When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and fire systems teams carrying out fire alarm installation — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised building services & m&e hazards for this task, with the controls a reviewer expects to see.
What this RAMS includes
- ✓ 9 task-specific hazards scored on a 5×5 matrix (initial → residual)
- ✓ Specific control measures for each hazard, in hierarchy-of-control order
- ✓ A 10-step method statement (sequence of works)
- ✓ PPE, plant/equipment, permits and competence requirements
- ✓ Emergency arrangements and operative briefing / sign-off section
Scope of works
Install and commission fire detection and alarm systems.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-start: Review drawings, asbestos register, existing fire alarm isolations schedule, and carry out a site-specific risk assessment. Obtain all relevant permits (electrical isolation, hot-works if applicable, confined space entry if required). Brief all operatives on findings.
- 2Notify the building responsible person of planned fire alarm isolations; agree isolation windows and temporary fire watch arrangements in writing before touching any existing system.
- 3Set up work zones: erect barriers and signage around active areas, position access equipment (podium steps / MEWP), and verify equipment inspection records before use at height.
- 4Cable routing: using drawings, identify routes minimising new drilling. Confirm substrate is ACM-free. Attach H-class extraction to drill; operatives don RPE, eye protection, and hearing protection before drilling commences.
- 5Electrical isolation: identify and isolate all circuits in the work area at source, apply lock-off devices, and prove dead with an approved voltage indicator before making any connections or terminations.
- 6Install cable containment, draw cables, and fix detection devices, sounders, and call points to ceiling and walls using appropriate access equipment. Maintain housekeeping — coil surplus cable and clear offcuts from walkways continuously.
- 7Terminate fire alarm panel and field devices in strict accordance with the manufacturer's wiring schedule and site drawings. A competent, qualified fire alarm engineer must oversee all panel terminations.
- 8Restore or commission new circuits progressively, re-energising one zone at a time. Carry out zone tests, detector sensitivity checks, and sounder audibility tests per BS 5839-1 (note: BS 5839-1 is the relevant code of practice — competent person to confirm applicable edition).
- 9Full system functional test: simulate alarm conditions, confirm correct cause-and-effect, verify interfaces (door holders, lifts, suppression systems), and complete all commissioning records. Notify the responsible person and fire and rescue service as required.
- 10Post-completion: remove all temporary barriers, tools, and waste; reinstate any fire-stopping or ceiling tile displaced; hand over commissioning documentation, O&M manuals, and user training to the client's responsible person.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fall from height
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Wear a safety helmet and safety boots with ankle support to protect against struck-by and fall injury.
- › Redesign installation sequence or use extended fixing tools to reduce the need to work at height where practicable.
- › Prefer podium steps or MEWPs with integral guardrails over stepladders to provide collective edge protection.
- › Use stepladders only where a risk assessment confirms they are appropriate (short-duration, light work). Inspect equipment before each use and ensure feet are on firm, level ground.
Electric shock
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Identify all circuits that may be affected, isolate at source, apply lock-off devices, and prove dead with an approved voltage indicator before any termination or cable work.
- › Where possible use extra-low voltage (SELV) commissioning tools and battery-operated test equipment to reduce shock risk during functional testing.
- › Issue a formal electrical permit-to-work for any unavoidable live working, signed off by a competent electrically qualified person.
- › Use insulated Class 00 or Class 0 gloves and GS38-compliant insulated hand tools when working near potentially live conductors.
Dust inhalation from drilling
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Plan cable routes to maximise use of existing cable trays, conduit, or penetrations to minimise new drilling.
- › Attach H-class or M-class vacuum extraction directly to percussion drills and core drills to capture dust at source before it becomes airborne.
- › Carry out a COSHH assessment identifying dust type (including RCS where applicable), establish WELs, and implement monitoring where needed.
- › Wear minimum FFP2 (FFP3 for RCS) disposable mask or powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) where dust extraction cannot fully control exposure.
Asbestos contact during drilling
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Obtain and review the principal contractor's asbestos register and refurbishment/demolition survey before marking out cable routes. Do not proceed if ACMs are present in the work zone without licensed/specialist removal.
- › Where ACMs are identified or suspected, redesign the cable route to avoid disturbance; engage a licensed asbestos contractor if removal is necessary.
- › Operatives must stop work immediately if unexpected fibrous or suspect material is encountered, leave the area, and report to the supervisor / principal contractor for specialist assessment.
Manual handling injury
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use sack trucks, pallet trucks, or mini-hoists to move bulk bags and materials to the work area rather than manual carrying.
- › Pre-cut cable lengths at ground level; split battery and panel deliveries into smaller sub-assemblies to keep individual loads below 20 kg where practicable.
- › Ensure all operatives have received manual handling training; mandate two-person lifts for loads between 20–40 kg and for awkward or confined lifts.
Slips and trips from cable runs
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Restrict access to active work zones with barriers and signage; complete cable installation in defined bays before opening areas to other trades.
- › Coil and secure surplus cable, use cable protector ramps over temporary surface runs, and clear offcuts from walkways at the end of each shift.
- › All operatives to wear safety footwear with slip-resistant soles in compliance with EN ISO 20345.
Interference with existing fire detection system
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Before any isolation of existing fire alarm circuits, obtain written approval from the building's responsible person (as defined under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005) and notify the relevant fire and rescue service if required.
- › During any isolation period, deploy a trained fire warden to patrol the affected zone and maintain manual fire watch, with alternative means of raising the alarm agreed.
- › Programme isolations for periods of minimum occupancy; restore full system operation at the end of each working shift.
Working in ceiling voids and confined areas
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › A competent person must assess each ceiling void or riser against the definition in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 before entry. If classified as a confined space, a confined space entry procedure must be followed.
- › Where practicable, use cable rods, draw wires, and inspection cameras to route cables without personnel entry into voids.
- › Where void entry cannot be avoided, test oxygen levels and combustible/toxic gas concentrations before and continuously during entry using a calibrated gas monitor.
Noise from drilling and cable management
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Specify drills with manufacturer-declared lower sound power levels; use diamond core drills in lieu of percussion drills where the substrate permits.
- › Schedule noisy drilling activities to minimise exposure to adjacent workers and building occupants; rotate operatives to reduce individual daily noise dose.
- › Wear Class 4 or Class 5 ear defenders or EN352-2 compliant ear plugs when noise at ear exceeds 85 dB(A).
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ Safety harness and lanyard where fall arrest is the selected control
- ✓ Insulated gloves where live work is unavoidable
- ✓ RPE (FFP3 or as risk-assessed) with face-fit
- ✓ Disposable RPE (FFP3)
- ✓ Disposable coveralls (Type 5)
- ✓ Hearing protection (to the assessed SNR)
Competence
- ✓ Site induction completed; CSCS or equivalent where the site requires it
Schemes (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF…) evidence competence; they are not statutory requirements in themselves.
Plant & equipment
- › Isolation valves / pipe-freezing kit
- › Gas tightness test gauge (gas work)
- › Press tool or soldering/brazing set
- › MEWP or tower for high-level plant
- › LEV / extraction for brazing fume
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Named competence where required (Gas Safe / F-Gas / Part P)
- ✓ Service isolation and test-before-touch (gas tightness, electrical lock-off)
- ✓ Hot-works permit and fire watch for brazing/soldering near combustibles
- ✓ The document is site-specific — real address, access arrangements and dates, not a generic template
- ✓ Hazards match the actual task and the controls are specific (not “take care” and “use PPE”)
- ✓ Named supervisor and competent person, with operative sign-off space
- ✓ Emergency and rescue arrangements that work for this site
The report builder runs these as pre-submission checks before you download — or run an existing document through the free RAMS pre-submission checker.
Frequently asked questions
Who should write a fire alarm installation RAMS?
Someone competent to plan the work — usually the contractor doing the job or their supervisor. A template like this gives you the recognised hazards and controls for fire alarm installation, but the person signing it off must review it as the competent person and confirm it matches the actual site and method.
How long is the RAMS valid for?
Until something changes — there's no fixed expiry in law. Review it if the method, site conditions, equipment or people change, after any incident or near miss, and at sensible intervals on longer jobs. Date the review and re-brief the team.
What regulations apply to fire alarm installation?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) are the main ones, alongside Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a RAMS need to be site-specific?
Yes — this is the most common reason documents get sent back. Principal contractors reject generic copy-paste RAMS. Your document should name the site, access arrangements, dates, supervisor and any site-specific hazards. The RamsDocs builder fills these in for you and flags what's missing before you download.
Is this template free?
Yes — everything on RamsDocs is free during early access, including building a site-specific version of this RAMS and downloading the PDF. No card required.