RAMS should be prepared under the authority of the contractor that will carry out and control the work, using people who understand the task, hazards, proposed sequence and site conditions. The Principal Contractor should review the submission far enough to coordinate the work with the project, other contractors and the Construction Phase Plan.
External consultants can help prepare or review the documents, and specialist suppliers or designers may provide essential information. The contractor still needs to confirm that the proposed people, plant, access, materials, supervision and controls match the work it will actually undertake.
A suitable risk assessment is a legal requirement, but HSE does not describe a full method statement as a universal legal requirement for every construction activity. Method statements are a practical way to communicate higher-risk, complex or unusual work; some activities, including demolition, dismantling and structural alteration, have specific requirements for written arrangements. The documentation should be proportionate to the risk and detailed enough to control the task.
The useful question is not simply whether the RAMS has been signed. It is whether the proposed method is suitable, properly resourced, coordinated with the site and followed by the people doing the work.
Who is responsible at each stage?
| Role | Practical responsibility | What the role should not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor or subcontractor | Assess the risks from its work; develop a workable sequence and controls; provide competent people, supervision and resources; coordinate and monitor delivery. | That a generic document or Principal Contractor stamp removes its responsibility for the work. |
| Competent preparer or adviser | Turn reliable task, design, equipment, product and site information into a clear risk assessment and method. | That preparing the paperwork gives the adviser control of the contractor's workforce or site operations. |
| Supervisor | Check readiness, brief the team, verify the controls and stop or escalate work when the planned method cannot be followed. | That collecting signatures proves understanding or safe implementation. |
| Principal Contractor | Review the submission for project rules, interfaces, sequencing, common risks, competence, resources and coordination with the Construction Phase Plan. | That acceptance transfers the contractor's duty to plan, manage and monitor its work. |
| Workers | Follow the agreed controls, use the equipment provided, raise gaps and report when conditions or the method differ from the briefing. | That they must continue when the method is unsafe, unclear or no longer matches the work. |
HSE states that contractors must plan, manage and monitor their work, provide appropriate supervision, information and instructions, coordinate with others and follow the relevant parts of the Construction Phase Plan. Principal Contractors must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase and maintain arrangements for managing health and safety throughout it.
What should a proper RAMS review test?
A proportionate review should test the real work rather than edit wording in isolation. The reviewer should be able to answer:
- Is the scope, location, sequence and boundary of the work clear?
- Have design information, pre-construction information, surveys, supplier instructions and relevant site rules been used?
- Are the hazards, people at risk and existing controls specific to the task and location?
- Do the controls follow the relevant hierarchy, with elimination or safer methods considered before relying on personal protective equipment?
- Are access, deliveries, plant, lifting, temporary works, substances, permits, isolations and emergency or rescue arrangements addressed where relevant?
- Are competence, supervision, inspection and monitoring responsibilities allocated to identifiable roles?
- Could the work affect another contractor, the public, the structure, services or the programme?
- Are hold points, limits and the process for changing the method clear?
HSE advises project teams to discuss proposed working methods before contracts are let, identify effects on other people and agree control measures. RAMS should therefore be reviewed early enough for changes in access, programme, plant or design—not at the gate minutes before work begins.
Does the Principal Contractor legally “approve” RAMS?
CDM 2015 does not create a universal RAMS approval certificate. Many Principal Contractors operate a submission and acceptance process because they need to coordinate contractors, test interfaces and manage the construction phase. Contract documents and site procedures may define that process and the evidence required before work starts.
It is safer for the record to state what the review means. For example, “accepted for coordination and planned start, subject to the listed actions and continued compliance with site conditions” is clearer than an unexplained “approved” stamp.
Acceptance should not imply that the Principal Contractor designed the specialist method, checked facts outside the evidence supplied or assumed the contractor's employer duties. Equally, the contractor should not treat acceptance as permission to ignore conflicts, changing conditions or an unsafe instruction.
Who should brief the RAMS to the workforce?
The briefing should be led by someone who understands the method and has authority to answer questions, verify readiness and stop the task. This will normally be the contractor's supervisor or another competent person familiar with the actual activity.
The team should be told the sequence, main hazards, controls, exclusion zones, interfaces, plant and equipment requirements, emergency arrangements, hold points and what to do if the plan cannot be followed. Language, literacy, experience and any vulnerable-worker needs should be considered.
A signed attendance record can evidence that a briefing occurred, but the supervisor should also check understanding. The method should be available at the workface, and the controls described must exist in practice before the activity starts.
When should RAMS be stopped and reviewed?
HSE says risk controls should be reviewed when they may no longer be effective, when staff, processes, substances or equipment change, or after workers identify problems, accidents or near misses. On a construction project, review triggers can also include:
- revised drawings, design details or temporary-works requirements;
- different plant, materials, access, lifting arrangements or work sequence;
- unexpected services, ground, structure, contamination or weather conditions;
- another contractor creating an interface not covered by the assessment;
- a control, permit, guard, scaffold or exclusion zone being unavailable;
- a change to the workforce, supervisor or competence arrangements; or
- monitoring showing that the written method is not being followed or is ineffective.
Minor controlled changes may be captured through the project's amendment process. A material change should result in the work being paused, the risks reassessed, the RAMS revised and affected people re-briefed before continuing.
Can a RAMS template be accepted without changes?
No template is automatically approved or site-ready. A template can provide a useful structure and prompt common hazards, but a competent person must assess the actual work, adapt the sequence and controls, remove irrelevant content and add the project information needed for safe delivery.
IMERI H&S Partners provides both project-specific RAMS support and separate downloadable RAMS templates. The products are starting points: the contractor remains responsible for project-specific assessment, adaptation, coordination, briefing and implementation.
See also the guide explaining how RAMS and the Construction Phase Plan perform different functions.
Pre-start RAMS acceptance checklist
- Confirm the exact work package, location, start date and contractor in control.
- Check that current drawings, surveys, supplier information and site requirements were used.
- Resolve comments and actions; do not leave safety-critical items as vague conditions.
- Verify that the specified people, equipment, access, permits and controls are available.
- Check interfaces with the Construction Phase Plan, other contractors and the programme.
- Record the review status, reviewer, date, revision and any limits of acceptance.
- Brief affected workers and supervisors, checking understanding rather than signatures alone.
- Monitor the work and trigger review when conditions, information or the method change.