RAMS for Slate and Tile Roofing UK – Generate in Minutes
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Reviewed against our editorial standards · Last reviewed
Pitched-roof RAMS that pass principal-contractor review: edge protection under WAH 2005, fragile-surface controls per HSG33, manual handling of slate and tile, RCS silica from cutting, and wind / weather hold-points. Generate a site-ready document in under five minutes.
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
Full version
Takes less than 5 minutes
No card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade any time (completely free)
Why Generic Roofing RAMS Get Pulled at Pre-Start
Roofing submissions fail when fragile rooflights aren't identified before access, when edge protection is described in prose but not specified to a TG20:21 / NASC standard, and when crawl boards or man-safe lines aren't tied to a written rescue plan. Roof RAMS also have to cover battening dust, respirable crystalline silica from slate or tile cutting, and weather hold-points (wind, ice, lightning) — none of which appear in a generic "working at height" template.
Falls from height remain the leading cause of fatal injuries in UK construction. Roof work is particularly high-risk due to fragile surfaces, edge exposure, and weather conditions.
How Riskora Helps
Riskora pre-loads the roofing hazard register HSE Construction Division actually queries — fragile surfaces, edge falls, manual handling above 25 kg, HAVS and silica from cutting, lightning / wind hold-points — each cross-referenced to WAH 2005, HSG33 and CAR 2012 where slate dust applies. Pick re-roof, repair or new-build pitched, add ridge length and pitch, download. For complex packages you can also pair this with a standalone risk assessment or method statement.
Who it's for
- Contractors preparing RAMS for principal contractor approval
- Site managers reviewing documentation before work begins
- Subcontractors producing task-specific safety documentation
- Safety professionals standardising documentation quality
Understand the Fundamentals
Before you generate your document, these guides cover the knowledge that underpins every good RAMS, risk assessment, and method statement.
What Is a RAMS Document?
Understand the two components of a RAMS and why they're required before work begins on site.
How to Write a RAMS Document
A step-by-step guide to structuring your RAMS from project details through to sign-off.
UK Legal Requirements for Risk Assessments
What the law requires under MHSWR 1999 and CDM 2015, and what 'suitable and sufficient' means.
Who Needs a RAMS?
Find out whether your work requires a RAMS and who is responsible for producing one.
RAMS vs Risk Assessment — Key Differences
When you need a full RAMS versus a standalone risk assessment, and how the two documents work together.
How to Write a RAMS (UK Guide)
A practical walkthrough of writing RAMS from scratch, covering structure, common mistakes, and what reviewers look for.
Slate & Tile Roofing — Hazard Register (Site-Typical Entries)
Pitched re-cover, strip-and-relay and patch repairs each carry different residual risks even when the headline hazards (eaves fall, fragile cover) are the same. The register below is the minimum set reviewers expect on a slate/tile RAMS submission.
| Hazard | Who is at risk | Primary control | Regulation reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall from eaves / verge / ridge | Roofer, labourer | Independent scaffold with double guard rail + toeboard at eaves; ridge anchor with twin lanyard for short-duration ridge work | WAH 2005 reg 6 + Sch 2 |
| Fall through fragile underlay / rooflight | Roofer | Crawl boards + roof ladders; cover or fence rooflights before strip; HSE INDG284 inspection | WAH 2005 reg 9 |
| Falling tiles / slates / battens | Operatives below, public | Debris netting on scaffold; chute to skip; exclusion zone with banksman | CDM 2015 reg 13 |
| Manual handling — slate bundle (~25 kg) lifted to ridge | Roofer | Tile hoist / scaffold lift; bundle splitting at ground level; team lift above 25 kg | MHO 1992 reg 4 |
| Asbestos cement underlay / soffit (pre-2000) | All site personnel | Refurbishment & demolition survey before strip; licensed removal where required; HSG264 | CAR 2012 |
| Hot works — lead burning, torch-on felt at flashings | Roofer, structure | Hot works permit; fire watch 60 min after work; extinguisher within 3 m | RRO 2005 + DSEAR 2002 |
| Adverse weather — wind > 23 mph at eaves | Roofer | Daily forecast briefing; stop work threshold per NFRC TS18; secure loose materials | WAH 2005 reg 4 |
UK Regulations That Apply to Slate & Tile Roofing
- Work at Height Regulations 2005 — the hierarchy of control must be visible: collective edge protection (scaffold) before personal fall arrest (harness). A harness is the last option, not the first.
- CDM 2015 reg 13 — the contractor must plan, manage and monitor work so it is carried out without risk to health and safety. On a roof, this means a written sequence for load-out, strip, batten and load.
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — any building constructed before 2000 must have an R&D survey before disturbance. Lining felts, bitumen-bonded slates and cement undercloak are common positives on older roofs.
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 — 25 kg bundles and 40 kg tile packs need mechanical handling above ground; the MAC tool result should be referenced in the RAMS where bundles exceed 20 kg.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — torch-on flashings, lead burning and bitumen pots are hot works; permit-controlled and the only activity where a fire watch outlasts the working day.
- HSE INDG284 — Working on Roofs — the practical benchmark for fragile-surface protection, ladder use and edge protection.
- NFRC Technical Bulletins (TB18 wind, SE2 slates) — the industry standard for fixing schedules and wind-uplift limits; cited by reviewers to test the method is current.
Slate & Tile Roofing — Method Statement Excerpt
Sequence Riskora generates for a typical strip-and-relay on a domestic pitched roof, with edge protection from an independent scaffold. Each step links to a controlled hazard in the register above.
- Site induction; verify R&D survey clear of asbestos at lining felt, slates and underlay.
- Inspect scaffold tag (current Thorough Examination within 7 days), double guard rail and toeboard at eaves, debris netting full perimeter.
- Set up tile hoist; rig debris chute to closed skip with lockable lid.
- Strip ridge first; load slates into baskets (max 25 kg) and lower via hoist — no throwing.
- Working in 1.5 m horizontal bays from ridge down, remove slates/tiles and nails; pass to chute. Crawl boards over any fragile area.
- Remove battens; inspect and replace defective rafters; treat with preservative per NHBC 7.2.
- Lay breather membrane (BS 5534) with min 100 mm laps; tape penetrations.
- Batten with treated 50×25 (UC4) at gauge per slate/tile schedule; fix with stainless ring-shank nails.
- Load-out: bundles distributed evenly along scaffold lift; no point loads over 100 kg/m².
- Lay from eaves up — double course at eaves, nail every slate plus tail clip, tile-and-a-half at verge.
- Lead/GRP flashings — hot works permit open, fire watch 60 min after last torch; extinguisher within reach.
- Bed ridge dry-fix (or mortar where heritage requires), seal verge, fit ventilation as Building Regs L1B.
- Snag walk with site manager; remove plant; reinstate scaffold protection for follow-on trades.
PPE & Competency Requirements
Minimum PPE on task
- EN 397 hard hat with Y-style chinstrap (EN 12492 for ridge/edge work)
- EN ISO 20345 S3 footwear with HRO (heat-resistant outsole) for hot works
- Cut-resistant gloves (EN 388) for slate handling; thermal gauntlets for lead burning
- EN 361 full-body harness with 1.75 m energy-absorbing lanyard for ridge anchor work
- Hi-vis (EN ISO 20471 Class 2) and impact-rated eye protection (EN 166)
- FFP3 mask for any disturbance of lining felt suspected to contain asbestos prior to clearance
Competency / cards
- CSCS Roofer card (Roof Slater & Tiler NVQ Level 2 or recognised equivalent)
- UK Asbestos Awareness (Cat A) refreshed annually for all operatives
- NFRC / IPAF as appropriate for the access plant in use
- Hot Works Permit holder competency — fire-watch trained, extinguisher use
- Working at height refresher every 3 years; rescue-from-height drill recorded
- Lead worker — Lead Sheet Training Academy (LSTA) competency for bossed/welded lead
Key Features
- Task-specific hazard libraries
- Pre-loaded control measures and method steps
- Risk matrix with severity and likelihood scoring
- Professional formatting accepted by principal contractors
- Version control and document history
- Download to PDF
Common Questions Before Getting Started
Will this take long?
Under 5 minutes. Select your trade, pick hazards, download.
Is it complicated?
No training needed. The guided builder walks you through every step.
Do I need experience?
If you know what work you're doing, you can use Riskora.
Is it free to try?
Yes. The Free plan needs no card — generate, review and download one free PDF. Upgrade any time for branding, DOCX, sign-off and higher limits.
Create your RAMS in under 5 minutes
No onboarding or setup needed — start generating documents instantly
Try Riskora FreeNo card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade any time (completely free)
All documents generated by Riskora should be reviewed by a competent person before use on site. Riskora provides structured templates — professional judgement is always required.
What your RAMS actually contains
Riskora builds a structured, client-facing document — not a generic AI paragraph. Every section is shaped around your job, your site and your team.
Hazards
Task-specific hazards for the job, captured row by row — not a generic list pulled from an old RAMS.
Controls
Control measures mapped to each hazard with residual risk scoring after controls are applied.
PPE
PPE requirements tied to the activity and site, ready to brief to the team.
Method steps
Step-by-step method statement structured around how the work is actually sequenced on site.
Emergency arrangements
First aid, rescue plan, emergency contacts and site-specific escalation routes.
COSHH prompts
Substance prompts when the work involves chemicals, dusts, fumes or sealants — flagged early, not missed at review.
Sign-off
Operative sign-off captured against the document — names, dates and acknowledgement of the brief.
Version history
Every change tracked so you can show what was issued, when, and which version the team signed.
Approval status
Clear approval state on every document — draft, in review, approved, issued — visible across the team.
Audit trail
Who created it, who reviewed it, who signed it. A complete trail you can hand to a principal contractor or auditor.
From copied-and-pasted to site-specific
The reason RAMS get rejected is rarely the format — it's that the document is obviously generic. Riskora rebuilds it around this job, this site and this task.
Generic template copied from an old job.
- • Hazards and controls that don't match this site or task.
- • Method steps written for a different sequence of work.
- • No emergency arrangements specific to the location.
- • Client flags it as generic and asks for a rewrite.
Site-specific document structured around this job, site and task.
- • Hazards captured from the actual scope you pasted in.
- • Method steps sequenced for how the work runs on site.
- • Emergency arrangements and rescue plan tied to the location.
- • Approved internally, briefed to the team, signed off and stored.
From job details to signed-off document
A four-step workflow used by contractors, consultants and safety teams to turn informal job details into client-ready safety paperwork.
- 1Paste job details
Drop in a client email, a WhatsApp from the site manager, a scope of works or a tender note. Anything that describes the job.
- 2Riskora structures the document
Riskora turns your brief into hazards, controls, method steps, PPE, emergency arrangements and COSHH prompts.
- 3Review, edit and download
You stay in control of every section. Tweak anything, then download a clean PDF or share a link.
- 4Brief the team and record sign-off
Brief operatives, capture their sign-off and keep a full audit trail of who signed which version.
Built by people who've written this paperwork on real sites
Riskora is built by a founder with hands-on site and document experience — designed for contractors, consultants and safety teams who need to issue, brief and prove safety paperwork without losing a day to admin.
- Built for contractors, consultants and teams
Solo trades, principal contractors and in-house safety teams all run on the same workflow. - Supports multiple countries
UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada — wording and document types match the local standard. - Not just documents
Sign-off, approvals, version history and an audit trail — the management workflow around the paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready? It takes less than 5 minutes.
No training. No complex setup. Just select your trade and go.
Start Your RAMS Now — It's FreeNo card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade for branding, DOCX, sign-off and audit trails (completely free)
References & Further Reading
Primary UK sources covering the legal and practical framework behind RAMS, risk assessments and method statements.
Create your slate tile roofing uk RAMS free — preview before sign-up
Generate a preview first. Sign up only when you want to save, edit or export.
Final RAMS must be reviewed and approved by a competent person before use.
Riskora is an assistive document preparation tool. All documents generated must be reviewed, verified, and approved by a competent person before use on site. Riskora does not replace professional safety judgment, and no output should be treated as a legal compliance guarantee.