RAMS and method statement for electrical work

The biggest risk in electrical work is contact with a live part, and the control that prevents it is simple to state and easy to skip: prove the circuit is dead before you touch it, every time. A risk assessment and method statement for electrical work is built around safe isolation and dead working, backed by competent people and the right test equipment. This guide sets out what an electrical RAMS should cover on a UK site, whether the task is a new installation, a rewire, maintenance or testing.

What a RAMS for electrical work needs to cover

Be specific about the task and the system. State whether it is a new installation being built dead, or work on an existing installation that may be live, the isolation point and how it will be secured, the competence of the people doing the work, and whether any live working is proposed at all, which it should not be without clear justification. A first fix on a new build is a different risk from fault finding on a live distribution board, and the document should reflect the real task.

The main hazards of electrical work

• Electric shock and electrocution from contact with live conductors or parts made live by a fault.
• Arc flash and burns when working at or near live equipment, particularly at higher currents.
• Fire from faults, loose connections or overloaded temporary supplies.
• Secondary injuries, such as a fall triggered by an electric shock.
• Buried and concealed cables struck during other work.
• Circuits assumed dead that are still live, or re-energised by someone else during the work.
• Temporary site supplies, where damaged leads and missing protection cause shocks.

The control measures a reviewer expects

An electrical reviewer looks first for safe isolation and for how the isolation is secured against being switched back on.

• Safe isolation and dead working: isolate the supply, lock it off, and prove the circuit dead before touching it.
• Lock-off and tagging of the isolation point, so no one can re-energise the circuit while work is in progress.
• Competent electricians qualified to current standards such as BS 7671, the 18th Edition.
• Correct test equipment to GS38, a proving unit or known live source, and a voltage tester rather than a multimeter alone.
• Avoid live working: only permitted where it is unreasonable to work dead, with written justification, precautions and usually a permit.
• Locating buried cables with a cable locator and safe digging practices where relevant.
• Protected temporary supplies with RCD protection and undamaged leads, to BS 7671 and BS 7909.
• Inspection, testing and certification before the installation is energised and handed over.

The method statement sequence for electrical work

1. Confirm the scope and that the operatives are competent for the work.
2. Locate and avoid any buried or concealed cables and services near the work.
3. Identify the correct circuit or supply and isolate it at the right point.
4. Lock off and tag the isolation so it cannot be switched back on.
5. Prove dead: prove the voltage tester on a known live source, test that the circuit is dead, then prove the tester again.
6. Carry out the work on the dead circuit, keeping the isolation secured throughout.
7. Inspect and test the installation and complete the certification.
8. Re-energise in a controlled way, verify correct operation, then remove the locks and tags.

Where electrical RAMS usually get rejected

• No safe isolation procedure, or the phrase used without the prove dead steps.
• Live working proposed with no justification, precautions or permit.
• No lock-off, so the circuit could be re-energised while someone is working on it.
• Test equipment and the GS38 proving step not mentioned.
• Buried or concealed cables not addressed for work that involves digging or drilling.
• Competence of the operatives not stated.

Frequently asked questions

What is safe isolation?

Safe isolation is the procedure that proves a circuit is dead before anyone works on it: identify the circuit, isolate it, lock it off and tag it, prove the voltage tester works on a known live source, test that the circuit is dead, then prove the tester again. Only then is the work carried out.

Can electricians work live?

Live working is avoided. It is only permitted where it is unreasonable to work dead and reasonable to work live, with suitable precautions and usually a permit. For almost all construction work the circuit is isolated and proved dead first.

Who can carry out electrical work on a UK site?

Competent electricians qualified to current standards such as BS 7671, the 18th Edition of the wiring regulations, typically holding an ECS card. Testing and certification are carried out by a competent person who signs the relevant certificate.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a plain-English working summary to support site teams. For the detail see the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, HSE guidance HSG85 and GS38 for test equipment, and BS 7671.

Related guides: permit to work for construction, RAMS for confined spaces, how to write a risk assessment, and the COSHH assessment for construction guide.