No UK law says you must produce “RAMS”. The duty is to assess your risks and provide a safe system of work — RAMS is simply how the construction industry proves it has done both. That distinction matters, because a method statement written to satisfy a client, then filed unread, meets the paperwork test and fails the legal one entirely.
This guide explains what a method statement is, what RAMS actually means, what the law really requires, and what separates a useful method statement from a copy-paste one.
What a method statement is
A method statement is a step-by-step written description of how a job will be carried out safely. It takes the hazards identified in a risk assessment and turns them into instructions: do this, in this order, with this equipment, with these controls, and here is what to do if it goes wrong.
It is sometimes called a safe system of work or, on higher-risk tasks, a safe work method statement (SWMS).
What RAMS means
RAMS = Risk Assessment and Method Statement. Two documents, read together:
- The risk assessment answers what could go wrong, how badly, and who is at risk.
- The method statement answers so how will we actually do this safely.
A risk assessment without a method statement leaves the crew to work out the “how”. A method statement without a risk assessment is a work plan that never asked what could go wrong.
Are RAMS a legal requirement?
This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is more useful than a simple yes:
- No regulation names “RAMS” or requires a document with that title.
- Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
- Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires safe systems of work.
- CDM 2015 requires construction work to be planned, managed and monitored.
So the duties are legal requirements; RAMS are the industry’s accepted evidence of meeting them. That is why principal contractors and clients will not let you start without them — and why generic RAMS that do not match the actual job are worthless as a defence.
What a method statement should contain
- Scope — the specific task, location, dates and who it covers.
- Sequence of work — the job broken into clear steps, in order.
- Hazards and controls at each step — cross-referenced to the risk assessment.
- Plant, equipment and materials, including inspection and certification.
- PPE required, and where it is needed.
- Competence — the training, tickets or experience the work demands.
- Supervision — who is in charge, and what they check.
- Emergency arrangements — including rescue where relevant (essential for confined spaces and work at height).
- Author, date and review status.
Why method statements fail
- Copy-paste. A template from a different job, with the site name changed. It will not survive scrutiny after an incident.
- Never briefed. The most common failure by far — the document exists, but the crew has not read it. Brief it and record the sign-on.
- Written by someone who has never done the task, so the sequence is not how the job really runs and gets ignored on day one.
- Never updated when the method, weather, sequence or crew changes.
- Too long to use. Twenty pages nobody reads protects nobody. Clear and specific beats comprehensive.
The test of a good method statement is simple: could the person doing the work follow it, and would they recognise their actual job in it?
Frequently asked questions
What is a method statement?
A method statement is a written, step-by-step description of how a particular job will be carried out safely. It sets out the sequence of work, the hazards at each stage, the control measures, the equipment and PPE required, who is competent to do the work, and what to do in an emergency. Its purpose is to turn a risk assessment’s findings into clear instructions the people doing the work can actually follow.
What does RAMS stand for?
RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It is not a single document but two that are read together: the risk assessment identifies what could cause harm and how serious it is, and the method statement explains how the job will be done so that those risks are controlled. The term is industry shorthand rather than a legal category.
Are RAMS a legal requirement in the UK?
No law names RAMS or requires a document with that title. What the law does require is that employers assess risks under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and provide safe systems of work under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. On construction projects the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 also require work to be planned, managed and monitored. RAMS are simply the accepted way the industry evidences that those duties have been met, which is why principal contractors and clients ask for them.
What should a method statement include?
A usable method statement covers the scope of the job and where it is being done, the sequence of work broken into steps, the hazards and control measures at each step, the plant, equipment and materials involved, the PPE required, the competence and training needed by the people doing the work, supervision arrangements, and emergency and rescue procedures. It should also name who wrote it and when it was last reviewed.
Who writes a method statement and who needs to read it?
It should be written by a competent person who genuinely understands the task, the site and the hazards, usually with input from the people who will carry out the work. Everyone involved in the job must be briefed on it before work starts, and that briefing should be recorded with signatures. A method statement that sits in a folder unread has no protective value and offers no legal defence, which is the single most common failure in practice.
Further reading
- HSE — CDM 2015
- HSE — Managing risks and risk assessment at work
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Method statement training
At a glance: Nexis CPD offers a £9 CPD-accredited online Method Statement Awareness course — 100% online and self-paced, with an instant, verifiable e-certificate on passing.
Our Method Statement Awareness course covers what a method statement is, how it pairs with a risk assessment, what the law actually requires, and how to write one people will use.
Related: What is a risk assessment? · What is a confined space? · Work at Height Regulations 2005
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100 % online, verifiable e-certificate on completion. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
Please note: this is a CPD-accredited awareness course and general information, not legal advice. It builds understanding of method statements and safe systems of work; it does not qualify anyone to author RAMS for high-risk activities, which requires competence in the specific task and site. Always follow your employer’s and principal contractor’s arrangements. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification.