What Is a RAMS Document?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment Method Statement. It's a combined document used across the UK construction industry that brings together two critical safety documents into a single package: a risk assessment identifying what could go wrong, and a method statement describing how the work will be carried out safely.

If you work in construction, contracting, maintenance, or any trade that involves physical work on site, you will encounter RAMS regularly. Most principal contractors require one before they'll grant site access — and for good reason.

The two components of a RAMS

Risk assessment

The risk assessment portion identifies every significant hazard associated with the specific task being carried out. For each hazard, it evaluates:

• The likelihood of harm occurring
• The potential severity of that harm
• The control measures that will reduce the risk to an acceptable level
• The residual risk level after controls are applied

The standard approach uses a risk matrix — typically 5×5 — multiplying likelihood by severity to produce a risk score. This isn't just a bureaucratic exercise; it forces you to think systematically about what could hurt someone and what you're going to do about it.

Method statement

The method statement describes the step-by-step sequence of work, written in chronological order. Each step should be specific enough that someone unfamiliar with the task could understand how it will be carried out. It covers preparation, execution, and clean-up — including safety measures at each stage.

For a detailed breakdown of method statement content, see our guide on what must be included in a method statement.

Who needs a RAMS document?

In practice, almost everyone working on a UK construction site needs to produce or work under a RAMS:

• Subcontractors — required to submit task-specific RAMS before starting work on most sites
• Principal contractors — responsible for reviewing and approving RAMS from subcontractors, and producing their own for directly managed activities
• Sole traders and small firms — equally expected to provide RAMS, even on smaller projects.
• Maintenance teams — RAMS apply to maintenance, repair, and inspection work, not just new construction
• Specialist contractors — scaffolders, electricians, demolition teams, and other specialists all produce trade-specific RAMS

When is a RAMS legally required?

Strictly speaking, there is no single UK law that says "you must produce a RAMS." However, the obligation emerges from several overlapping regulations:

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment
• The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require contractors to plan, manage, and monitor construction work in a way that ensures it's carried out safely
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places general duties on employers to protect workers and others

The RAMS document is the industry-standard way of satisfying these duties. While the law doesn't prescribe the exact format, the combination of risk assessment and method statement has become the expected standard across UK construction. For the full legal picture, see our guide to risk assessment legal requirements in the UK.

What should a RAMS document contain?

A properly structured RAMS includes these sections:

1. Project information — site address, client, principal contractor, your company, dates, document reference
2. Scope of works — specific description of what work is being carried out
3. Hazard identification — every significant hazard for this specific task
4. Risk evaluation — likelihood, severity, and risk scores before and after controls
5. Control measures — specific actions following the hierarchy of controls (eliminate → substitute → engineer → admin → PPE)
6. Method statement — step-by-step safe system of work
7. PPE requirements — all required personal protective equipment with standards
8. Emergency procedures — first aid, fire, task-specific emergencies
9. Responsibilities — who is responsible for what
10. Sign-off and review — prepared by, reviewed by, approved by, review date

For a complete walkthrough of writing each section, see how to write a RAMS document.

RAMS vs standalone risk assessment — what's the difference?

A standalone risk assessment identifies hazards and controls but doesn't describe how the work will be done. A standalone method statement describes the work process but doesn't formally evaluate risks. A RAMS combines both into a single, coherent document.

On construction sites, a RAMS is almost always preferred because it demonstrates both the thinking (risk assessment) and the doing (method statement) in one place. The principal contractor can review a single document rather than cross-referencing separate ones. Our detailed comparison explains when you need a RAMS vs a risk assessment.

Common mistakes with RAMS documents

• Copy-pasting from old projects — the most common problem. Every RAMS must be specific to the task, site, and conditions. A RAMS from a different project is not suitable or sufficient.
• Generic hazard lists — including every possible hazard regardless of relevance makes the document less useful and signals a lack of genuine assessment
• Vague control measures — "appropriate precautions" means nothing. Specify the actual controls.
• No method statement — many documents labelled "RAMS" are actually just risk assessments with no method statement attached
• Never reviewed — a RAMS without a review date, or one that hasn't been updated despite changing conditions, is not fit for purpose
• Not briefed to workers — the best RAMS in the world is useless if the people doing the work haven't read it

How to create a RAMS efficiently

Writing RAMS from scratch for every project is time-consuming, especially for smaller firms without dedicated safety teams. A RAMS generator provides a structured framework with trade-specific hazard libraries, so you're editing a relevant starting point rather than starting from blank.

This is particularly valuable for trades like construction, archaeology, and scaffolding, where the hazard profiles are well-established but still need to be tailored to each site.

Create your RAMS instantly with Riskora →

RAMS in different sectors

While RAMS are most commonly associated with construction, they're used across many sectors:

• Construction — from groundworks to fit-out, every trade needs task-specific RAMS
• Utilities — gas, water, and electricity works require detailed RAMS addressing live services
• Events — temporary structures, crowd management, and electrical installations all need RAMS
• Facilities management — maintenance, cleaning, and repair work on occupied premises
• Heritage and archaeology — specialist RAMS addressing unique hazards like unstable structures and contaminated ground

Summary

A RAMS document is the industry-standard approach to demonstrating safe systems of work in the UK. It combines risk assessment with method statement into a single, practical document that satisfies legal requirements, meets client expectations, and — most importantly — helps keep people safe. Whether you're a sole trader or a large contractor, producing clear, task-specific RAMS is a core professional requirement.

Create your RAMS instantly with Riskora →

Regulatory framework

RAMS isn't named in UK statute, but it's the practical answer to several overlapping duties. The risk-assessment half satisfies Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (the duty to make a "suitable and sufficient" assessment of risks). The method-statement half satisfies the "safe system of work" duty in Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

On construction projects, both halves are also driven by CDM 2015: Regulation 8 requires every contractor to plan, manage and monitor their work, and Regulation 15 requires sub-contractors to provide enough information for the principal contractor to coordinate the site. Specific high-risk activities pull in their own regulations on top — COSHH 2002 for hazardous substances, PUWER 1998 for work equipment, LOLER 1998 for lifting operations, and RIDDOR 2013 for incident reporting.

HSE guidance documents most often cited in RAMS include HSG150 (Health and safety in construction), HSG47 (Avoiding danger from underground services) and INDG163 (5 steps to risk assessment). A well-written RAMS references the specific regulation or guidance behind each control measure — not as decoration, but to evidence that "reasonably practicable" has been considered.

Last reviewed: 1 May 2026 · Sources: HSWA 1974; MHSWR 1999; CDM 2015; HSE HSG150, HSG47, INDG163.