Groundworks health and safety RAMs pack. BEST OFFER

All the RAMS you need, from underground drainage to block paving. A complete health and safety package for just £85.00

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Do Groundworkers need RAMS?

Groundworkers are exposed to a variety of significant risks during their work, one of the most common being excavation collapse. Such incidents can lead to severe outcomes. This risk is exacerbated by the potential damage to buried utilities, such as electrical lines, gas pipes, and water mains.

In addition to excavation collapses, groundworkers also face physical risks inherent to the demanding nature of the job. Common physical hazards include slips and trips due to uneven or unstable ground conditions, RSIs, and impact injuries resulting from moving machinery or equipment. Moreover, the repetitive nature of manual handling tasks can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, affecting the back, shoulders, and joints.

Groundworkers also encounter health risks that can have long-term implications. Prolonged exposure to silica dust, often released during the cutting or grinding of materials like concrete or stone, can result in serious lung conditions, including silicosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They are also at risk of hearing loss due to continuous exposure to high noise levels from machinery and equipment, which can impair their ability to communicate and remain aware of their surroundings.

To protect workers' health and safety, tasks and work areas need to be assessed before work begins, which involves creating RAMS that highlight risks and control their likelihood by implementing measures that will reduce the severity or chance of harm occurring.

RAMS stands for 'Risk Assessments and Method Statements,' which are essential parts of maintaining health and safety at work. However, the meaning of RAMS has developed as health and safety practices have become more comprehensive, and RAMS now also include COSHH Assessments. This is not the complete set of health and safety documents required for groundworkers, but these three are specific to tasks carried out on a building site.

Other H&S documents may include a Company H&S Policy, Traffic Management Plans, a policy for safe working in confined spaces, a lone workers policy, and others, depending on the type of work and project manager requirements.