Risk Assessment and Method Statements

A risk assessment identifies hazards, evaluates the risk, and determines the controls needed to work safely.
A method statement describes the step-by-step sequence of work including the safety measures at each stage.
Together they form the RAMS — the core safety documents that must be in place before work begins.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require suitable and sufficient risk assessments.
Risk assessments must be specific to the site, task, and conditions — generic documents are not acceptable.
Every worker must be briefed on the relevant RAMS and confirm their understanding by signing the briefing sheet.
RAMS must be reviewed and updated whenever conditions change, new hazards emerge, or incidents occur.
The hierarchy of control must be applied: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, then PPE as last resort.
Risk is calculated by multiplying the likelihood of harm by the severity of the potential consequence.
RAMS are living documents — they must reflect what is actually happening on site, not a theoretical plan.

Legal requirement	MHSWR 1999 makes risk assessment a legal duty — working without one is a prosecutable offence.
Prevents accidents	A thorough RAMS process identifies hazards before work starts, when controls can still be put in place effectively.
Worker understanding	Briefing workers on the RAMS ensures everyone knows the hazards, controls, and emergency procedures for their task.
Audit trail	Signed RAMS briefing sheets provide evidence that workers were informed — critical in accident investigations.

Do

Don't

Read the risk assessment and method statement for your task before starting work.
Sign the RAMS briefing sheet only after you genuinely understand the content.
Speak up if the RAMS does not match the actual conditions you find on site.
Follow the method statement sequence — do not change the order of operations.
Carry out a dynamic risk assessment if conditions change during the work shift.
Report any new hazard not covered by the existing RAMS to your supervisor.
Check that control measures described in the RAMS are actually in place before starting.
Keep a copy of the relevant RAMS accessible at the work location during the task.
Participate in RAMS reviews when asked — your site experience improves the document.
Ensure subcontractors have task-specific RAMS reviewed and accepted before starting.

DON'T start any task without a risk assessment and method statement being in place.
DON'T sign a RAMS briefing sheet without reading and understanding it first.
DON'T use generic RAMS from another project without adapting them to this site.
DON'T ignore the method statement sequence because a different order seems quicker.
DON'T assume a RAMS written six months ago still reflects current site conditions.
DON'T treat RAMS as a paperwork exercise — they exist to keep you alive.
DON'T skip the RAMS briefing because you have done similar work before elsewhere.
DON'T remove control measures specified in the RAMS to speed up the task.
DON'T continue working if you discover a hazard not covered by the current RAMS.
DON'T file RAMS away without checking the controls are implemented on the ground.

See also: Dynamic Risk Assessment | CDM 2015 Awareness

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