What Is a RAMS Document and When Do You Need One?

What Is a RAMS Document?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It's a combined document that identifies the hazards on a job, assesses the risks, and sets out exactly how the work will be carried out safely.

If you've worked on any commercial site in the last decade, you'll have signed one. If you're running your own jobs, you should be writing them. And if a principal contractor asks you for your RAMS before you start on site, they're not being awkward — they're following the law.

A RAMS is really two documents in one:

• Risk Assessment — identifies what could go wrong and how likely it is
• Method Statement — describes step-by-step how the work will be done safely

Together, they show that you've thought about the dangers before anyone picks up a tool.

When Do You Legally Need a RAMS?

There's no single law that says "you must produce a RAMS for every job." But several regulations make it effectively compulsory for most construction work:

CDM 2015 (Construction Design and Management Regulations)

Under CDM 2015, every construction project has duty holders with specific responsibilities. If a project has more than one contractor, a principal contractor must be appointed, and they're legally required to plan, manage, and monitor the work — which means they need to see your RAMS.

Even on smaller jobs with a single contractor, you still have a duty under CDM to plan the work and manage risks. A RAMS is the simplest way to prove you've done that.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Regulation 3 requires every employer and self-employed person to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. If you employ five or more people, it must be written down. But even if you're a sole trader, having it documented protects you if something goes wrong.

In practice

Most principal contractors, main contractors, and clients now require RAMS as standard — regardless of project size. Local authorities, housing associations, and commercial clients will almost always ask for them. Domestic customers rarely do, but writing one is still good practice.

Who's Responsible for Writing the RAMS?

The contractor carrying out the work writes the RAMS for their scope. If you're a subcontractor doing the roofing, you write the RAMS for the roofing work. The principal contractor reviews and accepts it, but they don't write it for you.

On a typical project:

| Role | RAMS Responsibility | |------|-------------------| | Principal Contractor | Reviews all RAMS, ensures they don't conflict, maintains the construction phase plan | | Subcontractor | Writes RAMS for their own package of work | | Self-employed worker | Still needs to assess risks for their work | | Designer | Must eliminate or reduce risks at the design stage (not a RAMS, but feeds into them) |

What Should a Good RAMS Contain?

This is where many RAMS fall down. A generic copy-pasted document with "slip, trip, fall" ticked on every page isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Your RAMS needs to be site-specific and task-specific.

Risk Assessment Checklist

Your risk assessment section should cover:

• Specific hazards identified for this job on this site (not generic ones)
• Who might be harmed — your team, other trades, members of the public, residents
• Existing control measures — what's already in place (hoarding, site induction, etc.)
• Additional control measures — what you'll put in place (PPE, barriers, permits)
• Risk rating — likelihood x severity, before and after controls
• Emergency procedures — what happens if it goes wrong
• Review date — RAMS aren't write-once documents

Method Statement Checklist

Your method statement should include:

• Scope of work — exactly what you're doing
• Sequence of operations — step-by-step, in order
• Plant and equipment — what you're using, including any certification needed
• Materials — including COSHH data sheets for anything hazardous
• Personnel — how many operatives, what qualifications/cards they hold
• Access and working at height — scaffolding, MEWPS, ladders, edge protection
• Permits to work — hot works, confined spaces, electrical isolation
• Welfare arrangements — toilets, rest areas, drinking water
• Waste management — how you'll handle and dispose of waste
• Coordination with other trades — especially where work overlaps

Supporting Documents

A thorough RAMS will also reference or attach:

• COSHH assessments for specific substances
• Lifting plans (if applicable)
• Temporary works designs
• Noise and vibration assessments
• Permits to work templates

Common RAMS Mistakes

Having reviewed hundreds of RAMS over the years, here are the mistakes that come up again and again:

1. Copy-and-paste jobs

Using the same RAMS for every site without changing anything site-specific. An assessor or HSE inspector will spot this immediately.

2. Not reviewing or updating

The job changes, but the RAMS stays the same. If the scope changes, the sequence changes, or new hazards emerge, the RAMS must be updated.

3. No one reads them

Writing a 40-page document that sits in a folder on site is pointless. Your operatives need to understand the key risks and controls. Brief them properly — and record that you've done it.

4. Missing signatures

Every operative who's been briefed on the RAMS should sign it. No signature means no proof they were briefed.

5. Ignoring the hierarchy of controls

Jumping straight to PPE without considering whether you can eliminate the hazard, substitute a safer method, or use engineering controls first. The hierarchy of controls isn't optional — it's how risk management works.

CDM 2015: Your Duties at a Glance

If you're unsure whether CDM applies to your project, use our CDM Checker to find out. But as a rule of thumb:

• All construction work falls under CDM 2015 — there is no exemption for small jobs or domestic work
• Projects with more than one contractor need a principal designer and principal contractor
• The construction phase plan must be in place before work starts
• Workers must have the right skills, knowledge, training, and experience — the CITB provides construction-specific health and safety training including the SMSTS and SSSTS courses

For any work involving height, our Working at Height tool can help you identify the right controls and equipment.

How to Write a RAMS Quickly (Without Cutting Corners)

Writing a proper RAMS doesn't need to take hours. The key is having a good structure and knowing what to include for each type of work.

Our RAMS Generator walks you through the process step by step. You enter your project details, select the type of work, identify the hazards, and it produces a formatted, site-specific RAMS that you can download, review, and issue. It's free to use and saves a significant amount of time — especially if you're producing RAMS regularly for different sites.

The Bottom Line

A RAMS isn't just paperwork to keep the main contractor happy. It's your plan for getting everyone home safe at the end of the day. Done properly, it also protects you legally if something does go wrong — because you can show you identified the risks and put controls in place.

Get it right, keep it site-specific, brief your team, and update it when things change. That's all there is to it.