Groundworks RAMS: what contractors should include.

Groundworks RAMS should explain the real job, not describe “excavation” in general. They need a clear scope and sequence, competent people, identified services, suitable plant and segregation, excavation-stability controls, access, inspections, emergencies and a process for stopping or revising the work when conditions change.

“RAMS” is common construction shorthand for a risk assessment and method statement. The legal duties sit in the underlying requirements to assess risk and to plan, manage and monitor construction work. HSE states that contractors must plan, manage and monitor their work, taking account of risks to workers and anyone else who may be affected.

RAMS should support—not replace—the project's Construction Phase Plan, permits, temporary-works procedures, lifting arrangements, COSHH assessments or emergency plans where those are required.

Start by defining exactly what the groundworks include

“Groundworks” may cover very different tasks. Shallow strip foundations, drainage runs, reduced-level excavation, kerbs and paving do not have the same hazards or controls. Before drafting the method, confirm:

• the work area, excavation dimensions, levels and intended sequence;
• current drawings, specifications and temporary-works information;
• ground conditions, made ground, contamination, groundwater and nearby structures;
• known underground and overhead services, survey information and service-owner plans;
• plant, attachments, lifting accessories and delivery arrangements;
• workers, supervision and competence needed for the activity;
• interfaces with pedestrians, public areas, other trades, traffic and existing operations;
• materials and substances, including concrete, cement, fuels and any contaminated spoil; and
• the principal contractor's logistics plan, permit rules, inspection regime and emergency arrangements.

HSE says commercial clients should provide contractors with relevant information about ground conditions, underground structures or watercourses and existing services. If the information is missing or unreliable, the RAMS should identify the gap and the action needed before excavation—not quietly assume the ground is clear.

Write a sequence that a supervisor can brief

A method statement should follow the work in the order it will happen. For shallow excavation and formation, the sequence may need to cover:

1. authorisation, pre-start briefing and confirmation of current drawings;
2. setting out the work area and establishing barriers, exclusion zones and traffic controls;
3. reviewing service plans, scanning, marking and proving the position of services using the agreed safe-digging method;
4. confirming the excavation-support or battering arrangement before digging;
5. excavating in controlled stages with defined plant and banksman arrangements;
6. managing spoil, materials, water and plant loads so they do not endanger the excavation;
7. providing safe access, edge protection and inspections before people enter or work nearby;
8. installing drainage, formation, concrete or other specified work with task-specific controls;
9. backfilling and compacting in the designed sequence; and
10. reinstating the area, removing controls only when safe and closing records or permits.

The document should identify hold points—for example, when services have been located, when support has been installed, before personnel enter, or before work is covered. It should also say who can release each hold point.

Controls that groundworks RAMS commonly need to address

Buried services

HSE describes a safe system near underground electrical cables as combining planning, service plans, locating devices and safe digging practices. Plans are only an indication: services should be located, identified and marked, and locating equipment should be used by trained people in line with the manufacturer's instructions.

The RAMS should connect these steps to the actual permit-to-dig or excavation-control process. It should state what happens if markings conflict with drawings, an unknown service is found or the planned route changes.

Excavation stability and nearby structures

No ground should simply be assumed to stand unsupported. The method should record how the necessary support, battering or other precautions will be selected and provided before exposure creates danger. Loads from plant, vehicles, spoil and stored materials must be considered, as must foundations, walls, scaffolds and services that could be undermined.

Where a design, temporary-works check or specialist input is required, name that requirement and its approval point. RAMS should not improvise engineering limits.

Plant and people

• define routes, reversing controls, exclusion zones and the communication method;
• identify the plant operator, signaller or banksman roles and required competence;
• prevent people entering the machine's operating or slewing area;
• state how attachments, quick hitches and lifting operations will be controlled; and
• address deliveries, refuelling, breakdowns and unattended plant.

Access, falls, water and atmosphere

Where people could fall into an excavation, suitable edge protection is needed. Access and escape must be planned for the excavation and site conditions. Water ingress, pumping and weather can affect stability, while exhaust gases can accumulate in excavations. The risk assessment must decide whether further controls, monitoring or specialist arrangements are necessary.

Health risks and the environment

Include relevant controls for silica or other dust, cement and concrete, noise, vibration, manual handling, contaminated ground, fuels and oils. Link to current safety data and project-specific COSHH assessments rather than copying generic substance text into the method. Waste classification, stockpiling, spill response and protection of drains or watercourses may also need to be addressed.

Set out inspection, briefing and change control

HSE says a competent person should inspect excavations at the start of each shift and after events that may have affected strength or stability, or after a fall of rock or earth. The RAMS should identify who is competent to inspect, the trigger points, the record used and what happens when a defect is found. Work should not continue until the excavation is safe.

Before work starts, brief the relevant workers on the sequence, drawings, exclusion zones, service information, permits, emergency actions and stop-work conditions. Record the briefing and check understanding rather than relying only on signatures.

Can a groundworks RAMS template be used?

A template can provide a controlled starting structure, but it is not automatically suitable, approved or ready for site. A competent person must assess and adapt it to the project, confirm the actual method and controls, coordinate it with the Construction Phase Plan and other contractors, and brief the people doing the work.

The IMERI H&S Partners catalogue currently lists a Minor Groundworks – Shallow Excavation & Formation RAMS template. Its listed scope is minor groundworks, shallow excavation and formation. Work involving deeper or complex excavations, designed temporary works, confined spaces, significant lifting, contaminated land, complex dewatering, live services or highway and rail interfaces may require additional assessments, designs, permits or specialist documentation.

Review the exact product title and the RAMS shop information before purchasing. If the activity does not match the listed scope, request a project-specific quotation instead of forcing the work into an unsuitable template.

When project-specific RAMS support is useful

Professional input can help when the scope is complex, information is incomplete, temporary works or lifting interfaces are involved, the principal contractor has raised technical comments, or the contractor needs the method and risk controls developed around a real sequence.

IMERI H&S Partners provides project-specific RAMS and method statement support for contractors working in Watford, Hertfordshire, London and the South East. A sensible starting pack includes the scope, current drawings, plant, materials, workforce, programme, site constraints, service information and any principal contractor requirements.