Safety, certificates and compliance · 3 October 2026
Risk assessment method statement (RAMS): what to include, with a free template
A RAMS is a risk assessment plus a method statement: what could go wrong on this job, and the step-by-step way you will do it safely. The law requires the risk assessment, and if you employ 5 or more people you must write your findings down. HSE says method statements are not required by law for most work, but many main contractors ask for one, and demolition, dismantling or structural alteration must be planned in writing before work starts.
This page covers what goes in each part, a free template, and how to keep it current. It is written for small contractors in Great Britain.
What is a risk assessment method statement (RAMS)?
Two documents, often sent as one. The risk assessment lists the hazards on the job, who could be harmed, and what you will do about each one. The method statement describes, in a logical sequence, exactly how the job will be carried out, and includes all the control measures.
HSE describes the method statement as drawing together the hazards and controls from your risk assessments for a particular job. So the risk assessment comes first. The method statement is the plan built from it.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement?
The risk assessment is. Employers must assess the health and safety risks to employees and others on a construction site, and record the significant findings if they employ 5 or more people. HSE's own steps are: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, review the controls.
The method statement is different. HSE says: "While not required by law", method statements are prepared for many construction activities because they are an effective way to plan, manage and monitor the work. There is one exception. The arrangements for demolition, dismantling or structural alteration must be recorded in writing before the work begins, which is usually done with a method statement.
In practice, a main contractor or client can make a RAMS a condition of you starting. HSE's own planning guidance tells principal contractors that obtaining risk assessments and method statements from contractors will help.
What does CDM 2015 mean for a small contractor?
CDM is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. For a small firm, four points matter.
- A contractor is anyone who directly employs or engages construction workers or manages construction work. That includes sub-contractors and self-employed people.
- Contractors must plan, manage and monitor their own work, and give workers a suitable, site-specific induction unless the principal contractor already has.
- If you are the only contractor on a project, you must make sure a construction phase plan is drawn up before setting up the site.
- If a domestic client hires you as the only contractor, you take on the client duties as well. HSE says that should mean doing no more than you normally do to comply with health and safety law.
A project is notifiable to HSE if the work is expected to last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers on site at the same time, or to exceed 500 person days. Most small jobs fall well under that, but the construction phase plan still applies.
What should a RAMS include?
Here is a layout that works for a small job. It follows HSE's steps and the HSE description of a method statement.
| Section | What goes in it | Site-specific means |
|---|---|---|
| Job details | Address, client, dates, who is on site, who is in charge | The real address and named people |
| Scope | What you are doing and, just as important, what you are not | This job, in plain words |
| Hazards | What could cause harm here | Asbestos, live services, access, neighbours, other trades (HSE lists these for planning) |
| Who might be harmed | You, your workers, other trades, the public, the occupants | Children in the house, a shop below |
| Controls | What you will do to remove or reduce each risk | Named equipment and steps, not "take care" |
| Method | The order the work is done in, step by step | The actual sequence for this job |
| COSHH | Substances used or created, and how you control exposure | The products in your van, plus dust you create |
| Emergency | First aid, nearest hospital, who to call, isolation points | The nearest A&E to this site |
| Sign-off | Who wrote it, who briefed the crew, date, version | Every worker signs to say they read it |
A second table gives the risk assessment part. HSE's template records who might be harmed and how, what you already do, what more is needed, who does it, and by when.
| Hazard | Who might be harmed | Controls in place | Further action | Who / when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silica dust from cutting tile | Tiler, others in the room | Cut outside or with water suppression, dust-class vacuum, RPE | Check the mask fit | Site lead, before start |
| Lifting a cast-iron bath upstairs | Two fitters | Two-person lift, route cleared | Agree the route on the walkthrough | Site lead, day 1 |
That is an example for one job, not a substitute for your own assessment. HSE is blunt about this. Its guidance says not to "just copy an example and put your company name to it", because that would not satisfy the law and would not protect your workers.
How do you write a COSHH assessment?
A COSHH assessment covers hazardous substances, and HSE notes that health hazards are not limited to products with a warning label. Some harmful substances come from the process, for example wood dust from sanding and silica dust from tile cutting.
HSE's steps are: identify the substances from product labels and safety data sheets, decide who might be harmed and how, control the risk (can you swap the substance or change the process first, then contain it, then use PPE), tell workers what the risks are, then record it and review it. If you have 5 or more employees, you must record the assessment. With fewer than 5, HSE says it still makes sense to write down what you did.
A safety data sheet is not a risk assessment. HSE says to use it as information to make your own.
Why do RAMS get sent back?
Nobody publishes a single official list of reasons, and each main contractor has its own checklist. If yours comes back marked "not site-specific enough", the usual cause is a template with only the address changed. Use this five-point check before you send one. It is our own list, built from the HSE guidance above, so ask the person receiving it for their format too.
- Does it name this address, this scope and these people?
- Is the method in the order the work will actually happen?
- Does every hazard have a control that says what you will do, not just "be careful"?
- Are the substances in the COSHH section the ones you are actually using?
- Does it show a date, a version and who has read it?
How do you keep a RAMS current when the scope changes?
Update it and re-issue it. HSE says a method statement will be similar from job to job for a repeated operation, but that if circumstances change markedly it should be revised. HSE's risk assessment guidance also says to review the controls when there are changes to staff, a process, or the substances or equipment used.
The failure most small firms hit is version control: four copies in email, one in WhatsApp and one printed in the van. Put the date and a version number on every copy, keep one master, and note who received each issue. Our guide to file naming conventions in construction covers a simple way to do it. If the change is a variation to price as well, see variations in construction.
Kade, Nexley's founder, describes the point of capturing changes on the spot: "Then you can go to site, just send it voice notes for site variations or film site variations, and it'll be on the computer when you get home if you want to check it."
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is practical AI for UK trades that works through WhatsApp. It handles the admin around a job, including document filing and compliance admin. For RAMS, you send a voice note about the job on the drive home. Nexley drafts the site-specific sections from what you said, rather than swapping the address on a template, and uses your earlier RAMS as the starting point. If you mention a change in scope, it flags what needs re-issuing and to whom. It keeps one current version per job, with the date issued and who received it.
You read it, correct it and sign it. The competence is yours, and so is the responsibility. Nexley does the typing.
See the back office page, our guide to using AI in construction, or try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
Common questions
Is a RAMS the same as a risk assessment?
No. A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls. A method statement describes how the work will be done, in order, using those controls. A RAMS is the two together.
Do I need a RAMS for a small domestic job?
The law requires a risk assessment. A method statement is not generally required by law, but HSE describes it as a proven way to plan and manage work, and a main contractor or client may ask for one. A short, honest, site-specific one is better than none.
How long should a RAMS be?
As long as the job needs. HSE's own template is a simple record, and says not to rely on paperwork over controlling the risks in practice. A two-man job can be two pages if they are about that job.
Who has to sign a RAMS?
The HSE pages in the sources below do not set a signature rule. Good practice is that the author signs and dates it, and every worker who will follow it signs to confirm they have read and understood it.
Where can I get a free RAMS template?
HSE publishes a free risk assessment template on its website, linked in the sources below. Use the layout in this page for the method statement side, and make every line specific to your job.
Sources
This page is general guidance, not legal advice.
- HSE, Administration (risk assessments, CDM plan, method statements) (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, Planning for construction work (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, Risk assessment: steps needed to manage risk (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, Risk assessment template and examples (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, How to carry out a COSHH risk assessment (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, Chemical safety data sheets (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, CDM 2015: contractors, roles and responsibilities (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE, CDM 2015 frequently asked questions (notification thresholds) (hse.gov.uk)
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