Who Needs a RAMS?

If you work in construction, maintenance, contracting, or any trade that involves physical work on or near a site, you will almost certainly need a RAMS at some point. But RAMS aren't a blanket legal requirement — the answer to "who needs one?" depends on the type of work, the site, and who's commissioning it.

This guide explains who is typically expected to produce RAMS, when they're required, and when a simpler document might suffice.

What is a RAMS document?

A RAMS — Risk Assessment Method Statement — combines a risk assessment (identifying hazards and control measures) with a method statement (describing the step-by-step safe system of work). For a complete explanation, see our guide on what is a RAMS document.

Who is required to produce a RAMS?

There is no single law that says "you must produce a RAMS." However, the obligation comes from multiple directions:

1. Contractors and subcontractors on construction sites

Under CDM 2015 (Construction Design and Management Regulations), contractors must plan, manage, and monitor their work to ensure safety. Principal contractors routinely require every subcontractor to submit a task-specific RAMS before granting site access. This is the most common scenario where RAMS are mandatory in practice.

2. Self-employed tradespeople

If you're self-employed and working on a construction site or for a client who requires safety documentation, you'll need RAMS. Even without employees, you have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure your work doesn't create risks to others.

3. Small businesses with employees

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, any employer must carry out risk assessments. If your work involves physical tasks with significant hazards, combining your risk assessment with a method statement into a RAMS is industry best practice.

4. Maintenance and facilities management teams

Work in occupied buildings, on roofs, with electrical systems, or in confined spaces typically requires RAMS — especially when a client or building manager requests them before granting access.

5. Specialist trades

Scaffolders, demolition contractors, roofers, electricians, plumbers, drainage engineers, and similar trades are routinely expected to submit RAMS. The more hazardous the work, the more likely a RAMS is required. See RAMS for scaffolding and RAMS for electrical contractors.

6. Archaeologists and heritage specialists

Archaeological fieldwork — excavation, evaluation, watching briefs — involves specific hazards (deep trenches, contaminated ground, remote sites). RAMS are standard practice in this sector. See RAMS for archaeology.

When is a RAMS not needed?

A full RAMS isn't always necessary. Simpler risk assessments may be sufficient for:

• Low-risk office work — a general workplace risk assessment covers most office-based activities
• Routine tasks with minimal hazards — where the work doesn't involve significant risks to workers or others
• One-off domestic work — simple repairs or maintenance in a private home where the client doesn't request formal documentation

However, even in these situations, a risk assessment is still a legal requirement for employers. The question is whether you also need the method statement component. For the full legal picture, see UK risk assessment legal requirements.

The legal basis

While "RAMS" isn't mentioned in legislation, the requirement emerges from:

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 — general duty of care to employees and others affected by your work
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — requirement to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 — requirement to plan, manage, and monitor construction work safely
• Contractual requirements — principal contractors, clients, and site managers routinely require RAMS as a condition of site access

In practice, the contractual expectation is often more demanding than the legal minimum. A principal contractor who won't let you on site without a RAMS is enforcing a commercial requirement backed by their own legal obligations under CDM 2015.

What should a RAMS contain?

A RAMS should cover both the risk assessment and the method statement for the specific work being carried out. For a detailed breakdown, see how to write a RAMS document. The key difference between a RAMS and a standalone risk assessment is explained in our RAMS vs risk assessment comparison.

Creating RAMS efficiently

If you need to produce RAMS regularly — for different sites, trades, or clients — writing each one from scratch is impractical. A RAMS generator provides structured templates with trade-specific hazard libraries, so you're refining a relevant starting point rather than facing a blank page every time.

For standalone risk assessments, Riskora's risk assessment generator provides curated hazard libraries. For the method statement component, the method statement generator helps you build a clear, sequential safe system of work.

Start Your RAMS Now — It's Free →

The legal basis: who the duty actually falls on

Although "RAMS" isn't a named legal term, the underlying duties fall on specific roles. Under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Section 3 (duties to non-employees), every employer must provide a safe system of work. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment, and where five or more people are employed it must be recorded — which is where the documented RAMS comes in.

On construction projects, CDM 2015 distributes the duty further. Regulation 8 requires every contractor to plan, manage and monitor the work they control. Regulation 15 requires sub-contractors to give the principal contractor enough information (typically a RAMS) to coordinate the site. Regulation 13 puts the coordination duty on the principal contractor. Regulation 4 places client duties on whoever commissions the work — including arranging time for the contractor to produce competent RAMS.

Activity-specific regulations layer further duties on the operative actually doing the task: WAHR 2005 for work at height, LOLER 1998 for lifting, COSHH 2002 for hazardous substances, and PUWER 1998 for work equipment. The principal HSE guidance documents — HSG150, HSG47, HSG250 and INDG163 — explain how those duties translate into practical RAMS content. If you carry out the work, the regulation lands on you, regardless of what your contract calls you.

Last reviewed: 1 May 2026 · Sources: HSWA 1974; MHSWR 1999; CDM 2015; WAHR 2005; LOLER 1998; PUWER 1998; COSHH 2002; HSE HSG150, HSG47, HSG250, INDG163.