Documents are AI-assisted drafts and must be checked and approved by a competent person before use. Not legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer
Some jobs do not sit neatly under roofing, electrical or the other trades in this library. A general RAMS is still worth more than a blank page, as long as everyone understands it is broader and therefore easier to get wrong.
Use this when the work is small construction or maintenance that mixes several low-complexity tasks. If the job is mostly one trade, start from that trade's template instead. The competent person should delete hazards that do not apply and add the ones that do. A generic sheet that lists everything is not suitable and sufficient.
When to use it. Mixed small works, site set-up, snagging visits, or a trade you cannot find in the list yet. Do not use it unchanged for demolition, structural openings, confined spaces, or live electrical work.
A description of the actual task. 'General works' is not a scope.
The people who can be harmed, including the public and other trades, not only the operative.
The access, any work at height, and any substance or tool that changes the risk.
A sequence someone can brief, with a stop rule if the task changes.
Emergency arrangements and who the site contact is.
A note that a specialist job (roof, electrical, scaffold, hot work, asbestos) needs the matching template, not this one.
Sample excerpt
From the general / other base inside RamsBox. It is not a RAMS for a real address until you add the site.
Slips, trips and poor housekeeping. Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Keep routes clear, leads along walls, and waste in one place.
Light the work area. Cover or mark holes before leaving.
Describe the task to the people doing it. Confirm it is not a specialist job that needs a different template.
Walk the area. Note other trades, the public, and anything that looks like asbestos or a fragile surface.
Brief this RAMS and delete or add lines so it matches the walk.
Hazards and controls
Slips, trips and poor housekeeping
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 6 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Keep routes clear, leads along walls, and waste in one place.
Light the work area. Cover or mark holes before leaving.
Manual handling of tools and materials
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 9 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Plan the lift. Use a trolley or a second person for awkward loads.
Do not carry materials up a ladder.
Work at height, including short-duration access
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 15 (High) · residual 5 (Medium)
Choose a platform before a ladder. If a ladder is used, record why a safer option was not reasonable.
Do not work at height alone if the rescue plan needs a second person.
Hand tools, portable electrical equipment and noise
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 9 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Inspect tools and leads. RCD or 110v on a construction supply.
Guards stay on. Hearing protection when the tool requires it.
Other contractors, occupants and the public
Who might be harmed: Operatives, other people on site, and anyone nearby
Initial 9 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Agree the work area and a route that keeps other people out.
Tell the person in charge when the area is unsafe to re-enter.
Hazardous substances, dust and unknown materials
Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the task
Initial 8 (Medium) · residual 4 (Low)
Read the safety data sheet. Do not decant chemicals into unmarked bottles.
Stop if you suspect asbestos and it is not in the plan.
Relevant legislation and guidance
Only the UK sources kept for this trade. This is not legal advice, and RamsBox is not affiliated with HSE.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Employers and the self-employed must protect workers and others so far as is reasonably practicable.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The assessment must be suitable and sufficient, and the controls must be put in place.
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022). PPE is the last resort in the hierarchy of control. It must be suitable, maintained, and provided to limb (b) workers as well as employees after the 2022 amendment.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. The responsible person reports specified injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences. This RAMS does not decide whether a report is due.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Where this is construction work, the contractor plans, manages and monitors it. This RAMS does not replace a construction phase plan.
HSE L153 Managing health and safety in construction. HSE guidance on CDM 2015. Use it to judge whether the plan is proportionate to the job.
Work at Height Regulations 2005. Avoid work at height where you can. Otherwise prevent a fall, and only then minimise the distance and the consequences.
HSE INDG401 Working at height: a brief guide. Short HSE guide to the Work at Height Regulations. It does not replace a site-specific method.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Work equipment must be suitable, maintained, and used by people who have been given the right information and training.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Lifting equipment and lifting operations must be planned, supervised and carried out safely.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Assess exposure to hazardous substances, including dusts, and control it. The safety data sheet informs the assessment.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess what remains, and reduce the risk.
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Do not disturb suspected asbestos. Stop and follow the survey and a specific plan. This RAMS is not an asbestos method.
HSE HSG150 Health and safety in construction. General HSE construction guidance. It does not replace a trade-specific method for this job.
Sequence, tickets and PPE
Describe the task to the people doing it. Confirm it is not a specialist job that needs a different template. If the task is specialist (roof, electrical, scaffold, hot work), stop and use that trade's RAMS instead.
Walk the area. Note other trades, the public, and anything that looks like asbestos or a fragile surface. Note other trades, the public, and anything that looks like asbestos or a fragile surface. Do not disturb it.
Brief this RAMS and delete or add lines so it matches the walk. Add or delete lines so this RAMS matches the walk. Do not brief a sequence the site no longer matches.
Set up access, barriers and welfare before the task starts. Access, barriers and welfare are in place before the task starts.
Do the work. Stop if it changes. Stop and tell the supervisor if the task, the people nearby, or the access changes.
Keep the area tidy as you go. Offcuts and leads are cleared as you go so the next step is not done over waste.
Remove waste and tools. Make safe any incomplete work. Waste and tools off site or in the agreed area. Incomplete work is left stable and marked.
Tell the client or principal contractor you are leaving and what remains. Tell the client or principal contractor you are leaving and what remains unfinished.
Operatives competent for the actual task, not only generally experienced
CSCS or an equivalent card where a managed site requires it
Any statutory ticket the plant requires (IPAF, PASMA) if that plant is used
A supervisor who will change this generic draft so it matches the job
Safety boots
Gloves for the material being handled
Eye protection when cutting or drilling
Hi-vis if vehicles or the public are nearby
Hearing protection and a respirator only where the task assessment says so
DRAFT - needs competent person review. A competent person still has to check the draft against the site.
Questions on general / other RAMS
Why is this template more generic?
Because the specific hazard comes from the job you type in, not from a trade default. The draft adds your site hazards as extra rows and marks them for the competent person to confirm. Expect to edit it.
Does CDM apply to a two-day job?
CDM 2015 applies to construction work even when the project is not notifiable. The duties are proportionate. This RAMS does not decide whether a principal contractor or principal designer is needed.
What should we add for a trade that is not listed?
Put the real task in the job description and the odd hazards in the site-hazards box. The free draft will attach them. Read every line before you brief it. Do not leave irrelevant height or hot-works lines in if you are only painting a door.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement for small general jobs?
There is no clause that says the document must be titled RAMS. There is a duty to assess the work and to plan construction work. If someone can be hurt, write the assessment and the method. A short job in an occupied building is a common place to skip it, and a common place someone is hurt.
Who should write a general RAMS?
The person supervising the task. A general template is a starting point precisely because the work varies. If the job is really roofing, electrical work or hot works, use that trade’s template instead of stretching this one.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?
The risk assessment lists hazards, who is harmed, and the controls, scored before and after those controls. The method statement is the order of work. HSE’s own templates keep them related but they answer different questions. A RAMS binds them into one pack for the briefing.
When is the general template the wrong starting point?
When the main hazard is a fall from a roof, a live circuit, a scaffold erection, or a naked flame. Those have their own pages and their own legislation. The general draft is for small mixed tasks that do not fit a specialist trade.
AI-assisted draft. A competent person must review it and approve it for the site before use. RamsBox does not provide health and safety advice and is not affiliated with HSE.