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Free RAMS Template

A RAMS — Risk Assessment and Method Statement — is the document every principal contractor asks for before you start on site. Use the template structure below, or let The Site Book create a site-specific RAMS from your job description in minutes.

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No credit card required. Your first project is free.

What is a RAMS template?

A RAMS template is the empty structure of a Risk Assessment and Method Statement: the sections, tables, and headings a complete document needs, waiting for your job-specific content. The risk assessment half identifies the hazards on your job and the controls that manage them. The method statement half sets out the step-by-step sequence for doing the work safely.

In UK construction, the two are almost always combined into a single RAMS document — it is what principal contractors, clients, and building control expect to see before work starts. If you are new to the document itself, start with our What is RAMS? guide, or see a completed RAMS example section by section.

What goes in a RAMS template

The eight sections every complete RAMS needs — all created automatically by The Site Book.

Project and site details

Site address, scope of work, client, start date and duration, and the site constraints that shape the rest of the document — access, occupancy, neighbouring risks, overhead or underground services.

Hazard identification

Every hazard as it exists on this job, described specifically — not category headings. 'Fragile rooflight 2m from the access hatch' can be controlled; 'working at height' cannot.

Risk ratings

Likelihood times severity for each hazard, rated before and after controls. The before/after pair is what shows your control measures actually reduce the risk.

Control measures

The specific measures for each hazard, following the hierarchy of controls: eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE as the last resort.

Method statement — sequence of works

A numbered, step-by-step sequence from arrival to handover, with the relevant controls built into each step so the person doing the work reads one document.

Plant, equipment, and PPE

The tools, plant, and access equipment for the job, plus PPE named per task — hard hat, ankle-support boots, FFP3 for dust work, cut-resistant gloves. Never 'appropriate PPE'.

Competency and training

Who is doing the work and what qualifies them — CSCS cards, trade qualifications, and task-specific training such as IPAF, PASMA, or asbestos awareness.

Emergency procedures and sign-off

Named first aider, nearest A&E with address, assembly point, rescue arrangements for work at height, and signature blocks for the author, supervisor, and every worker briefed on the document.

Why a blank template is not enough

A blank RAMS template gives you the headings, but the headings were never the hard part. Which hazards apply to your job? What ratings are honest? Which controls will you actually use, and in what order does the work happen? Most builders either copy an old document — someone else's site, someone else's hazards — or leave sections vague. Both get RAMS rejected by principal contractors and flagged in HSE inspections.

The Site Book takes a different approach. Describe your job in plain English — what you are doing, where, and how — and your RAMS is created with site-specific hazards, honest ratings, practical controls, and a real sequence of works. You review it, adjust anything, and download a professional, company-branded PDF.

Frequently asked questions

What should a RAMS template include?

A complete RAMS template has two halves. The risk assessment half covers project details, hazard identification, risk ratings (likelihood times severity, before and after controls), and control measures following the hierarchy of controls. The method statement half covers the step-by-step sequence of works, plant and equipment, PPE per task, competency requirements, and emergency procedures, finishing with sign-off blocks. Every section above is included when The Site Book generates your RAMS — pre-filled from your job description rather than left blank.

Is a free RAMS template enough to be compliant?

Only if you fill it in properly. The legal standard under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 is a 'suitable and sufficient' risk assessment — which means the finished document must reflect your actual site, hazards, and working methods. A template gives you the structure, but a template filled with generic phrases like 'appropriate PPE will be worn' does not meet the standard, and principal contractors reject documents like that routinely. Whether you start from a template or a generator, the site-specific tailoring is the part that makes it compliant.

Do I need a RAMS template in Word or PDF?

Write in whatever you can edit; issue in PDF. Word templates are easy to edit but easy to leave half-generic, and version control gets messy once a document is emailed around site. The finished RAMS you send to a principal contractor or client should be a clean PDF with your company branding. The Site Book skips the format question entirely: describe the job, review the generated content, and download a professionally formatted, company-branded PDF.

Is this RAMS template actually free?

Yes. The Site Book lets you create your first project completely free — no credit card required. That includes a full RAMS: risk assessment, ratings, control measures, and method statement, created from your plain-English job description. Unlike a blank download, it arrives pre-filled with site-specific content that you review and adjust before downloading the PDF.

Related guides and templates

RAMS Example

A worked RAMS section by section — what good looks like filled in.

Free RAMS Generator

Skip the blank page — create a pre-filled, site-specific RAMS.

Free Risk Assessment Template

The risk assessment half on its own — hazards, ratings, and controls.

Free Method Statement Template

The method statement half on its own — sequence, plant, and controls.

Create my free RAMS

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