CART What are RAMS Health and Safety?
RAMS health and safety is a critical part of any on-site job, but what does RAMS mean? And, what does it involve? In this blog we take you through what RAMS in health and safety is, what to expect from project managers, and what documents you’ll need for RAMS.
What is RAMS in Health and Safety?
RAMS stands for Risk Analysis Management System, but in recent years it has been adopted as an acronym for Risk Assessments and Method Statements. RAMS is your entire health and safety document pack, and must include every document that the principal contractor asks for. The content of each document must also satisfy the project managers requirements.
While “risk assessments and methods statements” are a great way of remembering what the key aspects of RAMS are, RAMS are a whole lot more than various assessments.
RAMS usually refers to a subcontractor’s entire health and safety package, however this doesn’t necessarily mean the legal HSE requirements, but what a principal contractor requires before letting workers onsite.
RAMS Health and Safety Contents
The contents of RAMS will rely heavily on project managers, and HR departments who, once they have signed RAMS documents, they become liable for them. As such, they will usually want all of their employees and contractors singing the same tune.
The industry that you’re working in will also dictate the content of RAMS health and safety documents. They have to be fit for purpose for the specific site that you’re working on, therefore amendments may be required from the last that your RAMS documents were submitted. Project managers may ask for amendments including:
- Inclusion of a section relating to working in confined spaces
- Inclusion of a section on site delivery times, stating that deliveries are only allowed on site between 10am and 2.30pm due to working in the proximity of a school
- Inclusion of a section about lone working
RAMS are your entire health and safety pack, and must include every document the principal contractor asks for, and must also satisfy the project managers requirements. Each company that you work for may ask for additional documents and amendments, but as a general rule your RAMS health and safety pack should include the following:
- Company health and safety policy
- Insurance documents
- Risk assessments
- Method statements
- COSHH assessments
Additional documents and amendments will usually be at the behest of a company or project manager, and until you’ve supplied everything a company asks for, to the correct standard with satisfactory content, you can’t work for them.
At HSEDocs, we’ve put together simple, comprehensive RAMS health and safety packages tailored specifically for various industries. Our RAMS packages don’t include company health and safety policies, or insurance documents, but do include risk assessment templates and COSHH assessment templates as part of an all-inclusive pack for your industry.
Learn more about our RAMS health and safety document packs here, or get in touch with us today for more information about health and safety documents from HSEDocs.