When this template fits
This RAMS is for UK contractors and paving & surfacing teams carrying out tarmac & asphalt surfacing — typically because a principal contractor or client has asked for a risk assessment and method statement before work can start. It covers the recognised groundworks & excavation 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
Lay hot tarmac/asphalt with burns, bitumen fume and plant risk.
Sequence of works
- 1Pre-works planning and briefing: Conduct toolbox talk covering all RAMS hazards, including hot material burns, bitumen fume, plant exclusion zones, traffic management procedures, and emergency arrangements. Confirm all operatives hold relevant competencies and health surveillance is up to date.
- 2Traffic management set-up: Erect Chapter 8-compliant traffic management scheme (or confirm full road closure is in place) before any plant or operatives enter the carriageway. Verify the scheme is signed off by the TM designer and inspect prior to each shift.
- 3Site set-up and plant checks: Position paver, rollers, and tipper routes. Complete pre-use plant inspections. Establish pedestrian corridors and exclusion zones around plant operating areas. Position first-aid provision, burns station (cold water and dressings), and fire extinguishers.
- 4Sub-base and edge preparation: Verify substrate levels and condition. Apply tack coat (bitumen emulsion) and allow to break before laying. Demarcate level changes or trip hazards with cones.
- 5Hot asphalt delivery and loading: Tipper wagon guided by banksman to reverse onto paver hopper. Operatives stand clear of tipping operation. Check delivery temperature matches specification on delivery note before accepting load.
- 6Machine laying: Paver operator lays asphalt at correct speed and screed settings. Pedestrian operatives (equipped with full PPE including heat-resistant clothing and RPE) rake joints and edges from upwind positions where possible. Minimise hand-raking duration to control HAVS and fume exposure.
- 7Compaction: Roller passes carried out systematically to specification. Where plate compactors are used, monitor individual HAVs exposure time against daily EAV; rotate operatives. Maintain exclusion zones — no personnel between roller and paver.
- 8Joint and edge finishing: Hand-lute and seal edges and transverse joints. Check levels and surface regularity with straightedge. Operatives to remain aware of hot material temperature during close-contact finishing.
- 9Surface cooling and quality check: Allow surface to cool to below 60°C before permitting pedestrian or vehicle trafficking unless overridden by specification. Mark off and inspect for defects. Complete daily noise and vibration exposure records.
- 10Traffic management strike and site clearance: Remove all plant, tools, and debris from carriageway. Strike traffic management scheme in accordance with Chapter 8 safe sequence. Conduct end-of-shift debrief and report any near misses or incidents.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Contact with hot bitumen/tarmac
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Establish and enforce a minimum 1 m exclusion zone around the paver discharge area and hot material. Demarcate with barriers or spotters.
- › Ensure wagon drivers tip slowly and operatives stand clear of the hopper. Use long-handled raking tools to avoid close contact with hot material.
- › Wear heat-resistant, non-synthetic gloves (e.g. leather), heat-resistant gaiters or spats over boots, and non-synthetic overalls to prevent adhesive burns. Synthetic clothing must not be worn as it melts onto skin.
- › Cold water and dedicated burn dressings must be immediately accessible on site. A burns protocol must be briefed to all operatives before work starts.
Bitumen fume inhalation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Undertake a suitable and sufficient COSHH assessment before works commence, referencing EH40 WEL for bitumen fume (1 mg/m³ 8-hr TWA). Assessment must be reviewed by a competent person.
- › Ensure operatives work upwind of the paver where practicable. Avoid enclosed or poorly ventilated areas; if unavoidable, forced ventilation must be provided.
- › Where specification permits, specify warm-mix asphalt technology (typically 30–40°C lower laying temperature) to reduce fume generation at source.
- › Where engineering controls do not reduce exposure below the WEL, provide and ensure use of suitable RPE (minimum FFP3 disposable or half-mask with A2P3 filter). RPE must be face-fit tested.
Contact with plant — paver, roller and tipper
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Define and enforce clear pedestrian routes and plant movement lanes. Use physical barriers, banksmen, and/or ground markers to prevent operatives entering plant operating zones.
- › A trained and competent banksman must guide all reversing tipper wagons onto the paver. Clear signals and communication protocol must be established before operations commence.
- › All plant must have daily pre-use checks completed and must be fitted with reversing alarms and/or cameras. Operators must hold relevant plant competency cards (e.g. CPCS/NPORS).
- › All personnel on the carriageway/hardstanding must wear high-visibility vests or jackets to ISO EN 20471 Class 2 minimum (Class 3 on live roads).
Noise exposure from plant and equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Commission a noise assessment by a competent person before works commence. Identify noise sources and likely exposure levels for each operative role.
- › Specify plant with lowest practicable sound power ratings. Maintain plant in good order; worn or damaged equipment produces excess noise.
- › Provide suitable hearing protection (Class 3 earmuffs or EN 352 ear defenders achieving adequate SNR) where exposure reaches or exceeds 85 dB(A). Enrol operatives in hearing health surveillance programme.
Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) from compaction equipment
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Where practicable, replace pedestrian plate compactors with ride-on rollers to eliminate hand-arm vibration exposure.
- › Calculate daily vibration exposure (HSE HAVs ready reckoner). Implement job rotation to limit individual operator exposure below 2.5 m/s² EAV. Maintain a HAVs exposure register.
- › Provide anti-vibration gloves where residual exposure remains, and enrol regularly exposed operatives in a HAVs health surveillance programme. Gloves alone do not substitute for exposure reduction.
Manual handling of raking and compaction tools
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Use paver screed to spread material mechanically wherever possible. Minimise hand-raking by optimising paver set-up and mix design.
- › Provide rakes and lutes with ergonomic handles of appropriate length to allow upright working posture. Ensure tools are maintained and not excessively heavy.
- › Rotate operatives between raking, rolling observation, and traffic management duties. Provide adequate breaks to prevent fatigue-related injuries.
Slips, trips and falls on fresh and cold asphalt surfaces
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Use ramps or demarcation at level changes between existing and new surface. Highlight trip hazards with cones and barriers until surface is consolidated.
- › Keep works area clear of tools, excess material, and fuel/bitumen spillages. Clean up binder spillages promptly using dry sand or appropriate absorbent.
- › Operatives must wear safety boots rated to EN ISO 20345 S3 HRO (heat-resistant outsole to 300°C) with slip-resistant sole.
Interface with live traffic
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Where possible, carry out works under full road closure to eliminate operative exposure to live traffic. Obtain required permits and Traffic Regulation Orders.
- › Where full closure is not practicable, implement a Chapter 8 (Traffic Signs Manual) compliant traffic management scheme designed by a qualified traffic management designer. Maintain scheme throughout works.
- › Assign trained and certificated traffic management operatives (LANTRA or equivalent) to set up, maintain, and take down the TM scheme. Conduct site-specific briefing.
- › All personnel working within or adjacent to a live highway must wear high-visibility clothing to EN ISO 20471 Class 3.
Fire and explosion from bitumen tank and fuel
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site, Members of the public
- › Position fuel bowsers and bitumen tankers at least 6 m from ignition sources and hot plant. Display No Smoking signage and enforce no-smoking policy in the vicinity.
- › Refuelling must only be carried out with plant engines switched off and cooled. A designated responsible person must supervise. Drip trays must be used to contain spillages.
- › Maintain minimum 9-litre foam and CO2 extinguishers adjacent to all bitumen tankers and fuel storage. Operatives must be trained in their use.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ Eye/face protection
- ✓ Flame-resistant gloves
- ✓ RPE per the COSHH assessment
- ✓ Chemical-resistant gloves
- ✓ Hearing protection (to the assessed SNR)
Competence
- ✓ NRSWA operative and supervisor accreditation for any work in or on the highway
- ✓ 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
- › Excavator and dumper as specified
- › Trench support system (boxes, sheets, props)
- › CAT and Genny (service avoidance)
- › Ladder access for excavations
- › Gas detector for confined areas
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ Service avoidance: drawings reviewed, CAT/Genny sweep, permit to dig
- ✓ Excavation support method and inspection regime
- ✓ Plant/pedestrian segregation around the dig
- ✓ 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 tarmac & asphalt surfacing 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 tarmac & asphalt surfacing, 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 tarmac & asphalt surfacing?
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), PUWER 1998 — Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations are the main ones, alongside Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 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.