Can you use AI to write RAMS? Yes. Here’s how.

Can you use AI to write RAMS or other construction paperwork with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot?

Yes. These tools can help turn your job information into draft documents, organise your notes and improve the wording. You do not need to buy The Site Book to get that help. (OpenAI)

We use AI in The Site Book ourselves. We are not going to pretend that generating a document is something only our software can do. (The Site Book)

Below, you’ll find copy-and-paste prompts for RAMS, construction phase plans, COSHH assessments, site inductions and checking your documents.

We’ll also explain what still needs doing after the AI has finished writing. Because creating the paperwork and managing it throughout a job are two different tasks.

Can you use AI to write RAMS safely? Treat the output as a draft

Whatever tool you use, have someone with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience check the document against the actual work and site conditions. That person might be you, someone in your team or an external adviser. HSE guidance does not say that every business needs to buy in a consultant, but you do need the competence to manage the risks involved. (HSE)

The same principle applies to documents generated by The Site Book. They are first drafts for you to review, not a substitute for understanding the job. (The Site Book)

The document should describe how the work will be carried out safely. The work should not be made to fit whatever the AI happens to write.

Which AI tools can you use?

You do not need a particular model or an elaborate setup. These are four options worth considering:

ChatGPT

Turn job notes into a structured draft, work through follow-up questions and keep related chats and source documents together in a project. (OpenAI)

Claude

Work with uploaded project information and create or edit documents, including downloadable Word and PDF files. (Claude Help Center)

Google Gemini

Draft and edit in Canvas, then export the text to Google Docs for further editing and filing. (Google Help)

Microsoft Copilot

Draft and revise directly in Word, including working from an existing document or template. Access depends on your Microsoft subscription and organisation’s settings. (Microsoft Support)

Start with the tool you already know. The prompts below are written so you can try them across these services.

Before uploading client documents or personal information, check that you are authorised to share it and review the account’s privacy settings. Saving your chats and using your content to train models are separate issues. For example, switching off model training in ChatGPT does not delete your chat history. (OpenAI Help Center)

Give the AI the job, not just the document title

“Write me some RAMS for building work” leaves almost everything important unanswered.

A better starting point is the actual scope, location, working environment, equipment, people involved and known hazards. HSE’s construction-planning guidance emphasises gathering site information, including existing risks, nearby activities, services and relevant information from the client and design team. (HSE)

Use the prompts below as a starting point. Replace the brackets with your information. Leave something marked “unknown” rather than guessing.

Keep each job’s documents together, and make clear which source documents and revisions the AI should use.

Prompt 1: Help me write site-specific RAMS

RAMS combines the risk assessment with the method statement: the risks and controls, alongside the planned sequence of work. The method needs to reflect how the job will actually be done. (HSE)

This prompt starts with questions rather than immediately producing a finished-looking document.

AI prompt — copy and adapt for your job

Help me prepare draft Risk Assessments and Method Statements
(RAMS) for competent-person review.

Project country: [England, Scotland or Wales]
Company and project reference: [details]
Work to be carried out, including exclusions: [details]
Site type, access and occupancy: [details]
People, trades and other activities affected: [details]
Proposed working method, tools, plant and materials: [details]
Known hazards and existing control measures: [details]
Relevant surveys, drawings, instructions and site rules:
[attach or describe, including document dates and versions]

Before drafting, identify missing information that could
affect safety. Ask questions in manageable groups and wait
for my answers.

Do not invent site facts or assume that surveys, permits,
isolations, training, inspections or control measures exist.
Separate confirmed facts, proposed measures and unresolved
questions. Challenge an unsafe proposed method rather than
simply writing it up.

Once I have answered, produce:

1. The work scope and relevant site conditions.
2. A risk assessment table covering the activities, hazards,
people who could be harmed, confirmed controls, additional
measures proposed for review and responsible roles.
3. A method statement describing the planned work sequence,
linked to the controls.
4. Relevant supervision, competence, emergency and
stop-work arrangements.
5. Outstanding information and checks required before issue.

Only use numerical risk ratings if I provide the scoring
system. Otherwise leave them for the reviewer.

Use plain British English. Mark the document
"DRAFT - NOT APPROVED FOR USE".

Identify relevant official guidance to verify, but do not
invent references or claim the document is HSE-approved.

Do not accept an invented detail because it sounds sensible. A statement that an isolation has been confirmed is not the same as someone actually confirming it.

Prompt 2: Draft a construction phase plan

A construction phase plan, or CPP, sets out the health and safety arrangements for managing the construction phase. Under CDM 2015, it must be prepared before that phase starts. Responsibility sits with the principal contractor on projects involving more than one contractor, or the contractor on single-contractor projects. (HSE)

Use this alongside the project information you have already gathered.

AI prompt — copy and adapt for your job

Help me draft a proportionate construction phase plan for
this project in [England, Scotland or Wales].

Project description and programme: [details]
My role: [contractor / principal contractor / other]
Client and relevant project dutyholders: [details]
Contractors and trades involved: [details]
Pre-construction information and current site documents:
[attach or describe]

Ask about missing information before drafting. Do not assume
dutyholder appointments, welfare facilities, emergency
arrangements or responsibilities have been confirmed.

Cover project organisation, coordination between trades,
site rules, access and security, welfare, significant risks,
relevant special measures, worker consultation, inductions,
emergency arrangements and monitoring.

Keep confirmed arrangements separate from proposed actions.
For unresolved matters, show the information needed and
leave the responsible person for us to confirm.

Cross-check against the supplied RAMS and project information.
Flag conflicting arrangements instead of silently choosing one.

Keep the plan proportionate to the job. Mark it
"DRAFT - REQUIRES REVIEW" and do not claim legal compliance.

The aim is a plan people can use, not the longest document the AI can generate.

Prompt 3: Help prepare a COSHH assessment

For a product-based assessment, start with the correct supplier’s safety data sheet, or SDS, and information about how the product will actually be used.

An SDS is not a COSHH assessment. It describes the substance, but it cannot assess your particular workplace and task. HSE is explicit about this distinction. (HSE)

AI prompt — copy and adapt for your job

Help me prepare a draft COSHH assessment for review by
someone competent to assess the task.

Product and manufacturer: [details]
Safety data sheet: [attach the correct SDS]
Task and method of use: [details]
Quantity, frequency and duration: [details]
Location, ventilation and working conditions: [details]
People who could be exposed, including others nearby: [details]
Existing exposure controls: [details]

First confirm which product and SDS version you can read.
Identify anything missing, unclear or inconsistent.

Extract the relevant substance information from the SDS,
giving section references. Keep this separate from the
task-specific assessment.

Ask questions about exposure before drafting. Then organise
the assessment around exposure routes, people affected,
prevention or control measures, storage, handling, emergencies
and further checks required.

Do not invent exposure measurements, workplace exposure
limits, glove specifications or respiratory protection.
Identify decisions that need competent assessment.

Do not assume a control is installed or effective simply
because the SDS recommends it.

Mark the result "DRAFT - NOT APPROVED FOR USE" and list
everything that still needs checking.

Remember that hazardous substances are not limited to products arriving in labelled containers. Construction processes can generate substances such as wood dust, silica dust and welding fumes. Those risks need assessment too, even where there is no product SDS to upload. (HSE)

Prompt 4: Turn your reviewed information into an induction or toolbox talk

An induction needs to cover the actual site and the risks people need to understand. HSE also identifies ongoing briefings, such as toolbox talks, as part of the arrangements to consider. (HSE)

Use your reviewed documents as the source, rather than asking the AI to invent a new set of rules.

AI prompt — copy and adapt for your job

Using the reviewed documents and site information I provide,
draft either:

A. A site induction; or
B. A toolbox talk about [specific topic].

Required option: [A or B]
Audience and relevant language or literacy needs: [details]
Source documents and versions: [attach or identify]

Use only confirmed site arrangements. Flag gaps rather than
inventing rules, contacts, facilities or emergency procedures.

For an induction, cover the relevant site risks, access,
restricted areas, welfare, emergencies, reporting arrangements
and workers' responsibilities.

For a toolbox talk, focus on the selected topic and explain
how it applies to this job.

Use plain language and include questions the supervisor can
use to check understanding.

Keep safety-critical detail. Identify anything needing a
practical demonstration or separate briefing.

Leave attendance, delivery and acknowledgement fields blank.
Do not imply that anyone has attended, understood or signed.
Mark the content as a draft for review.

Writing the briefing is one task. Delivering it and checking that people understand it are separate tasks.

Prompt 5: Challenge the draft before you issue it

Rather than asking the AI, “Is this good?”, ask it to look for specific problems.

This is an additional check, not approval to use the document.

AI prompt — copy and adapt for your job

Review the attached draft documents against the project
information and source documents I have provided.

Look for:
- Site facts that are unsupported or contradictory.
- Hazards or affected people that may have been overlooked.
- Controls described as existing without supporting evidence.
- A work sequence that conflicts with the risk assessment.
- Inconsistent rules or emergency arrangements across documents.
- Vague instructions that need a practical explanation.
- Unverified technical specifications or legal references.
- Missing responsibilities, decisions or pre-start checks.

For each finding, identify the document and section, explain
the concern and state what a human reviewer needs to confirm.

Separate definite inconsistencies from questions and possible
omissions. Do not invent answers or silently rewrite facts.

Do not describe the pack as safe, compliant or approved.
A second AI check is not a substitute for competent review.

These prompts are designed to make missing information visible. They are not a guarantee that the AI will spot every issue.

Will the AI save your documents?

Often, yes.

It would be misleading to say that general AI tools cannot store your paperwork. ChatGPT can retain chats and files, and its Projects feature keeps related material together. Claude also offers projects with chat histories and uploaded documents. Gemini can export content into Google Docs. (OpenAI Help Center)

The more useful question is:

Have you saved some text, or have you established which version is approved, who received it and what happened when it changed?

Suppose you draft RAMS on Monday, revise the access arrangements on Wednesday and brief another subcontractor on Friday.

Your process needs to distinguish the earlier draft from the current issued version. It also needs to preserve the relevant records of review and communication. A chat containing several versions does not, by itself, establish those things.

You can build that process around general AI tools. You just need to build and run it deliberately.

A straightforward way to manage it yourself

Here is a suggested starting point for a DIY process:

1. Keep a company-controlled project folder. Store source information, working drafts and issued documents separately. Give each document a reference, revision and date.

2. Record the review. Keep the exact version checked, who checked it, when and any outstanding actions. Do not label an unfinished draft “approved”.

3. Issue and brief the right version. Keep a distribution and briefing record identifying the document revision, not just “RAMS signed”.

4. Manage changes. Keep superseded versions for the historical record, remove them from current-use locations and communicate relevant changes to affected people.

That is a suggested administrative structure, not a complete compliance checklist. HSE’s guidance requires businesses to have systems for the relevant paperwork, and to review risk controls when circumstances change or they may no longer be effective. (HSE)

Most importantly, paperwork is not the end result. Controls must be put into practice, and the working arrangements need to be monitored. (HSE)

So why use The Site Book?

Not because you are incapable of getting an AI tool to write a document.

The Site Book is more than a RAMS generator. It brings document creation and the work that follows into the same project record.

Its document workflow includes version history, recorded issue confirmation, worker sign-offs and re-signing when a signed document is revised, while preserving the earlier version’s signatures. The Business plan adds named-approver routing for accepting or rejecting document versions before issue. (The Site Book)

Depending on your plan, the wider system also brings together CPPs, COSHH assessments, inductions, toolbox talks, worker certificates, subcontractor evidence, attendance and inspections. (The Site Book)

You can assemble your own process using AI, document folders, spreadsheets and other tools. That may suit your business.

The reason to choose The Site Book is to reduce the work involved in keeping those documents, people and records connected. It does not remove the need for competent judgement.

Use the prompts. Choose the process that works for you.

You do not need our permission to use AI for your paperwork. Take the prompts, adapt them to your jobs and use them.

Just do not confuse a finished-looking document with a finished safety process.

The question is not only, “Can AI write my RAMS?” It is, “How will we check them, issue them, brief people and keep them current?”

For a way to do that in one place, you can try your first project in The Site Book free, including RAMS, a CPP and a site induction. (The Site Book)

The CDM 2015 references and prompts above are written for projects in England, Scotland and Wales. For Northern Ireland, use the applicable HSENI guidance and CDM Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 instead. (HSE Northern Ireland)