Risk Assessment & Method Statement (RAMS)

We provide a written, project-specific RAMS whenever the work involves significant risk, or whenever a client or principal contractor requests one. Common situations where we prepare a RAMS include:

• Commercial projects — offices, schools, hospitals, shops, hotels
• Construction sites where a principal contractor is managing the project
• Housing association and local authority work
• Listed buildings or heritage projects
• Projects involving scaffolding, MEWPs, or working at height
• High-value or complex domestic installations, if requested by the client or principal contractor

There is no single law stating that every job must have a written RAMS. However:

• Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments.
• A written method statement is often the clearest way to demonstrate how work will be carried out safely.
• Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), contractors must plan, manage and monitor their work safely — a RAMS document is a standard way of meeting these duties.

For a straightforward domestic window or door replacement, a written RAMS may not always be requested, although we still carry out a risk assessment for every job we undertake. For commercial installations, housing association work, or projects involving scaffolding, a project-specific RAMS is usually expected and often mandatory.