RAMS for Road Works and Traffic Management UK
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Reviewed against our editorial standards · Last reviewed
Working on or near live roads? Riskora generates RAMS covering Chapter 8 traffic management, temporary signage, lane closures, and worker protection from moving traffic.
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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Road Works Expose Workers to Moving Traffic
Working on or near live carriageways is one of the most dangerous construction activities. Workers are at constant risk from passing vehicles, and every year there are serious incidents involving vehicles entering work zones. Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual sets out requirements for temporary traffic management, but translating these into a practical RAMS that covers your specific job takes significant effort. Many contractors aren't sure what a RAMS document actually requires, which leads to submissions being rejected.
Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual and the Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice set out requirements for temporary traffic management during road works in the UK.
How Riskora Helps
Riskora generates road works RAMS with pre-loaded hazards for live traffic, Chapter 8 TM layouts, temporary signage requirements, worker visibility, and plant operations near carriageways. The system covers urban and rural settings, single and dual carriageways. For more complex projects, you may also need a standalone risk assessment or method statement.
Who it's for
- Highways contractors carrying out road repair and resurfacing
- Utilities companies working in the carriageway
- Traffic management firms setting up lane closures
- Local authority teams doing verge and drainage maintenance
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.
Construction Safety Documents Explained
An overview of the key safety documents required on UK construction sites and how they relate to each other.
Key Risks and Considerations
- •Vehicle incursion — drivers entering the work zone
- •Worker visibility — inadequate high-visibility clothing or lighting
- •Plant and traffic interaction — machinery operating near moving vehicles
- •Pedestrian management — walkers diverted into traffic
- •Night working — reduced visibility, driver fatigue
- •Speed of passing traffic — inadequate speed reduction through work zones
What UK Law Actually Says
Direct quotes from the named regulations, with plain-English explanations of what each one means in practice.
Section 81, New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA)
“An undertaker executing street works shall ensure that the works are adequately guarded and lighted and that signs are placed and maintained in accordance with the code of practice.”
NRSWA Section 81 is the regulation that gives the Safety at Street Works Code of Practice (red book) and Chapter 8 their legal teeth. The RAMS must name the NRSWA Unit 10 Streetworks Supervisor and Unit 2/3 operatives.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →Chapter 8, Traffic Signs Manual (2009) — Part 1 Design
“The temporary traffic management layout shall be appropriate to the road type, speed limit, and traffic flow, with taper lengths, sign sizes, and lateral safety zones calculated per the published tables.”
Chapter 8 is the design standard the highway authority will check. The RAMS must reference the layout drawing number, the taper length used, the lateral safety zone, and the sign sizes — not just say 'Chapter 8 compliant'.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →Regulation 13, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
“The principal contractor must plan, manage and monitor construction work and coordinate matters relating to health and safety, including the safe segregation of the workforce from vehicles.”
CDM 2015 Reg 13 covers worker-vehicle segregation on highway projects. The RAMS must show how operatives reach the work zone without crossing live traffic, and the pedestrian diversion route for the public.
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.
10+ worker fatalities per year
HSE and Highways England data shows roughly 10–15 highway worker fatalities per year from vehicle strikes, plus several hundred reportable injuries — the most dangerous activity in UK utilities and highways work.
Source: HSE — Construction statistics →Sign-in-the-wrong-place fines
Fixed penalty notices and Section 74 charges for non-compliant TM (wrong sign, missing lighting, taper short) regularly exceed £2,500 per occurrence — and trigger highway authority audits of every other live job.
Source: DfT — Safety at Street Works Code →Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
1. Taper length copied from a previous job
Why it fails: Chapter 8 taper length depends on speed limit (e.g. 30 mph = 25 m, 40 mph = 45 m, 50 mph = 90 m). Using the wrong taper is the most common cause of TM-related incidents and Section 74 charges.
Fix: Calculate the taper from the actual posted speed limit using the Chapter 8 Table 3.1 values; reference the calculation in the RAMS.
2. No vehicle-incursion mitigation
Why it fails: Cones and signs don't stop a vehicle. On 50+ mph roads, the RAMS must show physical mitigation — IPV (incursion protection vehicle), barriers, or lane closure with rolling block — not just visual TM.
Fix: Specify the IPV crash-cushion model, the standoff distance, and the trigger condition (e.g. cone strike) for evacuating operatives from the work zone.
3. Night working without lighting risk assessment
Why it fails: Driver fatigue and reduced visibility multiply incursion risk at night. RAMS that don't address task lighting, glare on drivers, and operative visibility for passing traffic are non-compliant.
Fix: Reference the lighting plan (lumens at the working face, glare cut-off angle), specify Class 3 hi-vis, and document break frequency for the workforce.
Taper Length & Lateral Safety Zones — Chapter 8 Quick Reference
Chapter 8 Part 1 ties taper length and lateral safety zone directly to the posted speed limit. The risk assessment must reference the actual values used, not the generic principle. The table below summarises the most common combinations.
| Posted speed | Taper length | Lateral safety zone | Advance sign distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mph | 25 m | 0.5 m | 45 m |
| 40 mph | 45 m | 0.5 m | 60 m |
| 50 mph | 90 m | 1.2 m | 90 m |
| 60 mph | 115 m | 1.2 m | 110 m |
| 70 mph (motorway) | 135 m | 1.2 m + barrier | 365 m (1/4 mile) |
Sources: Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8 (2009) Part 1; Safety at Street Works Code of Practice (red book, DfT 2013 ed); HSE INDG422 (Working near vehicles). Original synthesis — confirm against the local highway authority's site-specific permit.
Key Features
- Chapter 8 TM considerations
- Live traffic hazard presets
- Temporary signage requirements
- Vehicle incursion protection
- Night working provisions
- Download to PDF
Example Structure (UK Standard)
- Project Details and Works Location
- Traffic Management Plan Reference
- Risk Assessment — Vehicle Incursion, Visibility, Plant, Pedestrians
- Method Statement — TM Setup, Works Sequence, TM Removal
- Chapter 8 Layout and Signage
- Night Working Arrangements
- PPE Requirements
- Emergency Procedures
- Sign-Off
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.