What must be included in a rams for this work?

Full scope and description of groundwork and excavation adjacent to existing building foundations. Site-specific hazard identification and risk ratings. Risk control: undermining existing foundations causing building settlement. Risk control: vibration from plant operations cracking adjacent structures. Risk control: dewatering affecting groundwater levels beneath neighbouring buildings. PPE and RPE requirements for all personnel. Emergency procedures and response arrangements. Competency requirements and training records. Communication and briefing procedures. Supervision and monitoring arrangements. Review schedule and sign-off by competent person

RAMS for Groundwork Near Existing Buildings — UK

UK construction-safety guidance by the Riskora Editorial Team

Anyone planning groundwork near existing buildings on a UK site faces the same starting question: how is the work going to be controlled? The combination of unstable soil, hidden services, and heavy plant working close to operatives makes excavation one of the most planning-critical activities on any UK site. For groundwork near existing buildings specifically, the Party Wall etc. A RAMS written specifically for this activity is the only practical way to evidence that the risks have been thought through before work starts.

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Example RAMS

Full scope and description of groundwork and excavation adjacent to existing building foundations
Site-specific hazard identification and risk ratings
Risk control: undermining existing foundations causing building settlement
Risk control: vibration from plant operations cracking adjacent structures

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When This Document Is Required

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply when excavating within defined distances of neighbouring foundations. A structural engineer's assessment may be required before work begins.

What Must Be Included

Full scope and description of groundwork and excavation adjacent to existing building foundations
Site-specific hazard identification and risk ratings
Risk control: undermining existing foundations causing building settlement
Risk control: vibration from plant operations cracking adjacent structures
Risk control: dewatering affecting groundwater levels beneath neighbouring buildings
PPE and RPE requirements for all personnel
Emergency procedures and response arrangements
Competency requirements and training records
Communication and briefing procedures
Supervision and monitoring arrangements
Review schedule and sign-off by competent person

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using a generic template without adapting it to the specific groundwork and excavation adjacent to existing building foundations conditions
Not reviewing the document when site conditions change
Missing sign-off from a competent person before work begins
Failing to consider undermining existing foundations causing building settlement
Not addressing vibration from plant operations cracking adjacent structures
Not briefing all workers on the document content before work starts

Example Scenario

A groundworks subcontractor delivering a contract has discovered that the existing template they have been using does not actually cover the activities on the new job — they need a fresh RAMS. The supervisor opens Riskora on a phone between site visits, selects the preset, checks the pre-populated content against the actual scope, makes the edits the site demands, and has a finished document by the end of the day. The finished document explicitly addresses undermining existing foundations causing building settlement, which the principal contractor would otherwise expect to see written into the pack.

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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.