RAMS for Excavation Work
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Reviewed against our editorial standards · Last reviewed
Generate structured RAMS for excavation projects. Pre-loaded hazards for trench collapse, underground services, plant operations, and ground conditions.
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
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Excavation Work Carries Hidden Risks
Excavation is unpredictable. Underground services, unstable ground, groundwater ingress, and trench collapse can turn a straightforward dig into a serious incident. Every excavation needs a thorough RAMS that addresses the specific ground conditions and service routes on your site — not a generic template that covers nothing properly. Many contractors aren't sure what a RAMS document actually requires, which leads to submissions being rejected.
How Riskora Helps
Riskora includes excavation-specific presets covering trench support systems, service detection (CAT and Genny), ground conditions, dewatering, plant operations near excavations, and pedestrian segregation. Enter your site details and generate a RAMS that reflects the real risks. If you're new to RAMS, our step-by-step guide to writing a RAMS explains the fundamentals before you start generating.
Who it's for
- Groundworks contractors preparing trench excavation RAMS
- Utility companies documenting service installation procedures
- Civil engineering firms planning deep excavation works
- Drainage contractors documenting pipe-laying operations
Understand the Fundamentals
Before you generate your document, these guides cover the knowledge that underpins every good RAMS, risk assessment, and method statement.
What Is a RAMS Document?
Understand the two components of a RAMS and why they're required before work begins on site.
How to Write a RAMS Document
A step-by-step guide to structuring your RAMS from project details through to sign-off.
UK Legal Requirements for Risk Assessments
What the law requires under MHSWR 1999 and CDM 2015, and what 'suitable and sufficient' means.
Who Needs a RAMS?
Find out whether your work requires a RAMS and who is responsible for producing one.
How to Write a RAMS (UK Guide)
A practical walkthrough of writing RAMS from scratch, covering structure, common mistakes, and what reviewers look for.
Method Statement Requirements (UK)
What UK regulations require in a method statement and how to ensure yours meets the standard.
What UK Law Actually Says
Direct quotes from the named regulations, with plain-English explanations of what each one means in practice.
Regulation 22(1)(a), Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
“Where an excavation is liable to fall or dislodge material, suitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent any person from being buried or trapped by a fall or dislodgement of material.”
CDM 2015 Reg 22 is the regulation HSE inspectors quote at every excavation site. Any excavation over 1.2m without battering or shoring documented in the RAMS is a Reg 22 breach. The 1.2m threshold is industry-standard, not regulatory — battering depth depends on soil type, which the RAMS must assess.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →Regulation 22(1)(c), Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
“Where any excavation is liable to be a danger to a person, suitable and sufficient steps must be taken to identify and, so far as is reasonably practicable, prevent any risk of injury arising from any underground cable or other underground service.”
Reg 22(1)(c) is the regulation behind 'CAT and genny scan before any digging'. The RAMS must document the scan: utility records consulted, scan operator competence, results recorded, and the response to any service detected. Skipping any one of these is a Reg 22(1)(c) breach.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →The Numbers Behind the Risk
Why this matters — the most recent published figures from the Health and Safety Executive and ONS.
60 buried-services strikes per day
Estimated number of underground cable and pipe strikes by excavating contractors in the UK each working day — the leading cause of excavation injury and a frequent fatality cause when struck services are gas or electricity.
Source: HSE — Buried services guidance →£200,000+ typical fine
Typical fine following a serious utility strike or excavation collapse where an inadequate RAMS is the proximate cause. Lost-time costs to the contractor usually exceed the fine substantially.
Source: HSE — Recent prosecutions →Worked Example: RAMS for a 3m-Deep Manhole Excavation in an Urban Verge
A drainage contractor is awarded the construction of a new manhole chamber 3m deep in a grass verge between a B-road and a residential pavement. The dig is in cohesive clay, but the verge is bracketed by an HV cable to one side and a 4-bar gas main to the other, both shown on utility records.
The structured builder sequences the activity: (1) utility record review and CAT & genny scan with operator competence recorded, (2) trial holes hand-dug at three locations to confirm service positions before any machine excavation, (3) sides battered at 1:1 in the upper 1.5m and trench box installed below, given the cohesive clay assessed as Type B per BS 6031, (4) edge protection installed with toe boards on the road and pavement sides, (5) banksman manages excavator slewing throughout, (6) chamber rings craned in with appointed person and lift plan referenced, (7) backfill and reinstatement to NRSWA spec.
Permit-to-dig number, excavator make/model and ticket holder's CPCS card are all named. The HV cable is exposed by hand within its 0.5m caution zone before any machine work continues; the gas main is ID'd at trial-hole stage and not crossed. Total RAMS production: 9 minutes. The principal contractor's H&S advisor specifically noted the trial-hole evidence as best practice.
Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
1. 'Excavation will be supported as required' with no documented soil assessment
Why it fails: BS 6031 requires the soil type to be assessed and the support method matched to it. A RAMS that defers the decision to site is not a plan — it's an aspiration.
Fix: Document the soil type (granular, cohesive, mixed), the assessed BS 6031 category, and the chosen support method (battering ratio, trench box rated to depth, sheet piling). Update if conditions on site differ.
2. Skipping trial holes on a strike-risk dig
Why it fails: CAT scans detect, but don't prove, service location. On any dig within the caution zone of a recorded service, hand-dug trial holes are the only reliable confirmation. Skipping them is the proximate cause of most strikes.
Fix: Trial holes at every recorded service crossing before machine excavation. Result documented in the RAMS revision before continuing.
3. Excavator working without a banksman in confined urban verges
Why it fails: Pedestrian and operative crush incidents from excavator slewing are a recurring HSE finding. The 1.5m blind-spot rule isn't satisfied by mirrors alone in tight working.
Fix: Name the banksman in the RAMS, with their CPCS slinger/signaller card number. Document the comms protocol (radio or hand signals).
Excavation Depth vs Minimum Support — BS 6031 Quick Reference
BS 6031:2009 (Code of practice for earthworks) is the technical reference UK groundworks contractors cite when justifying battering ratios and trench-box depths. The "1.2m rule" is industry shorthand only — the regulation (CDM 2015 Reg 22) is silent on depth and requires suitable and sufficient measures based on actual soil. The table below summarises the starting points for the three common soil categories; always confirm against the project's ground investigation report.
| Depth | Stable cohesive (firm clay) | Mixed / soft cohesive | Granular (sand, gravel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 1.2 m | Vertical sides acceptable if dry | Batter 1:1 or trench box | Batter 1:1 mandatory |
| 1.2 – 2.4 m | Batter 1:0.5 or trench box | Trench box, design-checked | Trench sheets + walings |
| 2.4 – 4 m | Trench box rated to depth | Trench box + secondary shore | Sheet piling, designed |
| > 4 m or below water table | Engineered shoring, TWC sign-off | Engineered shoring, TWC sign-off | Engineered shoring + dewatering plan |
Sources: BS 6031:2009; HSG185 (Health and safety in excavations); CDM 2015 Reg 22. Original work — synthesised for RAMS documentation use, not a substitute for site-specific ground investigation.
Key Features
- Excavation-specific hazard libraries
- Underground service detection presets
- Trench support method statements
- Plant operation control measures
- Download to PDF
- Version control for phased excavation works
Common Questions Before Getting Started
Will this take long?
Under 5 minutes. Select your trade, pick hazards, download.
Is it complicated?
No training needed. The guided builder walks you through every step.
Do I need experience?
If you know what work you're doing, you can use Riskora.
Is it free to try?
Yes. The Free plan needs no card — generate, review and download one free PDF. Upgrade any time for branding, DOCX, sign-off and higher limits.
Create your RAMS in under 5 minutes
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All documents generated by Riskora should be reviewed by a competent person before use on site. Riskora provides structured templates — professional judgement is always required.
What your RAMS actually contains
Riskora builds a structured, client-facing document — not a generic AI paragraph. Every section is shaped around your job, your site and your team.
Hazards
Task-specific hazards for the job, captured row by row — not a generic list pulled from an old RAMS.
Controls
Control measures mapped to each hazard with residual risk scoring after controls are applied.
PPE
PPE requirements tied to the activity and site, ready to brief to the team.
Method steps
Step-by-step method statement structured around how the work is actually sequenced on site.
Emergency arrangements
First aid, rescue plan, emergency contacts and site-specific escalation routes.
COSHH prompts
Substance prompts when the work involves chemicals, dusts, fumes or sealants — flagged early, not missed at review.
Sign-off
Operative sign-off captured against the document — names, dates and acknowledgement of the brief.
Version history
Every change tracked so you can show what was issued, when, and which version the team signed.
Approval status
Clear approval state on every document — draft, in review, approved, issued — visible across the team.
Audit trail
Who created it, who reviewed it, who signed it. A complete trail you can hand to a principal contractor or auditor.
From copied-and-pasted to site-specific
The reason RAMS get rejected is rarely the format — it's that the document is obviously generic. Riskora rebuilds it around this job, this site and this task.
Generic template copied from an old job.
- • Hazards and controls that don't match this site or task.
- • Method steps written for a different sequence of work.
- • No emergency arrangements specific to the location.
- • Client flags it as generic and asks for a rewrite.
Site-specific document structured around this job, site and task.
- • Hazards captured from the actual scope you pasted in.
- • Method steps sequenced for how the work runs on site.
- • Emergency arrangements and rescue plan tied to the location.
- • Approved internally, briefed to the team, signed off and stored.
From job details to signed-off document
A four-step workflow used by contractors, consultants and safety teams to turn informal job details into client-ready safety paperwork.
- 1Paste job details
Drop in a client email, a WhatsApp from the site manager, a scope of works or a tender note. Anything that describes the job.
- 2Riskora structures the document
Riskora turns your brief into hazards, controls, method steps, PPE, emergency arrangements and COSHH prompts.
- 3Review, edit and download
You stay in control of every section. Tweak anything, then download a clean PDF or share a link.
- 4Brief the team and record sign-off
Brief operatives, capture their sign-off and keep a full audit trail of who signed which version.
Built by people who've written this paperwork on real sites
Riskora is built by a founder with hands-on site and document experience — designed for contractors, consultants and safety teams who need to issue, brief and prove safety paperwork without losing a day to admin.
- Built for contractors, consultants and teams
Solo trades, principal contractors and in-house safety teams all run on the same workflow. - Supports multiple countries
UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada — wording and document types match the local standard. - Not just documents
Sign-off, approvals, version history and an audit trail — the management workflow around the paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
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References & Further Reading
Primary UK sources covering the legal and practical framework behind RAMS, risk assessments and method statements.
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Final RAMS must be reviewed and approved by a competent person before use.
Riskora is an assistive document preparation tool. All documents generated must be reviewed, verified, and approved by a competent person before use on site. Riskora does not replace professional safety judgment, and no output should be treated as a legal compliance guarantee.