RAMS for Builders: What You Need and How to Get It Right

Do builders need RAMS?

Yes. If you're a general builder working on anything more than trivial maintenance, you almost certainly need a Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS). Under CDM 2015, anyone carrying out construction work must plan, manage, and monitor it to ensure it's done safely — and RAMS is the document that proves you've done exactly that.

Principal contractors, main contractors, and domestic clients increasingly expect RAMS before you set foot on site. Without one, you risk being turned away at the gate, losing work to competitors who can provide one, or — worst case — facing enforcement action after an incident.

What should a builder's RAMS cover?

General builders face a wider range of hazards than most specialist trades because you're involved in multiple activities across the build. A good RAMS for a builder should cover:

• Working at height — scaffold access, ladder use, roof work, edge protection, and fall arrest
• Manual handling — moving blocks, lintels, steels, bags of cement, and heavy materials by hand or with mechanical aids
• Excavation and groundworks — trench collapse, underground services (gas, electric, water), and temporary support
• Structural alterations — removing load-bearing walls, installing steelwork, temporary propping, and the sequence of work
• Hazardous substances — cement dust, silica from cutting blocks and concrete, solvents, adhesives, and treated timber
• Power tools and equipment — circular saws, angle grinders, nail guns, breakers, and vibration exposure
• Site logistics — deliveries, material storage, skip placement, pedestrian and vehicle segregation

The key is that your RAMS must be site-specific. A generic template that mentions "working at height" without describing the actual scaffold arrangement on your job is not sufficient — and an HSE inspector will spot the difference immediately.

Common mistakes builders make with RAMS

After working with hundreds of UK builders, we see the same mistakes repeatedly:

• Using a generic template — downloading a free Word template and changing the company name does not produce a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. The hazards, controls, and method statement must reflect the actual job.
• Writing it after the job starts — RAMS should be prepared before work begins. If you're writing it on the first morning, you haven't planned the work properly and you're exposing yourself to liability.
• Ignoring COSHH — many builders forget that cement, silica dust, timber treatment, and adhesives all require COSHH assessments. These should sit alongside your RAMS, not be treated as an afterthought.
• Not updating it — if the scope of work changes (a wall turns out to be load-bearing, asbestos is discovered, access arrangements change), your RAMS must be updated to reflect the new risks.
• No method statement — the risk assessment identifies hazards and controls, but the method statement describes the sequence of work. Many builders do the risk assessment and skip the method statement entirely.

What about a Construction Phase Plan?

If you're the only contractor on a domestic project (which most small builders are), CDM 2015 requires you to produce a Construction Phase Plan (CPP). This is separate from your RAMS — it covers the overall management of the project, including welfare arrangements, site rules, emergency procedures, and how you'll coordinate with other trades if they come on site.

For domestic extensions, loft conversions, and renovations, a lightweight CPP is usually sufficient — 1–2 pages covering the essentials. The Site Book generates both RAMS and CPP from a single project description, so you don't need to duplicate effort.

How The Site Book helps builders

The Site Book is built specifically for UK builders and sole traders. Describe your job — "two-storey rear extension in brick with steelwork and a flat roof" — and the AI generates a complete, site-specific RAMS covering all relevant hazards, control measures, and a detailed method statement. It also creates your Construction Phase Plan, COSHH assessments, site induction, and emergency plan.

The whole process takes under 10 minutes. No blank templates, no guessing what sections to include, no formatting headaches. The output is professional, CDM 2015 compliant, and ready to hand to your client or principal contractor.

You can try it free — your first project with all documents costs nothing.