What are RAMS in construction?
RAMS is the common construction abbreviation for risk assessments and method statements. Together, they should explain the significant risks in the work and the practical sequence, people, equipment and controls needed to carry it out safely.
Reviewed 14 September 2026 · By Lloyd GodsallWhat is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?
A risk assessment identifies hazards, considers who could be harmed and how, evaluates the existing controls and records any further action needed. A method statement turns those decisions into a practical safe system of work by explaining how the activity will be organised and completed.
The two documents should agree with each other. If the risk assessment requires an exclusion zone, lifting accessory or service check, the method statement should explain when it is established, who is responsible and how the team will confirm it is ready.
Are RAMS a specific legal document?
“RAMS” is an industry term rather than a prescribed legal form. Employers still have duties to assess risk and construction work must be planned, managed and monitored so it is carried out without risks to health and safety. A clear set of RAMS is one common way to record and communicate those arrangements, particularly for work with significant hazards or several interfaces.
What should useful construction RAMS contain?
- A clear scope, location and boundaries for the activity
- The work sequence from preparation through completion and handover
- People, competence, supervision and specific responsibilities
- Plant, tools, access equipment, lifting accessories and materials
- Hazards, people at risk and controls relevant to the actual task
- Design information, permits, isolations, surveys and hold points
- Interfaces with other trades, the public, traffic and existing services
- Emergency arrangements and task-specific rescue where needed
- Briefing, change, monitoring and review arrangements
A useful test
Could a competent supervisor use the RAMS to brief the job, set it up and recognise when work must stop because the conditions or sequence have changed?
When should RAMS be reviewed?
Review is needed when the scope, design, sequence, people, plant, location or site conditions change; when new information becomes available; after an incident or significant near miss; or when monitoring shows that the planned controls are not working. A signature sheet does not make an unsuitable method safe.
Common RAMS weaknesses
- Generic hazards with no connection to the actual task
- A method sequence that skips setup, interfaces or temporary conditions
- Controls copied from the risk assessment but not built into the method
- No named responsibility for permits, isolations, checks or hold points
- Reliance on PPE where elimination or collective controls are reasonably practicable
- No process for changes, unexpected conditions or stop-work decisions
Official guidance and next steps
HSE’s risk assessment guidance explains the information a simple assessment should record and warns against copying examples without considering the business’s own hazards and controls. HSE also describes a method statement as a common way to manage and communicate precautions for roof work.
Use the construction RAMS review checklist or read the common reasons RAMS are rejected. For document support, see RAMS and construction plans.