RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. For a small builder, they can feel like paperwork for the sake of it, until a main contractor won't let you on site without them, or something goes wrong and you need to show you planned the work safely.
This guide explains what RAMS are, when you need them, and gives you a simple template you can adapt. It's general guidance; for anything specialist or high risk, take proper health and safety advice.
What's the legal position?
There's no law that uses the term "RAMS". But the duties behind them are real:
- Risk assessment: the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers and the self-employed to assess the risks of their work. If you employ five or more people, you must record the significant findings.
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM): apply to all construction work, including domestic jobs. Contractors must plan, manage and monitor their work so it's carried out safely, and every project needs a construction phase plan. On a job where you're the only contractor, that's your responsibility.
In practice, RAMS are the simplest way to show you've done both. Many main contractors, commercial clients and some insurers will also ask for them.
Risk assessment vs method statement
- The risk assessment identifies hazards, who could be harmed, and the controls you'll use.
- The method statement sets out the steps of the job, in order, and how you'll do each one safely.
Together they answer: what could go wrong, and how are we doing this job so it doesn't?
The five steps of a risk assessment
The HSE's approach breaks it down into five steps:
- Identify the hazards. Walk the site. Think about the task, the tools, the materials and the location.
- Decide who might be harmed and how. You, your team, subcontractors, the client, their children, neighbours, delivery drivers.
- Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. Can you remove the hazard? If not, how will you control it?
- Record your findings and put them into practice. Write it down and brief everyone.
- Review and update. When the job changes, the assessment changes.
Free RAMS template
RISK ASSESSMENT AND METHOD STATEMENT
Company: [Name] · Prepared by: [Name] · Date: [date]
Site address: [Address] · Client: [Name]
Job description: [e.g. Bathroom strip-out and refit]
Start date: [date] · Duration: [X days]
Review date: [date or "if scope changes"]
PART 1: RISK ASSESSMENT
Hazard | Who might be harmed | Risk (L/M/H) | Controls | Residual risk | Responsible
-------|---------------------|--------------|----------|---------------|------------
[Hazard] | [Who] | [H] | [Controls] | [L] | [Name]
PART 2: METHOD STATEMENT
Step | Task | How it will be done safely | PPE | Equipment
-----|------|----------------------------|-----|----------
1 | Site set-up | [Protect floors, segregate area, signage] | |
2 | [Task] | [Method] | [PPE] | [Kit]
3 | Clean-up and waste | [Skip, waste carrier, final clean] | |
PART 3: SITE INFORMATION
Welfare: [toilet, washing, drinking water]
First aid: [kit location, first aider, nearest A&E]
Emergency procedure: [fire, injury, services strike]
Asbestos: [survey checked? any suspect materials?]
Services: [isolation points for water, gas, electric]
PART 4: SIGN-OFF
I have read and understood this RAMS.
Name | Role | Signature | DateCommon hazards on domestic jobs
| Hazard | Typical controls |
|---|---|
| Working at height | Stable access equipment, no overreaching, edge protection, scaffold inspected |
| Asbestos (pre-2000 buildings) | Check for a survey; stop work and get suspect materials tested before disturbing |
| Silica dust (cutting, drilling, chasing) | On-tool extraction or water suppression, FFP3 mask, clean with an H-class vacuum |
| Electricity | Isolate and prove dead, locate cables before drilling, 110V tools on site |
| Manual handling | Plan lifts, two-person lifts for heavy items, trolleys, smaller loads |
| Slips and trips | Tidy work area, protect flooring, manage cables and waste |
| Hazardous substances (adhesives, solvents) | Read safety data sheets, ventilation, gloves |
| Members of the public / occupants | Segregate the work area, secure tools, brief the client on no-go areas |
| Noise and vibration | Limit exposure time, hearing protection, low-vibration tools |
RAMS checklist before you start
- [ ] Site visit done and hazards identified
- [ ] Asbestos risk checked for buildings built before 2000
- [ ] Method written in the order the job will be done
- [ ] Controls are specific to this site, not copied blindly
- [ ] Welfare and first aid arranged
- [ ] Team and subcontractors briefed and signed
- [ ] Client told about any areas or times they need to avoid
- [ ] Copy kept on site and in the job file
- [ ] Review date set, or a note to review if the scope changes
Mistakes to avoid
- Generic, copied RAMS. A document that mentions hazards that aren't on site, and misses the ones that are, protects nobody.
- Writing it and filing it. RAMS only help if the team has read them.
- Never updating. When a variation changes the work, check the RAMS still fit.
- Too long to read. Two clear pages are better than twenty nobody opens.
How Tradeways helps
Tradeways includes RAMS as part of each job. Start from a hazard bank built for common domestic trades, adjust it for the site, and let AI help draft risk mitigation statements for you to check. Lock the finished RAMS and export it as a PDF. Tradeways also tracks compliance certificates, with reminders at 30, 14 and 7 days before they expire.