For Employers
Rope access RAMS, explained.
A RAMS — Risk Assessment and Method Statement — is the pair of documents an IRATA member company must produce for every rope access job: what the hazards are, and exactly how the work will be carried out safely, including how a technician would be rescued if something went wrong. No genuine rope access contractor should be unable to produce one for your specific job.
Last updated: 21 July 2026
Why It Exists
The document, not just the rope, is what makes a job safe.
In the UK, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 set a general baseline for every employer: identify what could cause injury, assess how likely and how serious the harm could be, and take action to eliminate or control it. Rope access work sits squarely inside that requirement — working at height is one of the highest-risk activities a business can undertake.
IRATA layers an industry-specific requirement on top: member companies must provide a method statement for any operation involving rope access, identifying the hazards of that specific site and task. This is a condition of IRATA membership, checked during the audit every member company undergoes — not an optional extra a contractor can skip to save time.
What's Actually In It
Four things a genuine RAMS covers.
01
Site-specific hazards
Anchor point condition, edge and structure integrity, weather exposure, and interfaces with other trades or the public — not a generic list copied from a different job.
02
The controls in place
The two-line redundant rope system, equipment inspection regime, PPE requirements, and any site-specific access restrictions.
03
A named Level 3 supervisor
The individual accountable for the method statement and the crew on that specific job — not an unnamed "supervisor" role on a template.
04
A rescue plan
How a technician would actually be recovered in an emergency on this site, with this structure — rehearsed, not theoretical.
RAMS FAQ
Risk assessments and method statements, answered.
What is a RAMS in rope access?
RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement — the two documents an IRATA member company is required to produce for any operation involving rope access. The risk assessment identifies hazards specific to that job and site; the method statement sets out how the work will actually be carried out safely, including rescue arrangements. IRATA credits this requirement, not the rope system alone, for the industry's low documented accident rate.
Who is responsible for the RAMS on a rope access job?
The rope access contractor produces the RAMS, but the IRATA Level 3 supervisor assigned to the job is responsible for it on site — writing or owning the method statement, briefing the crew, and holding rescue-plan responsibility. An employer engaging a contractor should confirm a named Level 3 supervisor is attached to the RAMS for their specific job, not a generic template with no one accountable.
What should I check in a contractor's RAMS before hiring them?
Confirm it is site- and task-specific, not a generic document reused across unrelated jobs. It should name the hazards actually present (anchor points, edge conditions, weather, public/other-trade interfaces), the controls in place (redundant rope systems, inspection regime, PPE), a named Level 3 supervisor, and a rescue plan describing how a technician would be recovered in an emergency. If a contractor can't produce this before mobilising, that's a red flag.
Is a risk assessment legally required for rope access work?
In the UK, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to assess risks to workers and others, and to take action to eliminate or control hazards — rope access is no exception. IRATA membership adds an industry-specific layer on top: member companies must produce a method statement for every rope access operation as a condition of membership, regardless of what local law separately requires.
Sources & method
Sources & references.
Regulatory and audit facts follow the UK's Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and IRATA's own Health & Safety framework. Checked July 2026.
- IRATA International — Health & Safety (Code of Practice, membership audit, method statements)2026
- UK Health and Safety Executive — risk assessment (Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999)2026
- The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (UK), Regulation 12 — scaffold inspection2005, in force 2026
Hiring? We check the RAMS before we check anything else.
Every crew Sultan Recruitment shortlists comes with a named Level 3 supervisor and a task-specific method statement — not a generic template.
See also is rope access safe? or how to hire rope access technicians.