RAMS approval

Who Should Approve a RAMS Before Work Starts?

A RAMS should be approved by a competent person who knows the work, usually a supervisor, manager or H&S lead, and the crew should be briefed on it before work starts. In swiftRMS a manager signs off the RAMS, confirming they've read it and reviewed the AI content, and on Business a high-risk document also needs a named second person to counter-sign before anyone can share it or sign it on site.

If you're a principal contractor checking a subcontractor's RAMS, look for the same things: hazards specific to the task, the right regulations, a named author and a clear sign-off. swiftRMS doesn't take in RAMS written in other tools; it's for the RAMS you write yourself.

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The short answer
  • Every signer ticks two declarations: read and approved, and reviewed the AI content
  • Business: name who must sign each document
  • Business: mark a document high risk and it needs a named co-signer
  • Until the second signature is on, it can't be shared, exported or signed on site
  • The PDF shows who signed off and who counter-signed

By plan

Sign-Off on Pro and Business

Manager sign-off with two declarations

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: yes
Business, £399/month
Business, £399/month: yes

Name who must sign each document

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: no
Business, £399/month
Business, £399/month: yes

Second signature on high-risk documents

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: no
Business, £399/month
Business, £399/month: yes

Workers sign by QR

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: no
Business, £399/month
50 workers

Paper sign-off sheet

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: yes
Business, £399/month
Business, £399/month: yes

Audit trail

Pro, £49/month
Pro, £49/month: no
Business, £399/month
Business, £399/month: yes

Users

Pro, £49/month
1
Business, £399/month
10

Enterprise is quoted per deployment and includes everything in Business.

How it works

How Approval Works in swiftRMS

  1. Draft

    swiftRMS drafts the RAMS from your description of the job, with the UK legislation that applies.

  2. Review

    The author reads it, edits it and adds what only they know about the site.

  3. Sign off

    A manager, admin or owner signs, ticking two declarations: they've read and approved it, and they've reviewed the AI content themselves.

  4. Counter-sign high risk (Business)

    If the document is marked high risk, a second person from your named co-signer list must counter-sign. It can't be the person who signed first.

  5. Share and brief

    Once it's signed off, share it with the client by link and, on Business, let workers sign it by QR.

What to check

What a Reviewer Should Check in a RAMS

The same checks apply whether you wrote the RAMS yourself or a subcontractor sent it to you.

  • It's about this job

    Hazards specific to the task and the site, such as access, the public nearby and the plant being used, not a generic list.

  • Risks are scored, and the controls reduce them

    Each hazard has a likelihood and severity score, and a lower score once the controls are in place.

  • The right regulations

    Current UK legislation, such as CDM 2015 rather than CDM 2007, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for work at height.

  • A method a supervisor could follow

    The sequence of work, the people and plant involved, and any permits needed, in steps someone on site could actually use.

  • Emergency arrangements

    First aid, a rescue plan for work at height or confined spaces, and the nearest A&E.

  • Named and signed

    Who wrote it, who approved it and when, and a record of who was briefed on it.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should sign off a RAMS?

A competent person who understands the work and the risks, usually the supervisor, contracts manager or H&S manager of the company doing the work. The principal contractor or client may then review and accept it. Before work starts, the people doing the work should be briefed on it and sign to say they understand it.

Does a RAMS legally need to be signed?

The law requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and on construction projects CDM 2015 expects work to be planned and managed by competent people. No regulation says a RAMS must carry a signature, but a signed approval and a briefing record are how you show it was checked and communicated, and most principal contractors ask for both.

What is dual sign-off?

Dual sign-off means a second, named person has to counter-sign a document before it's used. In swiftRMS Business you mark a document high risk, and a co-signer from your named list must sign after the first signer. Until they do, the document can't be shared, exported or signed by workers.

Can a principal contractor review subcontractor RAMS in swiftRMS?

Not today. swiftRMS is for writing, approving and briefing your own RAMS, and it doesn't take in documents written in other tools. If a subcontractor uses swiftRMS, they can send you a signed-off RAMS by share link.

Can I see who approved a RAMS and when?

Yes. The sign-off shows on the document and on the PDF, including the counter-signature on high-risk documents. Business adds an audit trail.

Keep reading

Related Pages

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