Demolition RAMS template for Ireland

A demolition RAMS should record the particular structure, a competent survey and engineered sequence, asbestos and services findings, exclusion zones, plant and temporary stability, dust and waste controls, emergency arrangements and who can authorise each stage. This template is a starting framework for an Irish contractor, not a demolition design or permission to begin work. A qualified demolition/structural team must assess the actual site and decide the method. Do not copy a generic sequence onto an unknown building.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) RAMS and Safe Plan of Action guidance distinguishes the work-package method from the short daily briefing plan. The HSA's demolition safe-system pictograms and construction-stage plan guidance show the range of issues to plan. Complete the fields below with the appointed duty holders and specialists. If information is missing, mark the relevant stage HOLD, obtain it and revise the method before mobilisation.

When this template is useful

Use it to structure a demolition work package, whether a controlled soft strip, partial demolition or full removal. The design, risks and permissions will differ. A partial demolition may leave a structure dependent on temporary support; a soft strip may expose concealed services or asbestos; a full demolition may affect neighbours, roads, buried utilities and the stability of adjoining property. Scope is therefore the first safety decision.

Irish construction projects are governed by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and applicable Construction Regulations. The project client, project supervisors, designers, contractors and workers have different duties. This document does not allocate those duties automatically. Record the actual appointments and project-specific construction-stage Safety and Health Plan arrangements. Check local planning, road-opening, waste and other permissions separately with the relevant authorities; they cannot be inferred from a RAMS form.

Stop before authorising work if any of these is unknown: structural stability or load path; demolition sequence and engineered temporary works; refurbishment/demolition asbestos information; live or unidentified services; occupation and public interfaces; plant capacity and operating area; emergency access and rescue. A signature on this form does not remove those hold points.

Copyable demolition RAMS worksheet

Replace the brackets with site-specific evidence. Keep the marked hold points visible. The risk entries are prompts, not a complete assessment.

A. Document control and job definition

Hold A — information release: the named supervisor must confirm that the surveys, engineered method, interfaces and approvals listed above are current and available to the crew. If the structure or job boundary differs from the evidence, do not start. Refer the change to the designer and project team.

B. Surveys, design and permits

Record the structural survey, existing drawings and any opening-up or intrusive investigation. Identify load paths, pre-existing damage, basements, retaining elements, unsupported walls, adjoining properties and hidden voids. The engineer should define the safe sequence, temporary propping/bracing, plant stand-off and loading restrictions, monitoring, and the condition at each handover. A method based solely on the visible façade is inadequate.

For asbestos, use a refurbishment/demolition asbestos survey (RDAS) appropriate to the work. The HSA says such a survey is required where premises or part of them need refurbishment or demolition and must be undertaken by a competent person. See its asbestos survey guidance and demolition/refurbishment alert. The 2025 amendment to the asbestos regime means an old guidance document may be incomplete; check the HSA's current asbestos FAQ and notification rules on the day of work. Do not assume a management survey answers a demolition question. Competent asbestos removal and clearance must precede work that could disturb the material; the HSA asbestos-removal page explains competence and notification requirements. This RAMS does not authorise asbestos work.

List services both inside and outside the structure. Obtain utility information, locate and positively identify, then isolate, lock off or protect as the relevant owner requires. Record written evidence of the isolation and who may re-energise. Underground services and remaining supplies to adjoining premises need separate attention. A drawing alone does not prove isolation.

C. Work stages, hazards and controls

Complete one row for each actual operation. The example controls below require review against the structure and contractor's design.

Hold B — before each structural stage: the supervisor checks that the previous stage matches the engineer's expected condition, temporary works remain sound, the exclusion zone holds and the crew has the current method. If movement, cracking, unexpected loads or a changed structure is found, evacuate the zone and refer the method back for engineering review. Do not improvise a new collapse sequence in the field.

D. People, plant and communications

List each role, the competence evidence relevant to its task and who verifies it. General induction and Safe Pass awareness do not by themselves establish ability to design temporary works, operate plant, manage asbestos or supervise demolition. Check any activity-specific training, plant authorisation and experience. Use the current HSA Safe Pass and CSCS guidance for the activities in scope.

Record the daily briefing, language or accessibility needs, radio/hand signals, plant-pedestrian separation and a reliable stop-work signal. State who informs occupants, adjacent contractors, utility owners, neighbours and the PSCS when a control changes. The HSA's Safe Plan of Action is useful for translating the RAMS into a brief, including permits, PPE, task risk assessment and supervisor sign-off. It complements rather than replaces this engineered package.

E. Emergency and change control

Name an alternate supervisor and the means to contact emergency services. Verify access for fire/ambulance and that rescue equipment matches the actual exposure. Workers should never enter an unstable structure to attempt an improvised rescue. After an incident or near miss, preserve the scene as required, notify the relevant parties and assess any statutory reporting duty separately.

Change rule: an unrecorded opening, newly discovered ACM, unidentified service, unexpected structural behaviour, changed machine, weather or sequence invalidates the corresponding RAMS step. Stop that activity, obtain specialist input, revise the drawing/method and brief everyone before restart. Record the change number, author, approval and date. A brief verbal permission cannot replace an engineered revision.

F. Briefing, sign-off and handover

The sign-off is evidence of a briefing and a decision. It is not proof that an unsafe design has become safe. Keep the completed record with drawings, surveys, permits, isolation evidence, inspections and revisions in the project file so that the next person can see what was approved.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting from a generic method without a structural survey. Demolition sequence depends on real load paths and the effect on retained/adjoining structures.
• Using an asbestos management survey as demolition clearance. Ask for the appropriate RDAS and resolve findings with competent specialists; current Irish asbestos law must be checked on the day.
• Assuming utilities are dead because the building is vacant. Confirm each supply and its isolation with the appropriate owner, including shared services.
• Treating the exclusion zone as a line on a drawing. Barriers, access control, plant routes and neighbour protection must work on site throughout the job.
• Writing “PPE to be worn” without an exposure control. Dust, silica, noise, vibration and falling material need assessed engineering and organisational controls; PPE may be only one layer.
• Finishing without a stable handover. Record remnant condition, hidden hazards, open services, waste and access restrictions.

Related Irish guidance and Complys boundary

The Irish construction compliance guide covers the broader duty/record picture. The Irish construction sector page is an observed commercial destination; its feature, pricing and trial statements require implementation and commercial verification before reuse in a CTA. The proposed /ie/rams-software route has not been verified live, so no live link or claim that Complys generates/approves demolition RAMS is made here. A safe next step is to ask a competent demolition specialist to complete this worksheet and, separately, ask Complys to demonstrate the currently implemented Irish workflow for storing the approved method, revisions and briefing evidence. Software does not design the sequence or approve legal sufficiency.

Source/claim and writer-side QA register — 5 October 2026

Final writer-side disposition: READY. This is a draft template for competent adaptation, not a site-approved RAMS and not publication approval. No Complys site or repository changes were made.