Free risk assessment and method statement (RAMS) template

By Software for Tradespeople Editorial Team · Updated 12 October 2026 · Facts checked 12 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

Quick answer

Our free RAMS template is a Word document with two parts: a risk assessment built on HSE's five steps (identify hazards, assess the risks, control them, record findings, review) and a method statement setting out the job step by step. HSE says firms with 5 or more employees must record significant findings, and main contractors usually ask for RAMS anyway.

On this page

What does the RAMS template include?
Download the template
How do you fill in a risk assessment and method statement?
What UK rules does a RAMS document need to meet?
What are the most common RAMS mistakes?
When should you switch from a template to software?
FAQs

Main contractors, letting agents and commercial clients increasingly ask for RAMS before you start. This free Word template gives you a risk assessment based on HSE's five steps and a method statement in one document, with a worked example you can copy.

What does the RAMS template include?

The template has two parts and a cover page, all in one Word file.

What is in the RAMS template
Section	What it covers
Cover page	Job title, site address, client, principal contractor (if any), document reference, revision number, date, author and who has approved it
Risk assessment table	Hazard, who might be harmed and how, current controls, risk rating, further action, who does it, by when, done
Method statement	Scope of work, sequence of work, plant and tools, materials, PPE, permits, emergency arrangements, welfare, waste
Briefing record	Names, signatures and dates for everyone who has read and understood the RAMS
Review log	Date, change made and reason (new site, near miss, change of method)

The risk assessment columns match the points HSE's own template asks you to record: who might be harmed and how, what you are already doing, what further action is needed, who needs to carry it out, and when.

Download the template

Download the Word template (.docx)

RAMS documents are mostly words, so we only offer a Word version. It opens in Google Docs and Apple Pages too. Save a blank master, then copy it for each job, because every site is different.

How do you fill in a risk assessment and method statement?

Follow HSE's five steps for the risk assessment, then write the method statement around the controls you chose.

Fill in the cover page. Give it a reference (for example RAMS-2026-014) and a revision number, so everyone knows which version is current.
Identify the hazards. Walk the site, or look at photos and drawings, and list what could cause harm: working at height, live electrics, hot works, dust, asbestos, manual handling, vehicles, the public.
Decide who might be harmed and how. Your team, other trades, the client, neighbours, members of the public walking past.
Assess the risk. How likely is harm, and how serious would it be? The template uses a simple low, medium, high rating. Keep it honest: a high rating means you need stronger controls.
Set the controls. Remove the hazard if you can. If not, control it: better equipment, barriers, safer methods, then personal protective equipment (PPE) last.
Record further actions. Anything still to sort, who is doing it and by when.
Write the method statement. Describe the job in order, step by step, with the controls built into each step.
Add emergency arrangements. Nearest A&E, first aider, fire point, how to isolate power, gas and water.
Brief the team and get signatures. A RAMS nobody has read protects nobody.
Review it. Before each new site, after any near miss, and whenever the method changes. Log every change.

Worked example: replacing gutters and fascias on a two-storey house

Here is how a roofing and guttering firm might fill in three rows for a 1960s semi-detached house. It is an illustration, not a complete assessment for your job.

Example risk assessment rows (illustrative)
Hazard	Who and how	Controls	Risk after controls
Falls from height at eaves level	Operatives: falling from ladder or edge	Mobile tower scaffold erected by a trained person, guard rails, no overreaching, ladders only for short access	Low
Falling objects (old gutters, tools)	Client, neighbours, public on the pavement	Exclusion zone with barriers, tool lanyards, lower materials by rope, never throw	Low
Possible asbestos cement in old gutters or soffits	Operatives and others: breathing in fibres	Check the client's asbestos information, treat suspect materials as asbestos until tested, do not break or power-cut them, stop work if found	Low if stopped and checked

The matching method statement would then run in order: set up barriers and signs, erect the tower, remove old guttering in sections and lower it by rope, inspect fascias, fit new fascias and soffits, fit new gutters and downpipes, test with water, clear waste, dismantle the tower, final site check with the client.

That asbestos row matters. HSE says asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000, and it still causes around 5,000 deaths a year.

How to rate the risk

The template uses a simple three-level rating. Score how likely harm is (unlikely, possible, likely) and how bad it would be (minor, serious, major), then combine them.

Simple risk rating used in the template
Likelihood	Minor harm	Serious harm	Major harm
Unlikely	Low	Low	Medium
Possible	Low	Medium	High
Likely	Medium	High	High

Rate each hazard twice: before controls and after them. Any hazard still rated high after controls means the method needs to change before work starts. HSE does not require a numbered scoring system, so keep it simple enough for the whole team to follow.

What main contractors and clients expect to see

Requirements vary, but most site managers and facilities teams look for the same things when they check a subcontractor's RAMS:

The correct site address, job description and date, not a generic copy
Named people: who supervises, who is the first aider, who to call in an emergency
Specific controls for the high-risk tasks (work at height, hot works, live electrics, confined spaces, asbestos)
Tools, plant and access equipment, with who is trained to use them
PPE listed per task, not just "full PPE"
Waste removal, dust control and how the public or residents will be protected
A signed briefing record

Send it a few days before you start, so there is time to fix anything they reject. Being turned away at the gate costs a day's pay.

Writing the method statement

Keep the method statement in numbered steps, one action per step, in the order the work will happen. For each step, say what is done, who does it, which equipment is used and which controls from the risk assessment apply. Start with arrival and set-up, and finish with clearing the site and handing over. If a step needs a permit (for example hot works on a commercial site), say who issues it.

What UK rules does a RAMS document need to meet?

We checked these points against HSE guidance on 12 October 2026.

Risk assessment

HSE's five steps are: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, and review the controls. If you employ 5 or more people, you must record your significant findings, including the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and what you are doing to control the risks. A sole trader or a firm of four does not have to write it down, but you still have to do the thinking, and clients will usually want to see it on paper.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

HSE says CDM 2015 applies to all construction work, including domestic projects. If you are the only contractor, or the principal contractor, you must prepare a construction phase plan before work starts. HSE says it should be proportionate to the size of the job, and that "a simple plan before the work starts is usually enough" on small jobs. On home projects, a small builder will usually have sole responsibility for site health and safety.

Projects must also be notified to HSE (on form F10) if they are expected to last more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers on site at the same time, or to exceed 500 person days. Most domestic trade jobs fall well below this.

Method statements

No law requires a document called a "method statement". HSE's planning guidance says that getting risk assessments and method statements from contractors "will help" when you agree how work will be done. In practice, a method statement is how you prove you planned the job, and it often forms most of a small job's construction phase plan.

Work at height

HSE says employers and those in control of work at height must first assess the risks, plan and supervise the work, use competent people and provide suitable equipment. Simple, low-risk tasks need less planning.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

HSE and CDM 2015 cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own regulator, HSENI, and its own regulations, so check its guidance if you work there.

Who should write the RAMS?

The person who knows the job best: usually the owner, supervisor or lead operative who will be on site. HSE's planning guidance expects the people doing the work to be competent, so a RAMS written by someone who has never seen the job is a warning sign. If you are a subcontractor, the main contractor may give you their own format to fill in. You can usually copy most of your content from this template into it.

What are the most common RAMS mistakes?

Copy and paste from another job. The hazards on a loft conversion are not the same as on a shop fit. Clients spot generic RAMS quickly.
Too long to read. A 40-page document that nobody reads is worse than a clear 4-page one. HSE says the effort should match the risk.
PPE as the first control. Gloves and masks are the last line of defence, not the first.
No site-specific details. Add the address, access route, parking, where the nearest hospital is and how to isolate services.
Nobody signed it. Without a briefing record, you cannot show the team understood it.
Never reviewed. Update it when the method changes or after a near miss.
Ignoring asbestos. Any pre-2000 building may contain it. Ask the client for their asbestos information before drilling, cutting or stripping out.

When should you switch from a template to software?

A Word template works well for a small firm writing a few RAMS a month. It gets harder when you have several teams on different sites, because you need to know who has signed which version. That is where digital forms help: your team opens the RAMS on their phone, signs on site, and the signed copy is stored against the job, alongside photos and the job sheet for the same visit.

Builders and multi-trade firms: Fergus Pro includes hazards and safe work method statements, plus checklists and forms (from £45 a month list price; VAT treatment not stated on the pricing page; checked 12 Oct 2026). See our guide to the best software for builders for other options.
Maintenance and compliance contractors: Joblogic replaces paper job sheets with digital forms and works offline (from £45 per user per month, billed annually).
Small teams that just need forms and sign-off: compare the tools in our roundup of digital job sheet apps.

Our verdict

Start with this template and keep it short and site-specific. Move to software once you are writing RAMS every week or juggling more than one team, because tracking signatures and versions on paper is where mistakes creep in.

Frequently asked questions

Is a risk assessment a legal requirement for tradespeople?

Yes. Every employer and self-employed person whose work could put others at risk must assess the risks. HSE says that if you employ 5 or more people you must also record your significant findings. Smaller firms do not have to write it down, but a written record is the easiest way to show you did it.

Is a method statement a legal requirement?

Not by that name. The law requires you to assess risks and, on construction work, to plan the work in a construction phase plan. A method statement is the common way to show that planning. Main contractors and many commercial clients will not let you on site without one.

What are HSE's five steps of risk assessment?

HSE lists them as: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, and review the controls. Our template follows that order, so each hazard row shows who might be harmed, how, what controls are in place, what else is needed, who does it and by when.

What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?

A risk assessment lists what could cause harm and how you will control it. A method statement explains how the job will be done, step by step, with those controls built in. Together they are called RAMS. One answers what could go wrong, the other how we will do it safely.

Do I need RAMS for domestic jobs?

HSE says CDM 2015 applies to all construction work, including domestic projects, and a small builder usually has sole responsibility for site health and safety on home jobs. You need a construction phase plan, which HSE says can be simple for small jobs. A short RAMS document covers most of what that plan needs.

How often should I review a risk assessment?

HSE says to review your controls to check they are working, and sooner if they may no longer be effective, if changes could bring new risks, if workers report problems, or after an accident or near miss. For trades, review it for every new site, because each site has different hazards.

Does this template work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Yes for Scotland and Wales, where HSE and CDM 2015 apply. Northern Ireland has its own regulator, HSENI, and its own versions of the health and safety and CDM regulations. The five-step approach is the same, but check HSENI guidance for any differences.

Sources and checks

Prices, features and ratings were checked on 12 October 2026 against these sources. Software prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.