Guide
A RAMS generator that will not invent the job
This RAMS generator writes from the library entries you keep and the details you enter. It is a risk assessment generator in the same step: the hazards, the scores, and the method are one pack.
What you still have to do
Choose the trade and the task, then the site. Untick hazards that do not apply and add ones that do. Open the method, PPE, plant, COSHH, emergency, and training sections. Export stays off until you have. The wording can be edited. Nothing in the generator is a claim that the PDF will be accepted.
A worked example: fault finding
Fault finding is a poor fit for a generic electrical RAMS. The danger is often live testing, stored energy, and the occupier losing power. The generator starts from those library lines. You still have to say which board, which circuit, and who is proving it dead.
No law requires a document called a RAMS. The duty is to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3, and to plan the work safely.
Every hazard below is from the RAMSPack library and is marked draft – awaiting competent review. Change it for the site. It is not HSE approved.
Worked example: Fault finding and repair
Find and repair a fault on a low-voltage final circuit, such as loss of power, tripping, or mechanical damage, then test before returning the circuit to service.
Order of work
- Take a description of the fault and what changed before it appeared. Check for obvious damage, water, or burning.
- Make the installation safe for occupiers while you work. Isolate the affected circuit or the whole installation as required.
- Prove dead before touching conductors. If diagnostic testing requires the supply, follow a written live-test procedure and stop if it cannot be done safely.
- Locate the fault. Do not keep re-energising a circuit that trips or shows heat damage.
- Repair or replace the damaged part. Do not leave conductors unprotected.
- Inspect and test the repaired circuit before handing it back.
- Tell the occupier what failed, what was done, and any limitation, such as a circuit left isolated.
Electric shock during diagnosis, especially if live testing is attempted
From the electrician library, task: Fault finding and repair. Who might be harmed: Operatives
Before controls: 20 High. After controls: 10 Medium. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Prefer dead testing. Justify any live testing against regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
- Use fused leads and probes that meet GS38. Keep one hand clear where that reduces the path of a shock.
- Put barriers between the test area and other people.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Burns or shock from damaged equipment, capacitors, or a backfeed such as a generator or solar inverter
From the electrician library, task: Fault finding and repair. Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the work, other workers, occupiers and visitors
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Ask about generators, solar PV, battery storage, and UPS equipment before isolation.
- Isolate all sources, not only the grid supply, and prove dead at the point of work.
- Do not assume a tripped breaker means the conductors are dead.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Fire or further damage from re-energising a faulty circuit
From the electrician library, task: Fault finding and repair. Who might be harmed: Occupiers and operatives
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Leave the circuit isolated and labelled if the fault is not found or the repair cannot be proved.
- Replace heat-damaged accessories and cable. Do not tape over charred insulation as a repair.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Harm to occupiers from an unexpected loss of power, including stair lighting and medical equipment
From the electrician library, task: Fault finding and repair. Who might be harmed: Occupiers, including people who may be vulnerable
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 6 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Ask about medical equipment, stair lifts, alarms, and people who need light or power.
- Agree the isolation with the occupier. Provide temporary lighting if you remove normal lighting.
- Do not leave an open enclosure unattended.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.