RAMS and UK Health & Safety Regulations
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Written to our editorial standards
Understand how RAMS support risk assessment and safe work planning. These rules apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate legislation.
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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Compliance Is Non-Negotiable — But Understanding It Shouldn't Be Hard
Employers must assess work risks and put suitable controls into practice. In Great Britain, CDM 2015 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 set duties relevant to construction planning and risk assessment. Northern Ireland has its own regulations. The documents needed depend on the work and applicable duties. Understanding the legal requirements for risk assessments in the UK is the first step toward getting your documentation right.
How Riskora Helps
Riskora helps turn your job details into clear, structured RAMS documents in minutes. Bring hazards, risk assessments, controls and method steps together for a competent person to review against the actual work, site and applicable requirements. While Riskora doesn't provide legal advice, it helps you produce documentation that demonstrates a systematic approach to risk management. 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
- Businesses wanting to understand their RAMS obligations
- Contractors ensuring their documentation meets CDM 2015 requirements
- Companies preparing for HSE inspections
- Safety managers aligning documentation with regulatory frameworks
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 how risk assessments and method statements work together to support planning and communication.
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.
RAMS vs Risk Assessment — Key Differences
When you need a full RAMS versus a standalone risk assessment, and how the two documents work together.
Construction Safety Documents Explained
An overview of the key safety documents required on UK construction sites and how they relate to each other.
Key Features
- Document structure aligned with UK regulations
- Structured RAMS for planning construction work
- Control measure hierarchy (eliminate, reduce, inform)
- Professional document formatting for regulatory submissions
- Team activity logs and Business audit downloads
- Regular updates reflecting regulatory changes
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, sign-off and higher limits.
Create your RAMS in under 5 minutes
No onboarding or setup needed — start generating documents instantly
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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.
Inside your RAMS and its workflow
Create a clear, professional RAMS PDF in minutes, then choose the plan features you need for competent-person sign-off, document versions and team records.
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
Starter includes basic competent-person sign-off. Team adds briefing signatures and version-linked attendance records.
Version history
Pro includes basic version history. Team adds full version history and version-linked sign-off records.
Approval status
Track draft, in-review, approved and locked document states. Team adds multi-user organisations with defined roles.
Audit trail
Team includes a per-document activity log. Business adds organisation-wide audit trails and advanced audit downloads.
From copied-and-pasted to site-specific
Turn your job details into site-specific RAMS in minutes. Review the hazards, controls and work sequence against the actual job before issuing the document.
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.
- • Review before issue; Team adds briefings and version-linked sign-off.
From job details to signed-off document
Create and review your RAMS PDF in minutes. Add basic sign-off with Starter, version history with Pro and team briefing records with Team.
- 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
Review and edit your job details, hazards and controls, then download your RAMS as a professional PDF.
- 4Brief the team and record sign-off
With Team, brief operatives and record their signatures against the document version used for the briefing.
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
Choose Starter for basic sign-off, Pro for basic version history, and Team for briefing records and activity logs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Related Pages
References & Further Reading
Primary UK sources covering the legal and practical framework behind RAMS, risk assessments and method statements.
Create your RAMS free — preview before sign-up
Generate a preview first. Sign up only when you want to save, edit or export.
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.