CDM 2015 RAMS requirements
Last updated 17 October 2026
CDM 2015 does not require a document called a RAMS. It does require construction work to be planned, managed and monitored.
CDM 2015 requires construction work to be planned, managed and monitored so far as is reasonably practicable. It does not say the document must be called a RAMS. A site-ready RAMS your principal contractor can review is still the pack most sites ask for, because it shows the hazards and the method for this task.
The general construction template is a start when the job is mixed. If the work is mostly one trade, use that trade’s page instead. The longer note on small gangs is in CDM 2015 for small contractors.
Worked example
A principal contractor asks a plastering gang for a RAMS before they enter a shop refit:
- The RAMS names the shop, the dates, and the rooms. It does not say “all sites”.
- Dust, access to the ceiling and other trades in the same room are in the assessment.
- The sequence says when the gang arrives, what has to be clear before sanding, and how the room is left.
- The briefing sheet is signed after the talk, not before the gang has heard it.
- The construction phase plan for the whole refit stays with the principal contractor. This RAMS does not pretend to be that plan.
What the law is asking for
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The contractor plans, manages and monitors the work. The principal contractor, where there is one, draws up and keeps the construction phase plan under review. HSE’s L153 is the guidance. It is not the law itself.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Make a suitable and sufficient assessment and put the controls in place.
- Work at Height Regulations 2005 and COSHH 2002 still apply when the task involves a fall or a hazardous substance. CDM does not switch them off.
Questions
Is a RAMS a legal requirement under CDM 2015?
The regulations do not name a RAMS. They do require the contractor to plan, manage and monitor the construction work. Clients and principal contractors ask for a RAMS because it is the usual way to see that plan for one task.
Does a RAMS replace the construction phase plan?
No. Where there is more than one contractor, the principal contractor draws up the construction phase plan. A RAMS for your trade sits underneath that plan. It does not replace it.
Does CDM apply to a domestic job?
CDM 2015 applies to construction work, including work for a domestic client. Notification is a separate threshold. Not being notifiable does not mean CDM does not apply.