When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and hospitality & catering teams carrying out hotel risk assessment — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised site & general 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
Hotel risk assessment — fire and sleeping risk, slips, manual handling, kitchens and the public.
Sequence of works
- 11. APPOINT RESPONSIBLE PERSON: Designate a competent responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to lead the hotel risk assessment. Confirm their competence and authority to implement findings.
- 22. WALK-THROUGH SURVEY: Conduct a systematic walk-through of all hotel areas — bedrooms, corridors, kitchens, plant rooms, back-of-house, car parks, and public spaces — to identify hazards relevant to fire/sleeping risk, slips, manual handling, and public safety.
- 33. FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT: Complete a full fire risk assessment in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Review detection, alarm, escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation, emergency lighting, signage, and evacuation procedures for sleeping guests.
- 44. SLIPS AND TRIPS ASSESSMENT: Assess all floor surfaces and stairways for slip and trip risk. Record defects, inadequate lighting, and high-risk locations. Implement or confirm engineering controls (anti-slip flooring, nosings, handrails) and housekeeping procedures.
- 55. MANUAL HANDLING ASSESSMENT: Identify all significant manual handling activities (linen, laundry, kitchen deliveries, equipment). Complete task-specific risk assessments and confirm that mechanical aids are available and maintained.
- 66. KITCHEN HAZARD ASSESSMENT: Inspect kitchen for burns/scald risk, equipment guarding, hot oil procedures, and emergency first-aid provision. Confirm gas safety, fire suppression (suppression hood), and staff training records.
- 77. PUBLIC INTERFACE ASSESSMENT: Assess risks to guests and visitors from the premises — including trip hazards, violence/aggression, maintenance activities in occupied areas, and accessibility for less mobile guests. Confirm safeguarding measures are in place.
- 88. DOCUMENT FINDINGS AND ACTIONS: Record all significant hazards, existing controls, residual risk ratings, and required actions with named owners and completion dates. Use the standard five-step risk assessment format.
- 99. IMPLEMENT CONTROLS AND TRAIN STAFF: Action all identified improvements. Deliver or update staff training on fire safety, manual handling, conflict resolution, and any new procedures. Retain training records.
- 1010. REVIEW AND MONITOR: Set a review date (minimum annually) and review immediately after any fire, accident, near-miss, significant change to the premises, or change in occupancy. Communicate updates to all relevant staff.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fire and sleeping risk
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Conduct and document a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment covering all areas of the hotel, including sleeping accommodation, kitchens, plant rooms, and escape routes. Review annually and after any significant change.
- › Install and maintain a L1 or L2 category automatic fire detection system throughout the hotel, including all sleeping areas, corridors, and back-of-house spaces. Ensure regular testing and servicing by a competent engineer.
- › Ensure all escape routes are unobstructed, signed with appropriate signage, and provided with tested emergency lighting. Fire doors must be self-closing, clearly marked, and free of obstructions at all times.
- › All hotel staff must receive fire safety induction training and participate in at least one fire evacuation drill every six months. Night staff must be trained in night-time evacuation procedures for sleeping guests.
Slip on wet or contaminated floor
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Place highly visible wet floor warning signs immediately when floors are wet from cleaning or spillage. Remove only once surface is fully dry.
- › Specify and install slip-resistant flooring (pendulum test value ≥36) in high-risk areas including kitchens, wet rooms, and entrance lobbies. Review flooring condition regularly and replace when worn.
- › Implement a written spillage response procedure requiring immediate clean-up and use of wet floor warning signs until the surface is dry. Cleaning schedules must minimise time that floors are left wet.
- › Provide kitchen and housekeeping staff with EN ISO 20345-compliant non-slip footwear as a minimum control where engineering measures cannot fully eliminate the slip risk.
Manual handling — linen and laundry
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Provide wheeled linen trolleys and bag holders to eliminate the need for staff to carry heavy loads manually. Trolleys must be maintained and easily manoeuvrable.
- › Complete a task-specific manual handling risk assessment for housekeeping activities. Establish maximum bag weights, team-lift requirements for mattresses, and prohibit overloading of trolleys.
- › Provide all housekeeping and kitchen staff with manual handling training covering correct posture, load assessment, and use of mechanical aids. Refresh training every 2–3 years or following injury.
Manual handling — kitchen deliveries and equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Use sack trucks, pallet trucks, or pump trucks for receiving and moving bulk deliveries. Delivery routes must be clear of obstructions and have appropriate ramp access.
- › Establish a written team lift procedure for loads over 25 kg or awkward items. Identify all such tasks during risk assessment and brief staff accordingly.
- › Kitchen staff handling heavy or sharp-edged equipment must wear steel-toecap footwear and cut-resistant gloves as a last-resort control supplementing engineering measures.
Burns and scalds in kitchen
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Fit thermostatic controls, guarding, and automatic cut-offs on cooking equipment. Ensure fryers have overheat protection and lids for pans are readily accessible to smother flames.
- › Establish written kitchen procedures for handling hot liquids, emptying fryers, and using steam equipment. Include mandatory use of dry oven gloves, correct lifting techniques for hot pans, and prohibition of carrying overfull containers.
- › Provide heat-resistant gloves and appropriate chef whites (long sleeves) as minimum PPE for all kitchen personnel working near hot equipment.
- › Ensure a fully stocked first-aid kit including sterile burn dressings and access to running cold water is available in the kitchen. Nominated first aiders must be trained in burn treatment.
Public safety — guest trips and falls
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Implement a daily documented inspection of all public areas by a competent member of staff. Any defects — loose carpets, damaged handrails, uneven paving — must be reported and rectified promptly or barriered off.
- › Ensure all corridors, stairwells, car parks, and public areas are maintained to appropriate lighting levels. Emergency lighting must operate on loss of mains power.
- › During any maintenance or cleaning that creates a trip or slip hazard in a public area, erect physical barriers and clear signage to redirect guests and protect them from the hazard.
Violence and aggression from guests
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Ensure reception and bar staff are not left alone during high-risk periods (late night, events). Establish minimum staffing levels and a check-in procedure for lone workers on night shifts.
- › Provide front-of-house staff with conflict resolution and de-escalation training. Train staff to recognise warning signs and follow an escalation procedure including calling security or emergency services.
- › Install CCTV in reception, bar, and external areas. Consider door supervisors during events. Provide panic alarms or personal alarm devices for night-shift reception staff.
Slips and trips — stairways and level changes
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Ensure all staircases are fitted with secure, continuous handrails on both sides where width permits. Apply contrasting colour stair nosing strips to all treads to aid visibility. Inspect and maintain regularly.
- › Fit anti-slip inserts or carpet securely fixed to all stair treads. Check for wear and loose fixings during daily inspections; replace immediately if defective.
- › Post clear, illuminated signage at all steps and ramps, particularly in areas where guests may not anticipate a change of level. Provide tactile paving or markings at top and bottom of steps.
Spread of fire through the building
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Implement a documented fire door inspection and maintenance programme. All fire doors must be checked weekly by a responsible person for self-closing function, intumescent seals, and signage. Propping devices must be prohibited unless they are approved hold-open devices linked to the fire alarm.
- › Inspect fire stopping around all penetrations (cables, pipes, ducts) through compartment walls and floors at least annually and following any building work. Commission a fire stopping survey by a competent specialist after any refurbishment.
- › Consider installation of automatic sprinkler systems and smoke control measures in high-risk areas (kitchens, plant rooms) as an engineering control to limit fire spread. Note: a competent fire engineer should advise on suitability.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
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
- › Welfare units and signage
- › Barriers, cones and pedestrian segregation
- › First-aid kits and eye-wash
- › Spill kits
- › Communication (radios / lone-worker device)
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Welfare provision matching CDM 2015 Schedule 2
- ✓ Traffic management and pedestrian routes
- ✓ Lone-working check-in arrangements where relevant
- ✓ 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 hotel risk assessment 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 hotel risk assessment, 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 hotel risk assessment?
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are the main ones, alongside Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3. 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.