What is AI RAMS? Complete Guide to AI-Powered Risk Assessment & Method Statements

Risk assessments and method statements are a legal requirement across UK construction, facilities management, and security — but writing them properly takes time that most site managers and supervisors simply do not have. That is where AI RAMS comes in.

In this guide, we explain what AI RAMS actually is, how the technology works, whether AI-generated documents are legally compliant, and how companies are already using it to cut hours of paperwork down to minutes.

What is AI RAMS?

AI RAMS stands for Artificial Intelligence Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It refers to software that uses large language model (LLM) technology to automatically generate a professional, task-specific RAMS document from a plain-English description of the work being carried out.

Instead of starting from a blank template or copying a previous document and hoping you have not missed a hazard, you describe the job — for example, "installing suspended ceiling tiles in an occupied office building at height" — and the AI analyses that task, identifies relevant hazards, proposes suitable control measures, and drafts a full method statement that references applicable UK legislation.

The result is a working RAMS document in under 2 minutes, ready for a competent person to review, amend, and sign off.

Why Do RAMS Take So Long to Write Manually?

Anyone who has sat down to write a RAMS from scratch knows the challenge. You need to:

• Identify every foreseeable hazard associated with the task
• Assign likelihood and severity ratings to each risk
• Specify practical, proportionate control measures
• Reference the correct legislation (CDM 2015, MHSWR 1999, Work at Height Regulations 2005, and so on)
• Write a step-by-step method statement that operatives can actually follow on site
• Collect signatures from everyone who has read and understood the document

For a competent H&S professional, a thorough RAMS might take two to four hours. For a site manager or FM supervisor without a dedicated H&S background, it can take considerably longer — and there is always the risk of missing something. Multiply that across dozens of tasks and hundreds of projects per year, and the administrative burden becomes significant. RAMS software has traditionally helped with templates, but AI takes it a step further.

How Does AI RAMS Software Work?

AI RAMS software works by combining natural language processing with a deep knowledge base of UK health and safety legislation, HSE guidance, and industry-specific hazard libraries.

Here is the typical workflow:

1. Describe the Task

You type a description of the work in plain English. The more detail you provide — location, environment, operatives involved, equipment being used — the more accurate and useful the output will be. But even a brief description produces a solid starting point.

2. AI Analyses the Task

The AI breaks down your description and cross-references it against known hazard categories. It considers factors like working at height, manual handling, use of hazardous substances, confined spaces, proximity to the public, traffic management, and dozens of other risk areas depending on what your description contains.

3. Hazards and Controls Are Generated

For each identified hazard, the AI proposes a risk rating and a set of control measures based on the hierarchy of control — elimination first, then substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally PPE. Relevant legislation is cited automatically.

4. Method Statement Is Drafted

The AI produces a step-by-step method statement describing how the work will be carried out safely. This includes sequencing of tasks, required equipment, supervision arrangements, emergency procedures, and welfare considerations.

5. Review, Edit, and Sign Off

This is the critical step. A competent person — your site manager, H&S advisor, or contracts manager — reviews the document, makes any amendments specific to the site or task, and signs it off. Operatives then read, acknowledge, and digitally sign the document before work begins. The audit trail — who reviewed it, who signed it, when — is stored automatically.

Which UK Regulations Does AI RAMS Cover?

Good AI RAMS software does not just generate generic documents. It references the specific legislation relevant to the task described. Depending on the work, this can include:

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) — the primary framework for managing health and safety on construction projects

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) — the overarching duty of care for employers

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) — the requirement to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments

Work at Height Regulations 2005 — triggered automatically when tasks involve any working at height

Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 — for tasks involving lifting, carrying, or moving loads

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) — when hazardous substances are involved

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) — for tasks using plant or powered equipment

The HSE is clear that risk assessments must be "suitable and sufficient" — not perfect, but appropriate to the nature and scale of the risk. AI-generated RAMS, when reviewed by a competent person, consistently meet that standard.

Is AI-Generated RAMS Legally Compliant?

This is the question most H&S managers ask first, and it is a fair one.

The short answer is: yes, provided a competent person reviews and approves the document before work begins.

The law does not specify how a risk assessment must be produced — it specifies what it must contain and that it must be carried out by a competent person. AI drafts the document; a competent person takes responsibility for its accuracy and completeness. That division of responsibility is clear, defensible, and consistent with how the HSE expects risk management to work.

What AI RAMS software eliminates is the blank-page problem and the risk of overlooking obvious hazards through time pressure or fatigue. The AI acts as a highly knowledgeable first drafter. The human provides the site-specific knowledge and professional judgement.

Importantly, the digital sign-off and audit trail features mean you have a clear record of who reviewed and approved each document — which is exactly what an enforcement officer or solicitor would want to see following an incident.

Beyond RAMS: COSHH Assessments and Safe Systems of Work

One of the advantages of integrated automated risk assessment platforms is that RAMS rarely exist in isolation. Once a task is described and the RAMS is generated, the same information can be used to generate related documents automatically.

COSHH assessments can be produced from the same task description when hazardous substances are involved. Rather than maintaining a separate library of data sheets and manually writing assessments for each job, the AI identifies the substances, their hazard classifications, and the required control measures. COSHH software integrated with your RAMS system means one input, multiple compliant outputs.

Safe Systems of Work (SSOW) can also be generated for tasks that require a formal procedure — particularly in facilities management, utilities, and security contexts where permit-to-work or lockout/tagout procedures apply. Safe system of work software that sits alongside your RAMS means your entire documentation suite is consistent and traceable.

Who is AI RAMS For?

Construction Companies

Construction RAMS have historically been the domain of specialist H&S consultants or in-house advisors — but smaller contractors and subcontractors often lack those resources. AI RAMS software gives a sole trader or small contractor the ability to produce professional, regulation-compliant documents without outsourcing. For principal contractors, it means site managers can generate task-specific RAMS quickly rather than relying on generic documents that do not reflect the actual conditions on site.

Security Companies

Security risk assessments cover a wide range of scenarios — lone working, crowd management, physical intervention, first aid response, CCTV operation, and patrol routes across unfamiliar premises. AI can generate role-specific and site-specific assessments that are far more useful than generic templates, and ensure your documentation is current before each assignment.

Facilities Management Teams

Facilities management RAMS typically cover reactive maintenance, planned preventative maintenance, contractor management, and a broad range of trade activities across occupied buildings. The volume of tasks — from changing light fittings to planned HVAC maintenance — makes manual RAMS production impractical at scale. AI RAMS software makes it feasible to have a task-specific, site-specific document for every job.

Councils and Public Sector Bodies

Local authorities and housing associations managing large property portfolios face the same volume challenge as FM companies, with the added pressure of public accountability. AI-generated RAMS with full audit trails provide both operational efficiency and the documentary evidence required in the event of an incident or inspection.

What AI RAMS Is Not

It is worth being direct about the limitations, because responsible use of this technology matters.

AI RAMS is not a replacement for competent persons. The AI does not know your specific site, your specific workforce, or the specific conditions on the day the work is carried out. A competent person must review every document and take responsibility for its accuracy and completeness before anyone starts work.

AI RAMS is not a tick-box exercise. If you use it to generate a document and file it without reading it, you have not completed a risk assessment — you have produced a piece of paper. The value is in the quality of the review and the genuine understanding of the risks by everyone involved.

AI RAMS does not replace toolbox talks. Operatives need to understand the risks and controls, not just sign a form. The documents AI generates are a starting point for that conversation, not a substitute for it.

Used correctly — as a drafting tool that enables faster, more consistent, and more thorough documentation — AI RAMS software is genuinely transformative for organisations that have previously struggled to keep up with their H&S paperwork.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does RAMS stand for?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It is a document that identifies the hazards associated with a specific work task, assesses the level of risk, specifies the control measures to be put in place, and describes how the work will be carried out safely, step by step.

Is AI RAMS legally valid in the UK?

Yes. UK health and safety law requires that risk assessments be "suitable and sufficient" and carried out by a competent person. It does not specify how they must be produced. An AI-generated RAMS reviewed and approved by a competent person meets the legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

How long does it take AI to generate a RAMS?

With swiftRMS, a full RAMS document — including 10–15 comprehensive hazards, risk ratings, control measures with specific legislation references, PPE with EN standards, emergency procedures, and a step-by-step method statement — is generated in under 2 minutes from a plain-English task description.

Can AI generate COSHH assessments as well?

Yes. AI-powered platforms can generate COSHH assessments automatically when hazardous substances are identified as part of the task description, using the same input that produces the RAMS document.

Do operatives still need to sign the RAMS?

Yes. Every operative who carries out the work must read, understand, and acknowledge the RAMS before starting. Digital sign-off features within AI RAMS software make this straightforward and create an automatic audit trail.

Which industries use AI RAMS software?

AI RAMS software is used across construction, civil engineering, facilities management, security, utilities, housing, and local government — any sector where written risk assessments and method statements are a legal or contractual requirement before work can begin.

What if the AI misses a hazard specific to my site?

The competent person reviewing the document is responsible for identifying any site-specific hazards that the AI has not captured. The AI provides a comprehensive starting point based on the task description provided — the human review adds the local knowledge and professional judgement that no software can replicate.