Free RAMS template for trades jobs
RAMS means risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment lists what could hurt someone on the job and what you will do about it. The method statement sets out, step by step, how the work will be done safely. Employers have a legal duty to assess the risks to their staff and others, and with five or more employees the significant findings must be written down. Method statements are not generally required by law, but clients and main contractors often ask for one before you start. This free template is a starting point, not a substitute for assessing your own site.
Free, no sign-up, no email. A4. Replace everything in [square brackets] with your own details.
This template does not replace a competent person's assessment
It is a layout to work from. The hazards, controls and steps must come from someone who understands the task and has looked at the actual site. HSE itself warns against copying an example and putting your company name to it. If you are unsure whether you can assess a job competently, get advice from a qualified health and safety adviser.
Preview
This is the document you will download. The Word file is fully editable.
Risk assessment and method statement
1. Risk assessment
Look at the actual site and the actual task. Do not copy another job's entries without checking they fit.
| Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | What is already in place to control it | Further action needed | Who | By when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [e.g. working at height] | [e.g. operatives, falls] | [Existing controls] | [Extra action] | [Name] | [Date] |
| [e.g. electricity or gas] | |||||
| [e.g. manual handling] | |||||
| [e.g. dust, fumes or noise] | |||||
| [e.g. other trades, public, occupants] | |||||
2. Method statement: how the work will be done, in order
| Step | Task | How it will be done | Who | Controls, tools and PPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Site set-up and isolation] | |||
| 2 | [Main work] | |||
| 3 | [Testing and checks] | |||
| 4 | [Clear up and handover] | |||
3. Site arrangements
4. Briefing: I have read and understood this document
| Name | Role | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | |||
This template is a starting point. It does not replace an assessment by a competent person who has seen the site. Review it if the task, the site or the people change.
Free template from gafferly.com
What to include, and why
Job details and who prepared it
The client, site address, task, date, number of operatives, and who prepared and reviewed the document. Version numbers matter because on a longer job the plan changes, and people need to know they have the current one.
Hazards: what could cause harm
List the things on this job that could actually injure someone or make them ill, for example working at height, electricity or gas, manual handling, dust and fumes, and other people on site. HSE's guidance is to identify what could cause injury or illness in your business, so start from the real site, not a generic list.
Source: HSE: risk assessment
Who might be harmed and how
Name the people at risk: your own operatives, other trades, the occupants, the public. Different people are hurt in different ways. A homeowner's child is at risk from an open trench in a way a labourer is not.
Controls already in place, and further action
What you are already doing to control each risk, what more is needed, who will do it and by when. These are the headings HSE's own risk assessment template uses to keep a simple record, which is why they are the columns here.
The method statement: the work in order
Number the steps in the order they happen, from setting up and isolating through to clearing up, and say who does each, how, and with what tools and PPE. This is the part a site manager reads to decide whether you know what you are doing.
Emergency and site arrangements
Where the first aid kit is, who the first aider is, the nearest A&E, the fire assembly point, the on-site emergency contact and welfare facilities. Fill these in on arrival. They are the first things anyone needs when something goes wrong.
A briefing sign-off
Everyone doing the work reads the document and signs to say they understand it. It proves the briefing happened, and it makes the document something the team actually uses rather than something in a folder.
How to fill it in
- Download the template. It is landscape A4 because the tables need the width.
- Visit the site, or review the drawings and survey, before you write anything. A RAMS written from the office is usually generic.
- Fill in the job details, then list the hazards you can actually see or foresee for this task.
- For each hazard, write who could be harmed, what is already controlling the risk, and what further action is needed, with a name and a date.
- Write the method statement as numbered steps in the order the work will happen, with the tools, equipment and PPE for each.
- Add the site arrangements, brief everyone doing the work and get them to sign, then review the document if the task, site or team changes.
Common questions
What does RAMS stand for and what is the difference between the two parts?
RAMS stands for risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment identifies what could cause harm and what controls the risk. The method statement describes, in order, how the job will be done safely. The risk assessment decides what the hazards are, and the method statement shows how the work is carried out with those hazards in mind.
Is a method statement a legal requirement?
Generally not. HSE says that, while not required by law, method statements are prepared for many construction activities. The exception is demolition, dismantling and structural alteration, where HSE says the arrangements must be recorded in writing before the work begins, usually through a method statement generated from a risk assessment. Even where it is not a legal requirement, clients and main contractors often ask for RAMS before you are allowed on site.
Do I have to write down my risk assessment?
Every employer must assess the risks to their employees and to others affected by their work. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says that where an employer has five or more employees, the significant findings of the assessment must be recorded, along with any group of employees identified as especially at risk. With fewer than five employees you still have to do the assessment, but the written record is not required by that regulation. Many clients will ask to see it in writing regardless.
Can I reuse the same RAMS for every job?
You can reuse the layout and many of the controls, but each job needs checking against the real site. HSE specifically warns against copying an example and just putting your company name to it. A RAMS for a loft conversion in an occupied house is not the same as one for a flat roof on a school. Review the document whenever the task, the site or the people change.
Who should sign a RAMS?
The person who prepared it, ideally someone who has been to the site, and a reviewer such as a supervisor or owner. Everyone carrying out the work should then sign the briefing to confirm they have read and understood it. A signature does not make the document correct, so the people signing should be able to ask questions and change it.
Where Gafferly fits, and where it does not
Gafferly does not generate RAMS for you. The form builder can hold your own risk assessment checklist, so you can build the questions you ask on every job once and have the engineer fill them in on the phone.
Card required to start. From £29 per user per month, no VAT added.
Sources
- HSE: risk assessment
- HSE: risk assessment template and examples
- HSE construction: administration, method statements and recording
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the linked pages for the current position.