What a CDM-compliant RAMS must contain, why recycled Word templates create liability, and how to generate a trade-specific Risk Assessment and Method Statement in under 10 minutes.
A Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) is the primary H&S document a contractor issues before starting any significant task on a UK construction site. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, the Principal Contractor must ensure that every contractor's method statement is adequate for the task, the trade and the specific site conditions. That obligation falls on the PC - not just the subcontractor who wrote the document.
CDM 2015 does not prescribe a fixed format for RAMS, but HSE guidance and the supporting Approved Code of Practice are clear about what they must contain. A compliant RAMS identifies hazards specific to the task, works through the hierarchy of controls in the correct order, specifies PPE requirements per activity and provides emergency procedures that actually match the site. It is not a generic document - it is a live record of how a specific trade will work safely on a specific project.
The problem is that most RAMS in circulation on UK construction sites are recycled. A subcontractor uses the same Word template they have been using for three years, changes the project name and date, and issues it to the Principal Contractor. The PC countersigns without reading it in detail. If HSE walks on site and asks to see the RAMS for the current activity, the document they are handed will often describe a different site, a different trade sequence and emergency procedures that bear no relation to where they are standing. That is an improvement notice waiting to happen - and in serious cases, a prohibition notice.
HSE's Construction Phase Plan guidance and Schedule 3 of CDM 2015 point to consistent requirements. The following are the elements that a RAMS must include to satisfy both site manager review and HSE inspection.
These are the four failures that appear repeatedly in HSE inspection findings and construction industry near-miss reports. Each one can render an otherwise complete RAMS document inadequate - and each one is entirely avoidable.
The single most common failing. A RAMS written for dry-lining in a vacant office is not suitable for the same trade in a live hospital ward. Hazards, controls and emergency procedures differ materially - and a Principal Contractor who accepts a recycled document without checking it carries the liability.
Generic templates list PPE without identifying what substances are being used. Adhesives, sealants, primers and epoxy resins all require individual COSHH assessment under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. A RAMS that ignores substance hazards is incomplete on its face.
CDM 2015 Schedule 3 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 both require hazards to be controlled through the hierarchy - elimination first, PPE last. A method statement that jumps straight to "wear a hard hat and hi-vis" without considering whether the hazard can be engineered out will not satisfy an HSE inspector.
Site assembly points, first aid contact numbers and emergency routes are site-specific. A template that references a previous site's procedures - or leaves them blank - creates a real risk in the event of an incident and undermines the credibility of the entire document.
The FitOut Insider RAMS Generator is not a template download - it is an AI tool that writes a RAMS specific to your trade, your task sequence and your site conditions every time it runs. You input your trade, the scope of works, site-specific hazards, the names of supervising personnel and your emergency procedures. The AI produces a fully structured method statement with the correct CDM 2015 hierarchy of controls applied to each identified hazard.
COSHH substances are flagged automatically based on the trade and task description, with cross-references to EH40 workplace exposure limits and current COSHH ACoP guidance. The hierarchy of controls is applied in the correct order - elimination first, PPE last - and the AI will not produce a RAMS that skips directly to PPE without first working through engineering and administrative controls.
The output is a formatted PDF, ready to issue to the Principal Contractor and include in the CDM Health and Safety File. Supervisor sign-off and operative briefing sections are included. The document is specific to this job - not recycled from a previous one - and it will not embarrass you in front of HSE.
CDM-compliant, trade-specific, ready to issue. No recycled templates. No missed hazards.
Generate your RAMS free →