Risk Assessments and RAMS Consultant

Site-Specific Risk Assessments and Method Statements

SS Safety Ltd creates and reviews risk assessments, method statements, safe systems of work and complete RAMS packages for businesses and contractors across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the wider Midlands.

Effective risk assessments must reflect the actual task, people, equipment, substances and working environment. They should identify the significant hazards, evaluate existing controls and clearly explain any further action required.

Where a method statement is needed, it should convert those risk controls into a safe, logical working method that employees can understand and follow.

SS Safety does not simply place your company name onto a generic template. We take the time to understand the work and develop documentation that is proportionate, practical and suitable for its intended use.

Request a Risk Assessment or RAMS Review

Does Your Risk Assessment Reflect the Work Being Undertaken?

A risk assessment can look comprehensive while still failing to provide effective control.

Common weaknesses include:

Generic hazards copied from unrelated assessments.
Significant site-specific risks being overlooked.
No distinction between existing controls and further action required.
Excessive reliance on personal protective equipment.
Controls that are not available or cannot be implemented.
Risk scores that do not reflect the severity of potential harm.
Method statements that repeat the assessment without explaining the work.
No consideration of employees, contractors, visitors or members of the public.
No assessment of vulnerable workers.
Missing emergency, rescue or contingency arrangements.
Assessments produced without consulting the people undertaking the task.
Documents that have not been communicated to the workforce.
Client or principal-contractor requirements being copied without checking whether they are practicable.
Documents remaining unchanged after equipment, personnel or working conditions have altered.

SS Safety can review existing documents, identify deficiencies and develop suitable assessments around the real work activity.

What Does the Law Require?

Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer to make a:

“suitable and sufficient assessment”

of the risks to employees and to people who are not employees but may be affected by the employer’s undertaking.

The assessment must enable the employer to identify the measures required to comply with relevant health and safety law.

Where the employer has five or more employees, the significant findings and any group of employees identified as being especially at risk must be recorded.

Risk assessment is not simply a paperwork requirement. The purpose is to:

Identify hazards.
Establish who may be harmed and how.
Evaluate the risk.
Determine whether existing controls are adequate.
Identify further reasonably practicable controls.
Implement the findings.
Communicate the required precautions.
Monitor whether the controls remain effective.
Review the assessment when necessary.

The Health and Safety Executive describes risk management as a continuing process of identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, recording findings and reviewing controls.

Read the HSE risk-assessment guidance

What Is the Difference Between a Risk Assessment and a Method Statement?

Risk Assessment

A risk assessment identifies:

The hazards associated with the work.
Who may be harmed.
How harm could occur.
Controls already in place.
The level of risk.
Further action needed.
Responsibility for completing the action.
The residual risk after controls are implemented.

It determines what must be controlled.

Method Statement

A method statement explains how the work will be organised and completed safely.

It normally presents the task in chronological order and incorporates the controls identified by the risk assessment. It may include:

Responsibilities.
Competence requirements.
Equipment and materials.
Site preparation.
Access and segregation.
Working sequence.
Inspection and hold points.
Communication.
Personal protective equipment.
Emergency and rescue arrangements.
Completion and handover.

It explains how the controls will be applied during the work.

RAMS

RAMS is the commonly used term for a combined risk assessment and method statement package.

A method statement is not automatically required by health and safety law for every routine work activity. It is, however, a valuable and widely recognised means of planning and communicating higher-risk, complex, unusual or coordinated work.

Clients and principal contractors frequently require suitable RAMS before allowing contractors to begin work.

Risk-Assessment Services

SS Safety can create or review assessments covering a wide range of workplace and task-related risks.

General Workplace Risk Assessments

These identify significant hazards arising from the workplace and normal business activities, including:

Access and egress.
Slips, trips and falls.
Workplace transport.
Storage and racking.
Welfare arrangements.
Fire and emergency considerations.
Visitors and contractors.
Lone working.
Manual handling.
Work equipment.
Workplace conditions.

Task-Specific Risk Assessments

These assess a defined activity, taking account of the people, environment, equipment and sequence of work.

Examples include:

Machinery operation.
Equipment installation.
Maintenance and repair.
Loading and unloading.
Vehicle and plant operations.
Chemical transfer and mixing.
Cleaning and waste removal.
Grounds maintenance.
Construction and building-services work.
Working at height.
Lifting and positioning materials.
Hot work.
Work within restricted or hazardous areas.

Risk Assessments for Particular People

The assessment process may need to consider people who are more susceptible to particular risks, including:

Young persons.
New and expectant mothers.
Employees with disabilities or health conditions.
Lone workers.
New or inexperienced employees.
Temporary and agency workers.
Home and hybrid workers.
People returning to work following illness or injury.

Individual medical advice will remain the responsibility of an appropriate healthcare or occupational-health professional.

Specialist and Supporting Assessments

Subject to the agreed scope and limits of competence, SS Safety can also support:

COSHH assessments.
Display screen equipment assessments.
Manual-handling assessments.
Working-at-height assessments.
Personal protective equipment assessments.
Contractor and visitor risk assessments.
Fire-related workplace assessments.
Stress and occupational-health risk assessments.
Construction RAMS.
Plant and machinery risk assessments.
Workplace transport assessments.

Where specialist testing, engineering analysis, occupational hygiene, medical assessment or another discipline is required, this will be identified and appropriate specialist assistance recommended.

Method Statements and Safe Systems of Work

A well-written method statement should allow the intended reader to understand:

What work is being undertaken.
Where and when it will take place.
Who will complete and supervise it.
What competence is required.
What equipment and materials will be used.
How the work area will be prepared.
How third parties will be protected.
The safe sequence of work.
What checks must be completed.
When work must stop.
What to do if conditions change.
How emergencies will be managed.
How the area will be left safe.

Method statements must be clear enough for employees and supervisors to use. Excessively long or complicated documents can conceal the controls that matter most.

SS Safety aims to provide sufficient detail without making the method unnecessarily difficult to follow.

What Can a RAMS Package Include?

Depending on the task and client requirements, the completed package may include:

Project and task description.
Scope and limitations.
Site and working-location information.
Management and supervisory responsibilities.
Names or categories of people at risk.
Hazard identification.
Existing control measures.
Initial risk rating.
Further risk-control requirements.
Residual risk rating.
Required competence and training.
Plant, equipment and inspection requirements.
Materials and hazardous substances.
COSHH information.
Personal protective equipment.
Access, egress and workplace segregation.
Delivery, unloading and storage arrangements.
Environmental controls.
Waste-management arrangements.
Welfare and first-aid requirements.
Fire and emergency precautions.
Rescue and recovery arrangements.
Chronological working method.
Pre-start checks.
Hold points and authorisations.
Communication and briefing requirements.
Monitoring and supervisory checks.
Stop-work and change-control arrangements.
Completion and handover.
Workforce briefing and acknowledgement record.
Approval and review information.

The exact content will reflect the complexity and risk of the work.

How SS Safety Develops Risk Assessments and RAMS

1. Define the Task

We establish:

What is to be done.
Where it will be undertaken.
Who will perform and supervise the work.
What equipment, materials and substances are involved.
Who else may be affected.
The client’s requirements.
Known site restrictions.
The intended start date and duration.

2. Review Available Information

Relevant information may include:

Existing risk assessments and procedures.
Client or principal-contractor rules.
Drawings and specifications.
Site surveys.
Manufacturer instructions.
Safety data sheets.
Equipment inspection and examination records.
Training and competence records.
Accident and near-miss history.
Applicable legislation and recognised guidance.

3. Observe the Workplace and Consult the Workforce

Where necessary, we visit the workplace, observe the activity and consult the employees and supervisors who understand how the work is undertaken.

Worker involvement can identify:

Practical difficulties.
Interfaces between different activities.
Previous incidents and near misses.
Variations in normal working conditions.
Potential shortcuts.
Controls that are not practicable.
Improvements that may not be apparent from a desktop review.

Management remains responsible for the assessment, but meaningful worker involvement improves its quality and encourages understanding of the resulting controls.

4. Identify Hazards and People at Risk

We consider routine and foreseeable non-routine conditions, including:

Preparation and set-up.
Normal operation.
Cleaning.
Adjustment.
Maintenance.
Breakdown.
Emergency conditions.
Completion and demobilisation.

We also consider employees, contractors, visiting drivers, customers, visitors, members of the public and anyone who may be particularly vulnerable.

5. Evaluate Existing Controls

Existing arrangements are examined to determine whether they:

Follow applicable legal requirements.
Reflect recognised industry practice.
Apply the hierarchy of control.
Are available and maintained.
Are understood by the workforce.
Are being implemented.
Reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

6. Identify Further Controls

Where more must be done, actions are clearly distinguished from controls already in place.

Where appropriate, each action will identify:

What must be done.
Who is responsible.
When it must be completed.
Whether it must be completed before work begins.

7. Develop the Safe Method

For RAMS, the selected controls are incorporated into a logical working sequence.

The method will identify important preconditions, responsibilities, checks, prohibitions, hold points and emergency actions.

8. Review With the Client

The draft is reviewed with the responsible manager or supervisor to confirm that:

The task has been understood.
The proposed method is achievable.
Required equipment and resources will be available.
Responsibilities are correct.
Site rules have been addressed.
Further clarification is not required.

9. Brief and Implement

The responsible employer or contractor must ensure that the assessment and method are communicated to the workforce.

Employees should have an opportunity to:

Read or receive a briefing on the documents.
Ask questions.
Raise concerns.
Confirm their understanding.
Report changes or unforeseen conditions.

A signature confirms that a document has been received or briefed; it does not, by itself, prove understanding or implementation.

Applying the Hierarchy of Control

Risk control should not begin with personal protective equipment.

Where reasonably practicable, controls should be considered in the following general order:

Eliminate the hazard.
Substitute the activity, material or equipment for something safer.
Introduce engineering or physical controls.
Establish safe systems, procedures, supervision and training.
Use suitable personal protective equipment for remaining risks.

For example, where there is a risk of falling from height, the assessment should first consider whether work at height can be avoided. If it cannot, collective protection should normally be considered before relying on individual fall-protection equipment.

The most effective solution will depend on the activity, environment and requirements of applicable legislation.

Site-Specific Assessments

A task may be routine to the contractor but unfamiliar or hazardous within a particular location.

Where this information is not available when the initial document is prepared, the limitation must be stated and the assessment completed or confirmed before work starts.

Construction and Contractor RAMS

SS Safety can develop and review RAMS for contractors working under client or principal-contractor control.

This may include work involving:

Working at height.
MEWPs and tower scaffolds.
Mechanical and electrical installation.
HVAC and ductwork.
Excavation.
Lifting operations.
Mobile plant.
Hot work.
Abrasive wheels and cutting.
Isolation of services.
Structural installation.
Demolition or alteration.
Hazardous substances.
Temporary works.
Traffic and delivery management.

RAMS must be consistent with the construction phase plan, site rules, permits and other contractors’ activities.

Acceptance by a client or principal contractor does not transfer the contractor’s responsibility for properly planning, managing, supervising and completing its work.

Reviewing Contractor RAMS

SS Safety can also review documents submitted by contractors or subcontractors.

The review may consider whether:

The scope of work is clearly understood.
Significant hazards have been identified.
Controls follow relevant legal and industry requirements.
Site-specific risks have been addressed.
The proposed work sequence is logical.
Required competence has been specified.
Plant and equipment are suitable.
Inspection and examination requirements are recognised.
Hazardous substances have been assessed.
Emergency and rescue arrangements are adequate.
Interfaces with other work are controlled.
Responsibilities are clearly allocated.
The documents are suitable for workforce briefing.
Further evidence or clarification is required.

Document review provides assurance that suitable planning has been demonstrated. It does not replace site supervision or verification that the stated controls are being followed.

What Information Will We Need?

To prepare a suitable assessment or RAMS package, we may request:

Description and scope of work.
Site address and working area.
Photographs, drawings or plans.
Client specifications.
Site rules and induction information.
Names and responsibilities.
Expected workforce numbers.
Training and competence evidence.
Equipment details.
Manufacturer instructions.
Inspection and examination records.
Safety data sheets.
Proposed work sequence.
Delivery and storage information.
Known hazards and restrictions.
Emergency arrangements.
Programme and duration.
Existing related assessments.
Client RAMS template or checklist.

Where important information remains outstanding, the document will not present assumptions as confirmed facts.

Managing Change

Work must stop and the assessment must be reconsidered where a significant change makes the planned controls unsuitable.

Examples include:

Different equipment being used.
A change in work sequence.
Unexpected site conditions.
New or conflicting activities.
Adverse weather.
Previously unidentified services.
Changes to access or emergency arrangements.
Failure of a control measure.
An accident or near miss.
A change in personnel requiring different competence or supervision.
A client instruction that alters the agreed method.

Minor and immediately controllable variations may be addressed through an appropriate dynamic assessment process. Dynamic assessment must not be used to justify unplanned high-risk work or bypass formal revision.

When Should a Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?

An assessment should be reviewed where:

There is reason to suspect it is no longer valid.
There has been a significant change.
Equipment, materials or substances change.
The workplace or work sequence changes.
New information becomes available.
An accident or near miss occurs.
Employees identify concerns.
Monitoring shows that controls are ineffective.
Legislation or recognised guidance changes.
The client or site introduces different requirements.
A planned review becomes due.

A review date is helpful, but waiting for that date is not appropriate where circumstances have already changed.

Why Use SS Safety?

Direct Involvement From a Chartered Consultant

You will work directly with Shaun Smith, Chartered Member of IOSH, throughout the assessment and review process.

Practical Industry Experience

SS Safety has developed and reviewed risk assessments and RAMS across:

Construction and building services.
Manufacturing and engineering.
Haulage and workplace transport.
Chemical preparation and solvent use.
Utilities and biosolids treatment.
Waste management.
Printing and flexible packaging.
Grounds maintenance and agriculture.
Industrial cleaning.
Offices and professional services.

Site and Task Understanding

Where required, we attend the site, observe the work and consult the people undertaking and supervising it.

Clear Existing and Additional Controls

Current arrangements are separated from further actions, making it clear what is already in place and what must still be completed.

Proportionate Risk Assessment

Simple activities receive simple assessments. Complex or higher-risk work receives the depth of assessment, planning and supporting evidence it requires.

Editable Client Documents

Final documents can be supplied in an editable, controlled format so that authorised changes and future reviews can be managed properly.

Support Beyond Document Creation

SS Safety can assist with briefings, implementation, workplace inspections and subsequent review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all work activities require a written risk assessment?

Employers must assess risks arising from their work. Where an employer has five or more employees, the significant findings must be recorded.

The extent and format should remain proportionate. Several low-risk activities may be addressed within one suitable general assessment, while complex or higher-risk work may require detailed task-specific assessments.

Is a method statement legally required?

There is no universal legal requirement for every task to have a document titled “method statement.”

Method statements are, however, widely used to plan and communicate complex, unusual or higher-risk work. They may also be required by a client, principal contractor, permit system or an industry-specific legal requirement.

What does RAMS mean?

RAMS means Risk Assessments and Method Statements. It commonly refers to the combined documentation explaining the hazards, controls and safe working method for a particular task or project.

Can you use our existing company format?

Yes. We can work within a suitable client, contractor or principal-contractor template.

If the format prevents important information from being communicated clearly, improvements will be recommended.

Can you complete RAMS without visiting the site?

Some assessments can be developed using reliable information, drawings, photographs, client requirements and consultation with competent managers.

A site visit will be recommended where the environment or activity cannot be understood adequately from the available information. Where a pre-start visit is not possible, the document may require site confirmation before work begins.

Who is responsible for approving the RAMS?

The employer or contractor undertaking the work remains responsible for ensuring that its RAMS are suitable and properly implemented.

SS Safety can prepare or review the documents, but the responsible company must confirm that the proposed method is accurate, provide the required resources and brief its workforce.

Does client approval make the contractor’s RAMS suitable?

Not necessarily. Client or principal-contractor acceptance does not remove the contractor’s responsibility for its work.

The contractor must continue to ensure that the assessment is suitable, employees are competent, controls are implemented and changing conditions are addressed.

Can you review documents submitted by our subcontractors?

Yes. SS Safety can assess subcontractor RAMS and identify missing information, unsuitable controls or evidence requiring clarification.

This can form part of a wider contractor-competence and site-monitoring process.

Can the same RAMS be used on several sites?

The same core assessment may be suitable where the task, equipment and hazards remain consistent.

Site-specific hazards, restrictions, emergency arrangements and interfaces must still be assessed. The document should not be reissued unchanged where different conditions materially affect the risk.

Will you provide a risk score?

Where appropriate, SS Safety uses a consistent risk-rating method to help prioritise risk and further action.

Risk scores support professional judgement; they do not replace it. A numerically low score must not be used to accept a breach of a specific legal requirement or an exposure capable of causing serious harm.

Will workers need to sign the documents?

A briefing and acknowledgement record can be included. Signing should confirm that the employee has received or attended the briefing.

The employer must also ensure that the information has been understood and that the work is properly supervised.

Request a Risk Assessment or RAMS Review

If you require a new risk assessment, a complete RAMS package or an independent review of existing documents, contact SS Safety for an initial discussion.

Please provide:

Your company and contact details.
A brief description of the work.
The proposed location.
The planned start date.
The number of people involved.
The main equipment and substances.
Any client or principal-contractor requirements.
Existing documents, photographs or plans.
Any known high-risk activities.
The date by which the documents are required.

Shaun will review the information and normally respond within one working day.

Request a Risk Assessment or RAMS Review

Email: info@ss-safety.co.uk
Telephone: 01332 492616

Site-Specific Risk Assessments and Method Statements

SS Safety Ltd creates and reviews risk assessments, method statements, safe systems of work and complete RAMS packages for businesses and contractors across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the wider Midlands.

Effective risk assessments must reflect the actual task, people, equipment, substances and working environment. They should identify the significant hazards, evaluate existing controls and clearly explain any further action required.

Where a method statement is needed, it should convert those risk controls into a safe, logical working method that employees can understand and follow.

SS Safety does not simply place your company name onto a generic template. We take the time to understand the work and develop documentation that is proportionate, practical and suitable for its intended use.

Request a Risk Assessment or RAMS Review

Does Your Risk Assessment Reflect the Work Being Undertaken?

A risk assessment can look comprehensive while still failing to provide effective control.

Common weaknesses include:

Generic hazards copied from unrelated assessments.

Significant site-specific risks being overlooked.

No distinction between existing controls and further action required.

Excessive reliance on personal protective equipment.

Controls that are not available or cannot be implemented.

Risk scores that do not reflect the severity of potential harm.

Method statements that repeat the assessment without explaining the work.

No consideration of employees, contractors, visitors or members of the public.

No assessment of vulnerable workers.

Missing emergency, rescue or contingency arrangements.

Assessments produced without consulting the people undertaking the task.

Documents that have not been communicated to the workforce.

Client or principal-contractor requirements being copied without checking whether they are practicable.

Documents remaining unchanged after equipment, personnel or working conditions have altered.

SS Safety can review existing documents, identify deficiencies and develop suitable assessments around the real work activity.

What Does the Law Require?

Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer to make a:

“suitable and sufficient assessment”

of the risks to employees and to people who are not employees but may be affected by the employer’s undertaking.

The assessment must enable the employer to identify the measures required to comply with relevant health and safety law.

Where the employer has five or more employees, the significant findings and any group of employees identified as being especially at risk must be recorded.

Risk assessment is not simply a paperwork requirement. The purpose is to:

Identify hazards.

Establish who may be harmed and how.

Evaluate the risk.

Determine whether existing controls are adequate.

Identify further reasonably practicable controls.

Implement the findings.

Communicate the required precautions.

Monitor whether the controls remain effective.

Review the assessment when necessary.

The Health and Safety Executive describes risk management as a continuing process of identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, recording findings and reviewing controls.

Read the HSE risk-assessment guidance

What Is the Difference Between a Risk Assessment and a Method Statement?

Risk Assessment

A risk assessment identifies:

The hazards associated with the work.

Who may be harmed.

How harm could occur.

Controls already in place.

The level of risk.

Further action needed.

Responsibility for completing the action.

The residual risk after controls are implemented.

It determines what must be controlled.

Method Statement

A method statement explains how the work will be organised and completed safely.

It normally presents the task in chronological order and incorporates the controls identified by the risk assessment. It may include:

Responsibilities.

Competence requirements.

Equipment and materials.

Site preparation.

Access and segregation.

Working sequence.

Inspection and hold points.

Communication.

Personal protective equipment.

Emergency and rescue arrangements.

Completion and handover.

It explains how the controls will be applied during the work.

RAMS

RAMS is the commonly used term for a combined risk assessment and method statement package.

A method statement is not automatically required by health and safety law for every routine work activity. It is, however, a valuable and widely recognised means of planning and communicating higher-risk, complex, unusual or coordinated work.

Clients and principal contractors frequently require suitable RAMS before allowing contractors to begin work.

Risk-Assessment Services

SS Safety can create or review assessments covering a wide range of workplace and task-related risks.

General Workplace Risk Assessments

These identify significant hazards arising from the workplace and normal business activities, including:

Access and egress.

Slips, trips and falls.

Workplace transport.