RAMS in Construction: Risk Assessments and Method Statements That Work on Site

RAMS in construction are the Risk Assessment and Method Statement produced for a task or package of work. The risk assessment identifies what could cause harm and how it will be controlled. The method statement explains how the work will be carried out safely in practice. Almost every Principal Contractor requires RAMS before a contractor starts on site. They are also one of the first documents an HSE inspector will ask to see.

RAMS are also one of the most common findings in audits and incident investigations. The problem is rarely that RAMS are missing. It is that they do not describe the work that actually took place. This guide explains what construction RAMS are, what the law requires, who is responsible and how to keep them working from approval to the workface.

What are RAMS in construction?

RAMS are two linked documents that together describe a safe system of work for a specific activity.

• The risk assessment identifies the hazards, who could be harmed, how likely and serious the harm could be and the control measures needed. It answers the question: what must be controlled?
• The method statement sets out the sequence of the work, the plant and resources, the supervision and the controls in the order they will be applied. It answers the question: how will the work actually be done?

On a construction project RAMS are normally produced by each contractor for their own activities, then reviewed by the Principal Contractor against the Construction Phase Plan and the conditions on site.

Are RAMS a legal requirement?

This is where many people blur the line between law, guidance and contract. The position is:

Risk assessment is a legal requirement. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer and self employed person to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their workers and anyone else affected by their work. Where an employer has five or more employees, the significant findings must be recorded.

A method statement is not required by law simply because it is called a method statement. No regulation says every task needs one. However the law does require work to be properly planned in many situations. For example, CDM 2015 requires every contractor to plan, manage and monitor the work under their control. It also requires demolition arrangements to be recorded in writing before work starts. Other regulations require lifting operations and work at height to be properly planned.

RAMS are usually a contractual requirement. Most Principal Contractors make approved RAMS a condition of starting work. That is a contract and site rule rather than a statutory duty, but it is enforced just as firmly on site.

For more on what the law expects of the risk assessment itself, see our guide to construction risk assessments and what "suitable and sufficient" means.

Who is responsible for writing RAMS?

The contractor carrying out the work is responsible for its own RAMS. That applies to specialist subcontractors, labour only gangs working under their own supervision and the Principal Contractor's own directly employed teams.

Good RAMS are written by someone competent in the task, with input from the supervisor and operatives who will do the work. They should not be written by a remote office function with no knowledge of the site. Nor should they be bought in and rebadged.

The Principal Contractor has a separate responsibility. Under CDM 2015 it must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase. In practice that means reviewing contractor RAMS before work starts, checking they fit with the programme and neighbouring activities and making sure they are followed. We cover this in more detail in RAMS review: who is responsible for reviewing subcontractor RAMS.

What should construction RAMS contain?

The detail will vary with the task, but a good set of construction RAMS will normally cover:

• A clear scope of works and the location on site
• The significant hazards, including health hazards such as dust, noise, vibration and hazardous substances
• Who could be harmed, including other trades, visitors and members of the public
• Control measures that follow the hierarchy of control rather than relying mainly on PPE
• The sequence of work, with controls applied at the right stage
• Plant, equipment and materials, including any inspection or certification needed
• Access, egress and working platforms
• Permits required, such as hot works, excavation, confined space or permit to load for temporary works
• Interfaces with other trades, live services and occupied areas
• Supervision arrangements and the competence required
• Emergency and rescue arrangements specific to the task
• How the RAMS will be briefed and how that briefing will be recorded

The risk assessment and method statement each have their own depth. Our guides to construction method statements and construction risk assessments cover each in detail.

How do RAMS fit with the Construction Phase Plan?

The Construction Phase Plan sets out the health and safety arrangements and site rules for the whole project. RAMS sit underneath it and describe how individual activities will be carried out within those arrangements.

A contractor's RAMS should reflect the site rules, logistics, permit systems, emergency arrangements and traffic management set out in the plan. Where they conflict, the conflict needs resolving before work starts. A RAMS document that describes a delivery route, crane location or exclusion zone that does not match the site layout is a warning sign that it has not been written for this project.

How should RAMS be briefed to the workforce?

RAMS only protect people if the people doing the work understand them. Every operative should be briefed on the RAMS before starting the task. Effective briefings share some common features:

• Delivered at or near the workface by the supervisor responsible for the task
• Focused on the sequence, the key hazards, the controls and the emergency arrangements
• Give operatives the chance to ask questions or point out where the plan does not match reality
• Recorded with the date, the RAMS revision and the names of those briefed

New starters joining partway through a package need the same briefing. So does the whole team when the RAMS are revised.

When should RAMS be reviewed and updated?

RAMS are live documents. They should be reviewed whenever:

• The method, sequence, location or plant changes
• New hazards or site conditions are found
• Another trade starts working nearby
• An incident, near miss or inspection finding shows the controls are not working
• Design changes affect the work

When RAMS change, the revision should be reviewed again where the change is significant and briefed again to the people doing the work. A method that has quietly drifted away from the approved RAMS is one of the most common findings after an incident.

What are the most common failings with RAMS?

The same problems appear across many projects:

• Generic RAMS copied from a previous job with the site name changed
• Hazards listed without controls specific to the task
• Controls that rely on PPE and toolbox talks rather than higher level measures
• No reference to site specific conditions, interfaces or permits
• RAMS approved in the office but never briefed at the workface
• RAMS not updated when the method, sequence or plant changes
• Briefing sheets signed without any real explanation of the work

Each one turns a practical safety control into paperwork. They are also the first things an investigator looks at after something goes wrong.

What does good look like?

Good construction RAMS read like a plan for the job. A supervisor who did not write them could pick them up, brief the team and control the work. They describe this task on this site, they are proportionate to the risk and they are kept up to date as the work progresses. Most importantly, what happens at the workface matches what is written down.

Need support with construction RAMS?

Matthews & Roberts supports Principal Contractors and specialist contractors with RAMS preparation and review, Construction Phase Planning, site inspections and retained health and safety support.

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