When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and steel erection teams carrying out safety netting 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 work at height 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 fall-arrest safety netting beneath steelwork.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-work planning: confirm structural adequacy of anchor points with a structural engineer; select net type and configuration (EN 1263-1); prepare and approve the RAMS; obtain principal contractor permit to proceed.
- 2Site induction and toolbox talk: brief all netting team operatives on the method statement, emergency procedures, exclusion zones, anchor point locations, and weather stop-work thresholds.
- 3Establish exclusion zone: erect physical barriers and signage beneath and around the entire netting installation area before any operative accesses height.
- 4Access to working level: use MEWP or secured stair access tower where practicable. Each operative to don and be inspected in full-body harness with PFAS before ascending. Attach to pre-approved anchor points immediately upon reaching the working level.
- 5Lift netting materials to height: use crane, MEWP basket, or secured gin wheel to raise net rolls, anchor devices, and accessories — do not carry manually on ladders. All materials to be secured in closed bags until required.
- 6Install anchor points and connecting ropes: fit certified anchor devices to the structurally approved steelwork connection points. Inspect each anchor before loading. Attach netting perimeter rope or border cord to anchors at the correct sag geometry specified in the design.
- 7Tension and deploy netting panels: unfurl and tension net panels in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the design specification, ensuring correct sag, overlap at joints, and securing of all edges and corners.
- 8Inspection and handover: the FASET-qualified team leader inspects the completed installation against the design drawing and checklist. Issue a signed handover certificate recording net type, location, date, team members, and any defects rectified before the net is accepted.
- 9Ongoing inspection and maintenance: nets to be inspected at intervals defined in the RAMS (minimum weekly and after any arrest event, adverse weather, or modification). Any net that has arrested a fall must be taken out of service, inspected, and replaced before further use.
- 10Removal: when netting is no longer required, repeat access controls; remove nets in reverse sequence ensuring PFAS is worn throughout; lower materials safely to ground and remove exclusion zone barriers only after all materials are cleared from height.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Fall from height during netting installation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Where practicable, install temporary guardrails or leading-edge protection on steelwork before netting work begins to provide collective fall protection.
- › Operatives must use a full-body harness with a short lanyard or self-retracting lifeline (SRL) attached to a pre-engineered anchor point on the steelwork when collective protection is not yet in place.
- › Safety netting must be installed by a trained and certificated netting team following a written method statement prepared by a competent person. Team leader to hold a current FASET (or equivalent) qualification.
- › Establish and enforce a clearly demarcated exclusion zone beneath and around the netting installation area to protect persons from falling tools, net components or operatives.
Falling objects striking persons below
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Erect hard barriers (e.g. Heras fencing, hoarding) around the drop zone prior to and during the installation. Maintain barriers for the duration of works.
- › All hand tools to be attached to operatives via tool lanyards. Net accessories to be carried in secure, closed bags or pouches at height — not left loose on steelwork.
- › All persons within or passing through the work area to wear a safety helmet to protect against struck-by risk.
Manual handling of heavy netting panels and equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use crane, MEWP, or gin wheel to lift net rolls and associated equipment to the working level rather than manual carrying on ladders or steelwork.
- › Conduct a manual handling assessment; use two-person lifts for heavy/bulky items. Rotate tasks to reduce cumulative loading on individual operatives.
- › All operatives to have received manual handling awareness training relevant to handling netting rolls and equipment in construction environments.
Inadequate anchor point failure
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Before installation, a structural engineer or suitably competent person must confirm that the steelwork can sustain the dynamic arrest loads generated by a falling operative plus netting loads.
- › All anchor devices, karabiners, and connecting ropes must be CE-marked or UKCA-marked and rated for fall-arrest use. Inspect each item before installation and record inspection.
- › The competent netting team leader to complete a documented anchor point inspection checklist before tensioning any net.
Netting system not fit for purpose or incorrectly installed
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Select net type (e.g. T35/T60/T100 to EN 1263-1) and configuration based on the specific fall distances, structural spans, and load requirements. Document the selection rationale.
- › Installation carried out only by operatives holding current FASET (or equivalent industry-recognised) safety netting qualification, who understand correct tensioning, sag allowances and handover requirements.
- › Issue a handover certificate upon completion confirming net type, location, installation date, operative names, and inspection findings before the net is relied upon for fall arrest.
Slips and trips on steelwork surfaces
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Inspect all walking surfaces on steelwork before work commences; remove debris, standing water, ice, or grease. Do not proceed in icy or high-wind conditions.
- › Operatives to wear safety boots with steel toecap and slip-resistant midsole rated for use on metal surfaces (e.g. S3 category).
- › Where practicable, provide temporary boarding, bean bags or man-riding platforms on top of steelwork to increase the standing area available to operatives.
Access and egress to working level
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Where reasonably practicable, use a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) or proprietary stair access tower rather than a ladder to gain access to the working level.
- › Where ladders are used as a last resort, they must be industrial-grade, inspected before use, secured at the top and footed, extend 1 m above the stepping-off point, and be used at the correct angle (75°/1-in-4).
Contact with overhead services or plant
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Identify all overhead electrical services in the work zone. Arrange isolation or diversion with the principal contractor and the supply authority before netting work begins.
- › Establish formal communication with the crane operator and principal contractor to agree on no-fly zones or suspended lifts during netting installation phases.
Adverse weather conditions
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Monitor wind speed continuously using an anemometer on site. Cease netting installation works when sustained wind speeds exceed the equipment manufacturer's limit (commonly 17 mph / Beaufort Force 4) or when conditions impair safe working.
- › Where installation must be paused, temporarily secure all partially installed netting to prevent wind-induced displacement or collapse.
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
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
- › Scaffold / mobile tower / MEWP as selected
- › Podium steps or ladders for short-duration tasks
- › Tool lanyards and tethers
- › Edge protection components
- › Inspection tags
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ A named access method (scaffold / tower / MEWP) with inspection regime
- ✓ A rescue plan that doesn't rely on calling 999
- ✓ Collective protection considered before harnesses
- ✓ 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 safety netting 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 safety netting 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 safety netting installation?
Work at Height Regulations 2005, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment are the main ones, alongside Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a method statement 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.