Construction RAMS: The Complete Guide to Risk Assessment Method Statements

Let's be honest for a second. You didn't get into construction because you love paperwork.

Nobody does. You got into it because you wanted to build things - actual, physical things you can point at and say "I made that happen." And yet here you are, probably reading this during a lunch break that's already running over, trying to figure out how to make your RAMS documentation less of a nightmare.

I get it. I really do.

What Actually Are RAMS? (And Why Should You Care?)

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment Method Statement. Bit of a mouthful, isn't it? Basically, it's two documents smooshed together into one package.

The risk assessment bit identifies what could go wrong on a job - we're talking falls, cuts, things dropping on people's heads, the usual construction greatest hits. Then it figures out how likely each hazard is and how bad it'd be if it happened.

The method statement part? That's your step-by-step guide for actually doing the work safely. Think of it like a recipe, except instead of ending up with a Victoria sponge, you end up with everyone going home with the same number of fingers they arrived with.

Simple enough in theory. In practice... well, that's where things get messy.

The Legal Bit (Sorry, But It Matters)

Look, I'm not going to pretend the legal stuff is exciting. It's not. But it IS important, and ignoring it is a bit like ignoring that funny noise your car's been making - eventually, it's going to catch up with you.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the big one. It basically says employers have to do everything "reasonably practicable" to keep people safe. And before you ask - yes, "reasonably practicable" is deliberately vague. Lawyers love that sort of thing.

Then there's CDM 2015 - the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. This one's specifically for construction, and it puts a lot of responsibility on principal contractors to plan, manage, and monitor the construction phase. Your RAMS documents are basically your proof that you're doing this properly.

If something goes wrong and the HSE comes knocking, they're going to want to see your paperwork. Trust me on this one.

Why Traditional RAMS Are Such a Pain

Here's the thing nobody tells you when you're starting out: creating RAMS from scratch is soul-destroying work.

I've seen site managers spend entire evenings - time they should be spending with their families, frankly - hunched over a laptop trying to put together documentation for a job that starts tomorrow. And then they've got to do it all again next week for a different project.

It's not just the time, either. It's the inconsistency.

When everyone's creating their own documents from scratch, you end up with a weird patchwork. Dave's RAMS are incredibly detailed (maybe too detailed, if we're being honest). Sarah's are brief but miss important bits. The new guy's... well, let's just say he's still learning.

And don't even get me started on version control. You know that moment when you realise the RAMS on site is from three revisions ago? Yeah. That feeling.

The Paper Problem

Can we talk about paper for a minute? Because I think it's genuinely mad that going into 2026, there are still sites running on ring binders full of printed RAMS that get rained on, stepped on, and - my personal favourite - left in the van that's now parked at a completely different site.

I'm not saying paper is evil. It's got its place. But when your safety documentation can be destroyed by a spilled coffee, maybe it's time to think about alternatives.

What Good RAMS Actually Look Like

Right, enough moaning. Let's talk about what actually makes RAMS useful - because they CAN be useful. Really useful, even.

Good RAMS are specific. Not generic "construction activities" waffle, but actual details about THIS job, on THIS site, with THESE conditions. If you could swap out the site name and use the same document somewhere else without changing anything... that's a red flag.

They're also readable. And I mean genuinely readable - by the people who actually need to read them. Not written in health-and-safety-ese that requires a decoder ring. If your operatives can't understand it, it's not protecting anyone.

Most importantly, they need to be accessible. There when you need them. On your phone while you're standing on site, not locked away in an office filing cabinet three miles away.

Going Digital (Without Losing Your Mind)

I know, I know - "digital transformation" sounds like something from a corporate PowerPoint. The kind where someone uses the word "synergy" unironically.

But hear me out.

Digital RAMS platforms aren't about making things complicated. They're about making things less complicated. Template libraries mean you're not starting from scratch every time. You take something that's already 80% right and tweak it for your specific situation.

Version control happens automatically - no more wondering if you've got the latest copy. Everyone's looking at the same document, updated in real time.

And the mobile access thing? Game changer. Your foreman can pull up the RAMS on their phone while they're standing exactly where the work's happening. That's when it actually matters.

Making the Switch

If you're thinking about moving away from your current system - whether that's paper, spreadsheets, or that Word template someone made in 2015 - here's my advice: start small.

Pick your most common type of job. The one you do over and over. Get that template sorted first. Learn the system. Then expand from there.

Trying to migrate everything at once is a recipe for chaos. And you've probably got enough chaos already, right?

The Bottom Line

RAMS aren't going away. If anything, requirements are getting stricter. But they don't have to be the administrative burden they've become for so many construction firms.

The goal isn't perfect documentation. It's documentation that actually helps people work safely. That's it. Everything else - the templates, the digital platforms, the version control - that's all just there to make that goal achievable without burning out your site managers in the process.

Because at the end of the day, everyone deserves to go home safe. And if better RAMS help make that happen... well, maybe the paperwork isn't so bad after all.