Is a RAMS document a legal requirement?

Risk assessment duties apply under UK health and safety law, and many principal contractors and clients require RAMS as a condition of working on site. Whether a specific document is required depends on the work and the contract, so check the requirements that apply to your job.

Can I reuse a RAMS document for similar jobs?

You can reuse a template as a starting point, but the hazards, controls and method should be reviewed and adapted for each site. A copied document that does not match the site is worse than no document.

Who should sign a RAMS document?

Typically the author or a competent person approving it, and the operatives who have been briefed on it. Some sites also require the principal contractor to accept it before work starts.

What Should a RAMS Document Include?

By Boksit Editorial Team · Last updated: 28 August 2026

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It is one document doing two jobs: setting out the hazards of a task and how they are controlled, and describing how the work will actually be carried out on that particular site.

This is a general practical overview of the sections commonly expected. It is not legal or health and safety advice.

Requirements vary by job, trade, client and site. Check your contract, your principal contractor's requirements and current HSE guidance, and take competent advice where a task is high risk.

Job and site details

Contractor and client details
Site address and the specific area of work
Reference number and revision or version
Dates the document applies to
Author, and who reviewed or approved it

Description of works

A short factual description of what is being done: the task, the location, the expected duration and the number of operatives. This section frames everything that follows, so keep it specific to the job rather than generic to the trade.

Hazard identification

List the hazards genuinely present for this task. Common examples across trades include working at height, electricity, manual handling, dust and silica, noise, hot works, confined spaces, slips and trips, moving vehicles, and asbestos in older buildings.

Note who could be harmed — operatives, other trades, the client, members of the public — because that often changes the controls needed.

Risk assessment

For each hazard, assess the risk before controls, state the control measures, then state the residual risk once those controls are in place. Many organisations use a simple likelihood × severity rating; the rating matters less than showing the reasoning.

Control measures

Control measures should follow the usual hierarchy: eliminate the hazard if you can, substitute something safer, apply engineering controls, then administrative controls, and use PPE as the last line rather than the first answer.

Exclusion zones, barriers and signage
Isolation, lock-off and testing procedures
On-tool extraction and water suppression for dust
Access equipment selection and inspection
Permits to work where the site requires them

PPE

State the PPE required for the task and any specific standards or fit-testing requirements, such as face fit testing for tight-fitting RPE. Avoid listing PPE that is not actually needed; a realistic list is more likely to be followed.

Tools, plant and equipment

Note the equipment being used, any inspection or certification requirements, and who is authorised to operate it. Include power supply arrangements and any restrictions imposed by the site.

Method statement

This is the sequence of work, step by step, in the order it will happen: arrival and set-up, isolation, the work itself, testing, clearing up and handover. Written well, someone unfamiliar with the job could follow it.

Include arrangements for welfare, waste, deliveries and coordination with other trades where relevant.

Emergency arrangements

First aid provision and named first aiders
Emergency contacts and site emergency procedures
Fire arrangements, escape routes and assembly point
Accident and near-miss reporting
Rescue plan where working at height or in a confined space

Responsibilities

Name who is responsible for supervision on site, who carries out the briefing, and what each operative is expected to do. Vague responsibility is the most common weakness in an otherwise sound document.

Briefing, review and sign-off

The document only works if the people doing the work have read it. Record the briefing and collect operative acknowledgements, and note when the document should be reviewed — typically when the task, site conditions or team change.

In Boksit, RAMS documents can be built from reusable RAMS Templates, adapted for a specific job, shared as a secure link and acknowledged by operatives, with the acknowledgements recorded against the document.

Frequently asked questions

Is a RAMS document a legal requirement?: Risk assessment duties apply under UK health and safety law, and many principal contractors and clients require RAMS as a condition of working on site. Whether a specific document is required depends on the work and the contract, so check the requirements that apply to your job.
Can I reuse a RAMS document for similar jobs?: You can reuse a template as a starting point, but the hazards, controls and method should be reviewed and adapted for each site. A copied document that does not match the site is worse than no document.
Who should sign a RAMS document?: Typically the author or a competent person approving it, and the operatives who have been briefed on it. Some sites also require the principal contractor to accept it before work starts.