UK construction-safety guidance by the Riskora Editorial Team
Scaffold erected near overhead lines is one of the very few activities HSE inspectors treat as a presumption of prosecution after any contact incident. The combination of long conductive tubes, lift-and-swing manoeuvres, and HV potential gradients means a near-miss is often indistinguishable from a fatality — current can arc to a tube up to 2m from a 132kV line in damp conditions without direct contact. The framework is well established: HSE GS6 (Avoiding Danger from Overhead Power Lines), the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and TG20:21 from the NASC for the scaffold design itself. What rejected RAMS for this scope have in common is that they treat the power line as a generic hazard and skip the three steps the DNO actually wants to see: written enquiry, written response with proposed exclusion distance, and a documented method that respects it. This page covers what a UK scaffold-near-OHL RAMS must contain to satisfy the DNO, the principal contractor, and the NASC-trained scaffold designer.
Example RAMS
RAMS for Scaffold Erection Near Power Lines — UK
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Required wherever scaffold standards, transoms, ledgers, materials being lifted, or any operative position will come within the exclusion zone of an overhead conductor as defined by HSE GS6 Table 1 (typically 9m horizontal from any conductor up to 33kV, more for HV). Under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Reg 14, work on or near live conductors is prohibited unless it is unreasonable to disconnect them AND suitable precautions are in place AND the worker is competent. CDM 2015 Reg 13 requires the principal contractor to plan, manage and monitor. The DNO (UK Power Networks, SSEN, National Grid Electricity Distribution, etc.) must be engaged in writing before erection — most will require sight of the RAMS and may require temporary line shutdown, insulated barriers, or live-line cover. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 and TG20:21 also apply for the scaffold design itself.
A scaffolding subcontractor in Reading is asked to erect a 3-lift independent scaffold to a flank wall that runs 7m below an 11kV overhead line. The GS6 exclusion is 6m horizontal from the conductor at maximum sag, putting the scaffold inside the zone. Using Riskora, the contracts manager selects the Scaffolding preset, adds the OHL hazard, references the DNO's written response (SSEN reference logged, exclusion confirmed at 6m, insulating cover quoted for installation by the DNO at the contractor's cost), specifies a goalpost barrier at 4m height at both ends of the scaffold run, names the appointed person and the banksman with their CISRS and CPCS card numbers, sets the wind stop-threshold to NASC SG4 limits, and references the TG20:21 design sheet. The 12-page RAMS exports in 7 minutes, is submitted to the principal contractor and to SSEN, and live-line cover is installed two days ahead of scaffold erection. No incidents, no rework.
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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.