What is a RAMS Document?

What is a RAMS Document?

If you work in construction, facilities management, events, logistics or any industry where site-based or hazardous work takes place, you have almost certainly been asked to produce a RAMS document before starting a job. But what exactly is a RAMS document, what does it need to contain, and who is legally required to have one?

This guide explains everything you need to know about RAMS documents — written in plain English for contractors, site managers and health and safety professionals across the UK.

What Does RAMS Stand For?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It is a single document that combines two separate but closely related health and safety documents:

• Risk Assessment — identifies the hazards involved in a task, evaluates the likelihood and severity of harm, and sets out the control measures that will reduce the risk to an acceptable level
• Method Statement — describes step by step how the work will be carried out, who will carry it out, what equipment will be used, and what safety measures will be in place throughout

Together they form a complete picture of how a task will be planned and executed safely. The risk assessment tells you what could go wrong. The method statement tells you how you are going to make sure it does not.

Who Needs a RAMS Document?

RAMS documents are required across a wide range of industries and job types. You are likely to need one if you are:

• A contractor or subcontractor working on a construction site
• A facilities management company carrying out planned or reactive maintenance
• An events company setting up or breaking down temporary structures
• A logistics or warehousing business operating forklift trucks or other plant
• A cleaning, grounds maintenance or landscaping contractor
• Any business where employees carry out work that could cause injury to themselves or others

In practice, most principal contractors and clients will ask for a RAMS document before they allow any work to begin on their premises. It is one of the most commonly requested health and safety documents in UK business.

What Should a RAMS Document Include?

A well-structured RAMS document typically covers the following sections:

1. Project and Task Information

Basic details about the job including the project title, site address, client name, the company carrying out the work, and the dates the work will take place. This section establishes the context for everything that follows.

2. Scope of Work

A clear description of exactly what work is being carried out. This should be specific enough that anyone reading the document understands precisely what activities are included and, importantly, what is excluded.

3. Key Personnel

The names and roles of everyone involved in the work, including the site supervisor, operatives, subcontractors and any specialist personnel. Contact details for the responsible person and emergency contacts should also be included.

4. Methodology

A step-by-step description of how the work will be carried out. This is the method statement part of the RAMS document. It should be detailed enough that an operative can follow it on site and clear enough that a client can confirm the work meets their requirements.

5. Risk Assessment

A structured assessment of each hazard associated with the work. For each hazard the document should identify who might be harmed, assess the likelihood and severity of harm, and set out the control measures that will reduce the risk. A risk scoring system using Frequency, Probability and Severity ratings is commonly used.

6. PPE Requirements

The personal protective equipment required for the task, referenced to the relevant EN standards. PPE should always be the last line of defence — the document should demonstrate that engineering and administrative controls have been considered first.

7. Training Requirements

Any specific training, qualifications or certifications required to carry out the work safely. This might include IPAF for MEWP operation, Gas Safe registration for gas work, or CSCS cards for construction site access.

8. Plant, Equipment and Tools

A list of all plant, equipment and tools that will be used, including confirmation that they are in good working order, have been inspected and, where required under LOLER 1998, have a current thorough examination certificate.

9. Emergency Arrangements

What to do in the event of an emergency including the assembly point location, the address of the nearest accident and emergency department, first aid arrangements, and the procedure for raising the alarm.

Specific RAMS vs General RAMS — What is the Difference?

There are two types of RAMS document commonly used in UK businesses:

Specific RAMS (sometimes called a Job-Specific RAMS or Event-Specific RAMS) — written for a particular job, project or event. It covers the specific hazards, personnel, equipment and location relevant to that one piece of work. It has a start and end date and becomes inactive when the work is complete.

General RAMS (sometimes called a Standing RAMS or Generic RAMS) — written to cover a recurring type of work that is carried out regularly in similar conditions. A cleaning contractor might have a General RAMS for routine office cleaning that applies across multiple client sites. A General RAMS saves time by avoiding the need to write a new document for every job of the same type, but it must still be reviewed and adapted for any site-specific conditions.

How Detailed Does a RAMS Document Need to Be?

The level of detail required depends on the complexity and risk level of the work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses the phrase "suitable and sufficient" to describe the standard a risk assessment must meet. This means:

• It must identify all significant hazards — not every conceivable risk, but the ones that genuinely matter for this task
• The people who might be harmed must be identified, including employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public
• The control measures must be proportionate to the level of risk
• The document must reflect how the work is actually going to be carried out — not a theoretical ideal

A RAMS document for painting a fence requires far less detail than one for demolishing a building. The document should be as detailed as the risk demands — no more and no less.

Who Can Write a RAMS Document?

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, risk assessments must be carried out by a competent person. The HSE defines a competent person as someone with sufficient training, experience, knowledge and skills to carry out the task correctly.

This does not mean you need a qualified health and safety professional to write every RAMS document. A site manager or contractor with sufficient knowledge of the work, the hazards involved and the relevant regulations can write a competent RAMS document. However, for high-risk or complex work, involving a specialist H&S consultant is strongly recommended.

Regardless of who writes it, the RAMS document must be reviewed by a competent person before it is used on site.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using a generic template without adapting it. A RAMS document copied from a template and submitted unchanged is not a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. It must reflect the actual hazards, actual control measures and actual working conditions for the specific job.

Listing PPE as the primary control measure. Personal protective equipment should always be the last resort — after engineering controls such as guarding, enclosure and extraction, and administrative controls such as training and safe systems of work have been considered and applied.

Averaging hazard scores to produce an overall risk rating. Averaging scores can mask critical risks. If a task has one hazard rated Red and five rated Green, the overall risk is governed by the Red hazard — not the average of all six. The highest individual hazard score must govern the overall assessment.

Failing to review the document before use. A RAMS document that is written but never reviewed is not fulfilling its purpose. It must be read, understood and agreed by the people carrying out the work before they start.

Not updating it when circumstances change. If the scope of work changes, the site conditions change, or new hazards are identified, the RAMS document must be updated. An out-of-date RAMS is worse than useless — it creates a false sense of security.

How Long Does a RAMS Document Last?

A specific RAMS document is valid for the duration of the project or task it covers. Once the work is complete it should be archived for future reference — particularly useful if any incident or dispute arises later.

A general RAMS document should be reviewed at regular intervals — typically annually — and whenever there is a significant change to the work, the equipment, the site conditions or the relevant legislation. The review date should be recorded on the document itself.

Do Operatives Need to Read and Sign the RAMS Document?

Yes — and this is one of the most important steps in the RAMS process. The document is only effective if the people carrying out the work have read it, understood it and agreed to follow it. In practice this means:

• The RAMS document should be briefed to all operatives before work starts — typically as part of a pre-start or toolbox talk
• Operatives should sign to confirm they have read and understood the document
• Any questions or concerns raised by operatives should be addressed before work begins
• A copy of the signed document should be retained as evidence of briefing

Principal contractors increasingly require evidence of operative sign-off as part of their site management process. Being able to demonstrate that your team was properly briefed is an important part of your legal defence in the event of an incident.