x4) and comes down to 8 after extraction, RPE in line with HSE's welding fume enforcement position, and positioning to keep the welder's head out of the plume.
5. COSHH summary
The consumables in use (wire, shielding gas, anti-spatter) each reference their COSHH assessment, and welding fume itself is treated as a substance to control, not an afterthought.
6. Method statement
Nine steps in work order, from site induction and taking the hot works permit through area preparation, equipment checks, the welding itself, monitoring, and the fire watch and permit sign-back at the end.
7 and 8. PPE, emergencies and sign-off
Named PPE for the job including the helmet shade and FFP3 RPE, the first aid and assembly point details, and a briefing record both operatives have signed. Unsigned RAMS are a common audit failure.
Using it
How to use this example for your own jobs
The example is a reference for structure and depth, not content to reuse.
Match the depth, not the words
Aim for the example's level of specificity: named drawings, named access equipment, real scores, a sequence someone could actually follow. Swap all of its content for your job's reality.
Start from a blank trade template
The [free templates page](/resources/templates) has blank site welding and steel fabrication RAMS templates with the same structure as this example, pre-filled with the common hazards so you edit rather than start from nothing.
Or stop writing them in Word altogether
Fabora RAMS holds your company details, hazard libraries and past jobs, so the next RAMS is an edit rather than a rewrite, and comes out as a branded PDF with revision control.
Common mistakes
Where RAMS copied from examples go wrong
Reviewers and principal contractors see copied RAMS every week, and they are easy to spot.
Someone else's hazards
A workshop RAMS that still mentions MEWPs, or a site document with no mention of the actual building, tells the reviewer nobody assessed the real job.
Scores copied blind
Risk scores only mean something if someone scored your job. Copying 4x4=16 from an example without thinking is how dangerous work ends up marked low risk.
A scope that fits any job
If the scope of work could describe a hundred different jobs, it describes none of them. Name the drawings, the location, the access and the interfaces.
No competent review
However good the document looks, it needs review and approval by someone competent to judge it, and a briefing record signed by the people doing the work.
Official guidance
Relevant official sources
These links point to the underlying official material. This page is a practical summary, not a replacement for those sources, competent review, or legal advice.
HSE: Risk assessment guidance and templates
The baseline for what a suitable and sufficient risk assessment covers.
HSE: Welding fume, protect your workers
The enforcement position behind the fume controls used in this example.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers on practical use, review expectations, and where this guidance stops.
Important note
Final review, suitability, and approval still remain with the customer's business and the people responsible for the job.
What does a RAMS example look like?
A completed RAMS runs: project and document details, scope of work, a scored risk assessment on a matrix, a COSHH summary, a step-by-step method statement, PPE and emergency arrangements, and a signed briefing record. The example on this page shows all of those filled in for a site welding job, and you can download it as a Word document.
What is a RAMS document?
A RAMS document combines a risk assessment (what could cause harm on this job and how it is controlled) with a method statement (the sequence of how the work will actually be done safely). UK principal contractors normally ask for one document covering both before work starts on site.
Can I copy a RAMS example for my own job?
No, and reviewers can tell when it has been done. Use an example to understand the structure and the level of detail expected, then write every section for your actual job, and have it reviewed by a competent person before work starts.
What should a welding RAMS include?
At minimum: welding fume control in line with HSE's enforcement position, hot works and fire controls including the fire watch, gas cylinder handling, arc radiation protection for the welder and others, electrical safety, and whatever the location adds, such as work at height or nearby trades. The method statement should cover the permit, preparation, the welding sequence and the sign-back.
Is a RAMS legally required?
UK law does not name a document called RAMS, but it does require risks to be assessed and work to be planned safely, and written risk assessments are required with five or more employees. In practice, principal contractors ask for a RAMS pack before letting you on site, so for site work it is effectively unavoidable.
Related reading
Continue from here
These links keep the topic moving, either into related guidance or into the Fabora RAMS product pages.
Free RAMS and steelwork templates
The blank versions of this example: site welding, steel fabrication, method statement and more.
Site welding RAMS guide
The full guidance behind the hazards and controls this example uses.
RAMS template UK
The general-purpose RAMS template and how to fill it in.