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Electrical · United Kingdom

Method statement for lighting installation

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of lighting installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are falling from height, electric shock from live wiring, MEWP tip-over or crush and falling through a floor opening or void.

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RAMS example: lighting installation

This is a complete RAMS for lighting installation, with 5 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Lighting installation · Electrical · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Isolate the lighting circuit, lock off and label and test to prove dead
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Workers, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not work live. Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Prove dead at the point of work with an approved voltage indicator (GS38), and prove the tester before and after. Control (engineering)
  • Only competent, qualified electricians do electrical work, following a safe isolation procedure. Control (procedures)
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Control (procedures)
  • If live work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools. Control (procedures)
  • Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE
Medium (5)
2Set up a platform ladder or MEWP on level ground under the work
  • Falling from a ladder
  • Falling from height
  • MEWP tip-over or crush
Workers, People below, People nearbyVery high (20)
  • Use a podium step, mobile tower or MEWP for longer jobs instead of a straight ladder. Reduce / substitute
  • Use EN 131 professional ladders in good condition. Remove any damaged ladder from site. Control (engineering)
  • Set extension ladders at a 4 to 1 angle on firm, level ground, tied or footed, and reaching 1 metre above the landing. Control (engineering)
  • Use ladders only for short, light work (about 30 minutes in one spot). Do not carry heavy or awkward loads up a ladder. Control (procedures)
  • Keep three points of contact and your belt buckle between the stiles. Do not overreach. Control (procedures)
  • Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Eliminate
  • Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Isolate
  • Use a scaffold, mobile tower or MEWP instead of working off a ladder. Control (engineering)
  • Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Control (engineering)
  • Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Control (procedures)
  • Check the ground before setting up. Use outriggers and spreader pads, and keep clear of trenches, pits and slopes. Control (engineering)
  • Use a platform with tilt alarm and secondary guarding (anti-entrapment) where there is an overhead crush risk. Control (engineering)
  • Use IPAF-trained operators for MEWPs, carrying their PAL card. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check each day. Keep a trained person on the ground who can lower the platform in an emergency. Control (procedures)
  • Never exceed the safe working load, climb on the rails or use a ladder in the basket. Control (procedures)
  • In boom-type platforms, wear a harness clipped to the basket anchor point. PPE
Medium (8)
3Cut holes for downlights, wearing glasses and a dust mask and checking for insulation and cables
  • General dust
  • Eye injuries
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
Workers, Occupants, People nearby, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Reduce / substitute
  • Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Isolate
  • Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Control (engineering)
  • Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Control (engineering)
  • Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Control (procedures)
  • Use tool guards and screens to stop flying particles. Control (engineering)
  • Use dust extraction and water to keep dust out of the air. Control (engineering)
  • Keep others out of the area when cutting, grinding or chipping. Control (procedures)
  • Keep an eye wash station or eye wash bottles on site. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses at all times, goggles for dust and chemicals, and a face shield for grinding. PPE
  • Cover every hole and penetration with a fixed, secured cover marked "HOLE" or "DANGER". Isolate
  • Put guardrails with toe boards around stairwells, lift shafts, voids and open edges. Isolate
  • Install stairs early and fit temporary handrails as soon as they go in. Control (engineering)
  • Never remove a cover or guardrail without approval. Put it back straight away. Control (procedures)
  • Inspect covers and barriers daily and after other trades have been through. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
4Mount fittings, keeping clearance from insulation and timber
  • Fire from hot works
  • Repetitive work and awkward postures
Workers, Occupants, PublicVery high (15)
  • Use cold work methods where you can, such as bolting, press fittings or cutting with a saw instead of a torch. Eliminate
  • Move anything that can burn at least 10 metres away, or cover it with fire blankets. Isolate
  • Use fire-resistant screens to stop sparks reaching people or gaps in walls and floors. Control (engineering)
  • Get a hot work permit before starting. Control (procedures)
  • Keep a charged fire extinguisher and fire blanket at the work spot. Control (procedures)
  • Keep a fire watch during the work and for at least 60 minutes after you finish. Control (procedures)
  • Check for smouldering behind walls, in ceilings and under floors before you leave. Control (procedures)
  • Wear flame-resistant clothing, welding gloves and eye or face protection. PPE
  • Use tools that cut the effort: powered screwdrivers, long-handled tools and extension poles for overhead work. Reduce / substitute
  • Set work up at waist height on benches or trestles where you can. Control (engineering)
  • Use light tools with good grips, and keep blades and bits sharp. Control (engineering)
  • Rotate tasks and take short breaks every hour on repetitive work. Control (procedures)
  • Warm up before heavy physical work and report aches and pains early. Control (procedures)
  • Wear knee pads for kneeling work and gloves for grip. PPE
Medium (6)
5Test, restore power and clean up
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, Occupants, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 1 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Medium (5)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Isolate the lighting circuit, lock off and label and test to prove dead
  2. Set up a platform ladder or MEWP on level ground under the work
  3. Cut holes for downlights, wearing glasses and a dust mask and checking for insulation and cables
  4. Mount fittings, keeping clearance from insulation and timber
  5. Test, restore power and clean up

PPE

Safety bootsSafety glassesRigger glovesFFP3 dust maskInsulated electrical glovesArc-rated clothing and face shieldSafety helmetFull body harness and lanyardHi-vis vestSafety gogglesFace shieldWelding gauntletsCoverallsKnee pads

Plant and equipment

Electrical test equipment (multifunction tester)Podium stepPower drillHand toolsScissor lift (MEWP): IPAF PAL card (3a)

Permits and plans

Permit to work (electrical isolation)Work at height permitHot works permit (fire watch at least 60 minutes after)

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this RAMS.

Free RAMS template for lighting installation

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this RAMS

Pre-start checklist for lighting installation

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Isolate the lighting circuit, lock off and label and test to prove dead
  2. Set up a platform ladder or MEWP on level ground under the work
  3. Cut holes for downlights, wearing glasses and a dust mask and checking for insulation and cables
  4. Mount fittings, keeping clearance from insulation and timber
  5. Test, restore power and clean up

Hazards to watch on lighting installation

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 2MEWP tip-over or crushThe platform tips on soft or sloping ground, the worker is crushed against a beam or ceiling, or is thrown out of the basket.
Step 4Fire from hot worksSparks and heat from welding, grinding or flame torches set fire to timber, insulation, rubbish or fuel nearby.
Step 3Falling through a floor opening or voidA worker steps into an open hole, stairwell, lift shaft or penetration and falls to the level below.
Step 3Eye injuriesFlying chips, dust, chemicals or sparks get into the eye and cause damage or blindness.
Step 3General dustDust from plasterboard, filler, cement and clean up irritates eyes and lungs and makes it hard to see.
Step 4Repetitive work and awkward posturesDoing the same movement for hours, kneeling or working overhead causes long-term damage to joints, muscles and tendons.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on lighting installation: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes unlikely and major injury).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
  • Will you use a MEWP (scissor lift or cherry picker)?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Scissor lift (MEWP): IPAF PAL card (3a)

Employers must assess the risks of their work and record the significant findings (required where you employ 5 or more people). On CDM projects, contractors give their RAMS to the principal contractor before starting, and brief the workers on it.

Rules that apply: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Work at Height Regulations 2005; Work at Height Regulations 2005 and LOLER 1998; CDM 2015 regs 29 to 31 (fire on construction sites). Occupied premises: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England and Wales), Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010.

Why RAMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for lighting installation?

You must assess the risks of lighting installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for lighting installation?

Usually Safety boots, Safety glasses, Rigger gloves, FFP3 dust mask, Insulated electrical gloves, Arc-rated clothing and face shield, Safety helmet, Full body harness and lanyard, Hi-vis vest, Safety goggles, Face shield, Welding gauntlets, Coveralls, Knee pads. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More electrical RAMS

RAMSConsumer Unit Replacement10 stepsRAMSHouse Rewiring9 stepsRAMSSocket Installation5 stepsRAMSElectrical Fault Finding6 stepsRAMSEV Charger Installation6 stepsRAMSPAT Testing5 stepsRAMSSmoke Alarm Installation5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

BricklayingBrickworkAlso involves falling from heightDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves electric shock from live wiringScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves falling from heightRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves falling from height

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkLadder SafetyToolbox talkWorking at HeightToolbox talkHot Works Safety

Blank RAMS template: free RAMS templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources