RAMS (a risk assessment and method statement) is the pack most main contractors ask for before a contractor starts work on site. The risk assessment says what could go wrong and how it is controlled. The method statement says how the job will be done, step by step, so those controls actually happen. Done well, RAMS are short, specific to the job and read by the people doing it.
Is RAMS a legal requirement?
The risk assessment is. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer to assess the risks of their work, and to record the significant findings if they employ five or more people.
No regulation uses the words "method statement". It is the usual way of showing the safe system of work that section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires, and under CDM 2015 every contractor must plan, manage and monitor their own work. That is why principal contractors and clients almost always ask for one, especially for higher-risk work such as work at height, lifting, excavations, hot work and confined spaces.
What goes in the risk assessment
- The task and where it will be done.
- The hazards at each step, including health hazards such as dust, noise, vibration, manual handling and hazardous substances.
- Who could be harmed: your own workers, other trades, visitors and members of the public.
- The risk before controls, and the controls chosen following the hierarchy of controls (eliminate, substitute, engineer, organise, then PPE).
- The risk remaining after controls.
- The PPE needed for this task, and references to COSHH assessments, permits or lift plans.
What goes in the method statement
- Scope: what work, where on site, dates and working hours.
- People: the supervisor, how many workers, and the training and cards the work needs.
- Plant, equipment and materials, with their inspection certificates.
- The sequence of work, step by step, with each control at the step where it applies.
- Access, segregation and how the work fits with other trades nearby.
- Permits needed and who issues them.
- Emergency arrangements and the rescue plan (essential for work at height and confined spaces).
- Waste and environmental controls.
- How the RAMS will be briefed to the workforce and signed.
Keep it specific
The most common reason RAMS are rejected is that they are generic: a template with the company name changed, hazards that do not apply, and nothing about this site. Write the sequence for this job, name the plant, the area and the access route, and cut anything that does not apply. A four-page RAMS that fits the job is worth more than forty pages that do not.
How a principal contractor reviews RAMS
- Does it describe this job on this site, and follow the construction phase plan and site rules?
- Are the hazards identified and the controls realistic?
- Are the supervisor and the competence needed named?
- Are emergency and rescue arrangements covered?
- Are permits and interfaces with other trades dealt with?
- Is there a record of the workforce being briefed?
Review is a judgement by a competent person, not a box-tick. Record the outcome (accepted, accepted with comments, or rejected with reasons) and keep the version that was accepted.
Briefing and sign-on
RAMS only work if the people doing the job know what is in them. Brief them before work starts and again when the method changes, and keep a record of who was briefed. If the job changes on the day, stop and update the RAMS, or use a point of work risk assessment to deal with the change, rather than carrying on regardless.
Frequently asked questions
What does RAMS stand for?
Risk assessment and method statement. It is one pack of documents covering both what could go wrong and how the job will be done safely.
Who should write the RAMS?
The contractor doing the work, because they know how it will be done. It should be written or checked by someone competent in that type of work, with input from the supervisor and the people doing it.
How long should RAMS be?
As long as the job needs and no longer. Simple, low-risk work may need a page or two; complex or high-risk work needs more detail on the sequence, permits and rescue.
Do RAMS replace a permit to work?
No. A permit controls a specific high-risk activity at a specific time. RAMS describe the whole job and say where permits are needed.
This guide is general information for UK businesses, not legal advice. Check the current regulations and HSE guidance at hse.gov.uk, and take professional advice for your situation.