General guidance only. Check the standard itself and take advice from your own competent person for the job in front of you. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.
What RAMS are for
A risk assessment says what could go wrong and what you will do about it. A method statement says how the job will be done, step by step, including the control measures. Together they plan the work, tell the engineer what is expected and show a client or principal contractor that you have thought about it.
HSE's five steps for risk assessment are a good frame: identify the hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, and review the controls. If you employ five or more people you must record your significant findings, and HSE is clear that paperwork should not be the main priority. Controlling the risk on site is.
Why most RAMS are not read
- They are generic. The same twenty pages go to every client for every job.
- They are long, with legislation pasted in and the actual method buried on page fourteen.
- They describe the company, not the job: nothing about this building, this ceiling void or this live board.
- They arrive late, or only on the day, so nobody has time to read them.
A shape that works
Aim for a few pages that someone could read in ten minutes on the way to site.
- The job in two lines: where, what, when, who is on it and who is in charge.
- The hazards that are real for this job, in plain words, each with who is at risk, how you will control it and what is left over. Five hazards that matter beat thirty that do not.
- The method as a short sequence in the order the work happens: access and isolation, the work, testing, making safe and tidying up.
- What stops the job: the conditions under which the engineer should stop and ring the supervisor, such as an unexpected live supply, asbestos-looking material or a change to the plan.
- Emergency arrangements: where the first aid kit is, who to ring, the nearest hospital, the fire evacuation point.
- Equipment and PPE actually needed for this task, not the full list.
Specifics that make it believable
- Name the real things on the job: the ceiling void above the corridor, the dead-leg in the riser, the occupied hotel rooms.
- Say how you will isolate and prove dead, and who is responsible for permits and hot works.
- For working at height, state the access equipment, not just a hazard heading.
- Use diagrams or photos where they make the method clearer. HSE notes that diagrams help the people doing the work.
- Write it as instructions to the engineer, not as a description of what the company believes.
Brief it and get it signed
HSE describes a method statement as an effective way to give employees information about how the work is to be carried out. For that to be true, the engineer has to have seen it. Send it ahead, talk through anything unusual, and ask each person on the job to confirm they have read and understood it. A signed record that people were briefed is often what a client or inspector will ask to see.
Check that it is followed
Walk the job and compare what is happening with what the method statement says. If the method does not match reality, change the method, not just the paperwork. HSE suggests checking on site that the stated methods are followed. Review the RAMS when the job changes, after an incident or near miss, and whenever an engineer raises a problem.
Reuse, don't copy
Repeated jobs can share a base: a fire alarm service visit, a CCTV install or an EICR in an occupied flat. Keep a good starting document for each type of work, then adapt the hazards and the method to the actual site before it is issued. HSE says statements for repeated operations can be similar from job to job, but should be revised when circumstances change.
Common questions
What does RAMS stand for?
Risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment identifies hazards and controls, and the method statement sets out step by step how the work will be done safely.
Do I have to write down a risk assessment?
If you employ five or more people you must record your significant findings: the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and what you are doing to control the risks. Everyone must still assess the risks, whatever the size of the business.
How long should a RAMS be?
As short as it can be while still covering the real hazards and the method for this job. A few pages that an engineer can read in ten minutes is more useful than a long generic document.
Do engineers need to sign the RAMS?
It is good practice to brief everyone on the job and keep a signed record that each person has read and understood it. A method statement is only effective if the people doing the work have seen it.
How Compliar helps
Compliar has RAMS built into the workspace and included on every seat. Create one straight from a job and it pulls in the site and job details, and hazards and a method statement from ready-made templates covering every discipline Compliar supports. You can also start from a blank RAMS for anything bespoke.
- Editable hazards and methods, so you adapt them to the site rather than send a generic document.
- Electronic sign-off and a printable PDF.
- Once a RAMS is issued, the office can email each person on it a link to read and sign it on their phone, and the time they signed is recorded.
Less paperwork. More progress.
Book a demo and Keiran will walk through your own jobs. Early adopters lock their price for 3 years, with no contract.