RAMS for Electricians — CDM 2015 Requirements Explained

A lot of electricians assume RAMS are someone else's problem — the main contractor's, the principal contractor's, the H&S manager's. That assumption can land you in serious trouble. Here's the reality.

Do Electricians Need RAMS?

Yes. Under CDM 2015, every contractor — including self-employed electrical contractors — must plan and manage their work safely. For most electrical jobs, that means having a RAMS in place before work starts.

The only question is: how detailed does it need to be?

For a simple domestic rewire with a single electrician, your RAMS can be relatively straightforward. For a commercial installation, working alongside other trades, on a notifiable project — it needs to be thorough.

Key Hazards in an Electrical Contractor's RAMS

### Live Electrical Work

This is the one that carries the most risk and the most legal weight. Your RAMS should state clearly:

• Whether any live work is planned
• If so, why dead working is not reasonably practicable (the legal test under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989)
• What safe isolation procedures are in place
• Who is authorised to isolate and verify isolation
• What lockout/tagout procedure applies

If there's any live working on the job, inspectors will look at this section closely.

### Working at Height

Electricians spend a lot of time on stepladders and podiums. Falls from height is still the number one cause of fatal injury in construction. Your RAMS should cover:

• Ladder and stepladder use (and when they're not appropriate)
• Use of podium steps or tower scaffolds for sustained work at height
• Roof space access (particularly where boarding is absent or partial)

### Manual Handling

Cable drums, consumer units, trunking — electrical materials can be heavy. Address manual handling for the specific materials on this job.

### Confined Spaces and Restricted Access

Roof voids, under-floor voids, plant rooms. If you're working in a confined space, you need a separate confined space assessment. If it's restricted but not confined, your RAMS should note the access arrangements and emergency procedures.

### Dust and COSHH

Drilling, chasing, working in older properties — asbestos is a real risk in buildings pre-2000. Your RAMS should state whether an asbestos survey has been done, or what precautions apply where one hasn't.

Cable insulation, solvents, flux — any chemical you're using needs a COSHH entry.

### Interaction with Other Trades

On multi-trade sites, your RAMS should address how you'll coordinate with other contractors — particularly around isolation, permit to work systems, and shared access areas.

What Your Method Statement Should Cover

For a typical electrical installation, your method statement steps might look like:

1. 1Pre-start survey — confirm asbestos status, check for existing services
2. 2Isolation of existing supplies (where applicable)
3. 3First fix cabling — route, fix, terminate
4. 4Boarding and plastering stage — coordination with other trades
5. 5Second fix — fixtures, accessories, consumer unit
6. 6Testing and commissioning (EIC / EICR)
7. 7Client handover documentation

Tailor this to your actual scope. A RAMS for a commercial lighting refurbishment looks very different from a domestic consumer unit upgrade.

Common Mistakes in Electrical RAMS

• Stating "test before touch" as the only live work control — this isn't enough
• No mention of asbestos on pre-2000 buildings
• Generic ladder controls ("use ladder safely") with no specifics
• Missing the interaction with other trades section on multi-contractor jobs
• COSHH hazards listed in the RAMS but no separate COSHH assessments

Not sure which RAMS tool fits electrical work?

If you're weighing up the options, the RAMS software hub walks through every major UK tool side-by-side. The ones most electricians ask about: The Site Book vs RAMS Pro (per-seat template libraries) and vs RapidRAMS (pay-per-document, which can work for occasional electrical jobs but gets expensive fast).

Writing Electrical RAMS Quickly

The Site Book lets you describe your electrical job in plain English, and generates a site-specific RAMS with the right hazards and controls pre-filled. No blank Word templates, no copy-pasting from your last job. Review, adjust, download.

Start your free RAMS →