RAMS preparation: risk assessments and method statements

Key takeaways

RAMS, risk assessments and method statements, are documents contractors prepare to show how work will be done safely. Principal contractors usually ask for them before work starts. Much of the preparation is repetitive: adapting templates, adding site details, attaching certificates and tracking versions. The safety judgement must come from a competent person who knows the work.

• Templates by task type speed up every RAMS.
• Site-specific details make each one valid.
• A competent person reviews and signs off.
• Version control shows which RAMS was briefed.

What is a RAMS document?

RAMS combine a risk assessment, which identifies hazards and controls, with a method statement, which sets out the safe sequence of work. RAMS is an industry term rather than a legal one, but the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require suitable risk assessments, and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 set duties for planning construction work.

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Which parts of RAMS preparation are admin?

The structure and much of the content repeat between jobs of the same type. The admin work is adapting the right template and assembling the pack.

• Choosing the template for the task type.
• Adding site address, contacts and programme.
• Attaching training cards, insurances and certificates.
• Formatting to the client's required layout.
• Logging versions and who was briefed.

• Document formatting support: proposals that look right
• Training records admin: track certificates and renewals

What does RAMS admin take?

In an illustrative example, a subcontractor produces 15 RAMS a month at about 2 hours of assembly each, around 30 hours, usually by a supervisor. These are example figures. Templates and a dedicated assembler can halve the time, leaving the supervisor to review the site-specific risks.

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What must stay with a competent person?

The hazard identification, controls and safe method must be decided by someone competent in the work, who knows the site. A support team must never invent controls or copy a RAMS from another site without review. Generic RAMS that do not reflect the site are a common finding when things go wrong.

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What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a start is delayed because the principal contractor rejects RAMS missing an insurance certificate. A pack checklist and a current certificate library stop that.

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RAMS preparation checklist

Check every pack before it is sent.

• Correct template for the task.
• Site-specific details added.
• Certificates and cards attached and current.
• Reviewed and signed by a competent person.
• Version and briefing recorded.

• CIS admin: verification, deductions and monthly returns

Next step

Send us a recent RAMS and how it was produced. We will suggest templates and a routine, and say plainly what a team could assemble for your review.