How to create a construction RAMS that actually works on site

Quick answer: To write a construction RAMS, visit or survey the site, list the tasks in the order you will do them, identify the hazards for each task, decide who could be harmed and how, set out the controls you will use, then write a clear method statement covering the sequence of works, people, plant, materials, permits and emergency arrangements. Brief it to everyone doing the work, get it signed, and keep it on site. Review it whenever the job changes.

If you work in construction, you will be asked for a RAMS sooner or later. Usually it is the principal contractor asking before you can start, and usually it is needed by tomorrow morning. This guide walks you through what goes into a good RAMS, how to put one together, and the common reasons they get sent back or end up useless on the day.

What is a RAMS?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It is two documents that work together.

• The risk assessment looks at what could go wrong. It identifies the hazards in the work, who could be hurt, and what you will do to control the risk.
• The method statement explains how the job will be done safely, step by step. It turns the controls from the risk assessment into a practical plan the people on the tools can follow.

Put simply, the risk assessment is the thinking and the method statement is the plan. A good RAMS links the two, so every significant risk has a control and every control shows up in the way the work is actually done.

Do you legally need a RAMS?

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their workers and anyone else affected by their work. If you employ five or more people, you must write down the significant findings.

The law does not use the word "method statement", but in construction it is standard practice. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), contractors must plan, manage and monitor their own work so it is carried out safely, and principal contractors need to see how each trade will do that. In practice, most principal contractors will not let you on site without a RAMS they have reviewed and accepted. Accreditation schemes such as CHAS, SMAS and Constructionline also expect to see that you can produce them.

So even if you are a sole trader and not strictly required to write things down, you will almost certainly need a RAMS to win and start work.

What a risk assessment should include

The HSE sets out a simple approach to risk assessment. For a construction job, your risk assessment should cover:

• The job and the site. Project name, address, the client or principal contractor, the scope of your work and the dates.
• The hazards. The real hazards of this task on this site, such as work at height, manual handling, dust, noise, vibration, live services, moving plant, hazardous substances, confined spaces or working near the public.
• Who could be harmed and how. Your own team, other trades, site visitors, members of the public, and anyone more vulnerable such as young workers or lone workers.
• The level of risk. Many firms use a simple likelihood and severity rating before and after controls. Keep it consistent and easy to follow.
• The controls. What you will do to remove or reduce each risk. Work through the hierarchy of control: eliminate the hazard if you can, substitute something less risky, use engineering controls such as edge protection or extraction, then safe systems of work and training, and only then PPE as the last line of defence.
• Who is responsible. Name who makes sure each control is in place.
• Review details. Who wrote it, the date, the version number, and when it will be reviewed.

What a method statement should include

A method statement should be specific enough that someone new to the job could read it and understand how the work is meant to be done. It should include:

• Scope of works. What you are doing and, just as important, what you are not doing.
• Sequence of works. A step by step order of the job from arriving on site to leaving it clean, with the key safety controls written into each step.
• People and competence. Who is doing the work, the supervisor, and the training, cards or tickets they hold (for example CSCS, IPAF, PASMA or asbestos awareness where relevant).
• Plant, tools and equipment. What will be used and how it is inspected, including any LOLER or PUWER checks.
• Materials and substances. Anything hazardous, with reference to the COSHH assessments.
• Access and egress. How people and materials get in and out of the work area safely.
• Permits and isolations. Any permits to work, hot works, permits to dig or isolations needed, and who issues them.
• Welfare. Toilets, washing facilities, drinking water and somewhere to eat, usually provided by the principal contractor, but confirm it.
• Emergency arrangements. First aid, first aiders, the nearest A&E, fire procedures and, where relevant, a rescue plan for work at height or in confined spaces.
• Waste and housekeeping. How waste is stored, removed and kept from creating new hazards.
• Sign off. A record of who has been briefed and signed to say they understand it.

How to write a RAMS, step by step

Step 1: Get the job information. Read the scope, drawings, the principal contractor's site rules and the construction phase plan if you can get it. Ask about known hazards such as asbestos surveys or live services.

Step 2: Visit or survey the site. Even a short walk round tells you more than any template. Look at access, working heights, other trades nearby, ground conditions and where the public might be.

Step 3: Break the job into tasks. List the work in the order it will happen. This becomes the backbone of your method statement.

Step 4: Identify the hazards for each task. Think about what could actually go wrong on this job, not every hazard that could ever exist on a building site.

Step 5: Decide the controls. Work down the hierarchy of control for each hazard and be specific. "Use edge protection" is weak. "Double guardrail with toe boards fitted to the first floor slab edge before work starts, checked daily by the supervisor" is useful.

Step 6: Write the method statement. Turn your task list and controls into a clear sequence. Use short sentences, numbered steps and plain words.

Step 7: Add the people, plant and emergency details. Fill in who, what equipment, which permits and what happens if something goes wrong.

Step 8: Check it and send it. Read it back as if you were the principal contractor. Is it site-specific? Does it make sense? Then send it in good time before the start date.

Step 9: Brief it, sign it and keep it live. Covered in the next section, and the part most people skip.

If you would rather not start from a blank page, our free RAMS builder can produce a site-specific draft for you to check and finish in under 10 minutes.

Getting it read, understood and signed

A RAMS that sits in a folder protects nobody. Before work starts, everyone doing the job, whether they are your employees or subbies, should:

1. Have it briefed to them. Talk through the RAMS at the start of the job, ideally on site at the work area. Cover the sequence of works, the key hazards, the controls and the emergency arrangements.
2. Understand it. Give people the chance to ask questions. If anyone has limited English or reading difficulties, brief it in a way they can follow, and consider a translated summary or a talk-through with pictures.
3. Sign it. Everyone signs to confirm they have been briefed and understand it. Record names, dates and the version they were briefed on.
4. Get re-briefed when it changes. If the RAMS is updated, the people affected need briefing again and signing the new version.

New starters and sub-contractors who join part way through need the same briefing before they start work. Principal contractors and auditors will often ask to see the signed sheet, and if something goes wrong it is one of the first things that will be checked.

Why RAMS go wrong: the common problems

Most firms do not set out to write a bad RAMS. They go wrong because of time pressure, habit or the wrong tools. These are the problems we see most often.

The paperwork is left in the van. The RAMS exists, it was even signed, but it is in a folder in the van or back at the office. If the principal contractor, the client or an HSE inspector asks to see it, it is not there. A RAMS needs to be available on site, on paper or on a phone, for the people doing the work.

All the right content, badly laid out. The hazards and controls are in there somewhere, but they are buried in long paragraphs, the sequence jumps about, or the layout is so cluttered nobody can find anything. If the person on the tools cannot follow it, it has failed, however good the content.

Generic copy and paste. The same RAMS used on every job with the address changed, or sometimes not even that. Principal contractors spot this quickly and it is one of the most common reasons for rejection.

Not site-specific. No mention of the actual access, the actual working heights, the other trades or the specific hazards of that site.

Out of date. The job changed, a new piece of plant arrived or the sequence moved round, but the RAMS still describes the original plan.

Far too long. Sixty pages of everything that could ever happen. Nobody reads it, so the important bits get lost.

Not signed or not briefed. The RAMS was emailed to the principal contractor but never talked through with the team, or the signature sheet is blank.

The sequence of works is missing. A risk assessment with no method, so there is no clear plan for how the job is actually done.

Wrong hazards for the task. Hazards copied from a different trade or job, while the real risks of this task are missed.

PPE listed instead of real controls. "Wear hard hat, hi-vis and gloves" is not a control plan. PPE is the last line of defence, after removing or reducing the risk.

No emergency or rescue arrangements. A plan for working at height but no plan for getting someone down if they fall into a harness, or a confined space entry with no rescue arrangements.

Version control problems. Three versions floating about, and the one on site is not the one the principal contractor accepted.

Competence not shown. No mention of who is doing the work or what training and tickets they hold.

Sent too late. Submitted the night before, with no time for the principal contractor to review it, so the start date slips.

Rejected by the principal contractor. Usually because of several of the problems above. Each rejection costs time and sometimes the job.

A quick RAMS checklist before you send it

• Is it specific to this site and this job?
• Does every significant hazard have a clear control?
• Is there a step by step sequence of works?
• Are the people, their competence and the plant listed?
• Are permits, welfare and emergency arrangements covered?
• Is it short enough and clear enough that the team will actually read it?
• Is the version number and date on it?
• Is there a sign off sheet ready for the briefing?
• Will it be available on site, not just in the van or the office?

See how we have simplified RAMS creation

Writing a good RAMS takes time, and doing it from a blank page for every job is where most of the problems above start. We built SafeGuard to take that pain away.

Answer a few quick questions about your job and our RAMS builder creates a site-specific risk assessment and method statement for you, laid out clearly with a proper sequence of works. Most of it is done for you, so you just check it, add your details and send it. It takes under 10 minutes.

Try it for yourself and see how easy we make it.

Want your RAMS, COSHH, training records and policies kept in date, with your team signing on their phones? See SafeGuard.