A Simple Guide to Completing a Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)

Risk Assessment and Method Statements are two different documents that ultimately serve the same purpose of ensuring safety in a workplace.

It is widely known, especially within the safety industry, that an employee can pursue injury claims for accidents that occur in the workplace or during their employment, if their employer has been negligent or breached their statutory duties.

A Hull based company, Redhall Engineering Services, found themselves facing such a scenario in 2018, after it was found that failure to complete correct RAMS had caused and led to the injury of two workers. The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and received a £14,000 fine.

Now, if you are new to risk management or health and safety policy, you may not be familiar with the lesser known safe-system-of-work documents that are referred to as RAMS. And if you are familiar with RAMS, you may be wondering how documents that are not legally required can fetch such a hefty fine.

In this article, we seek to answer these questions as well as provide guided steps on how to prepare and complete a RAMS document.

What Are RAMS?

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statements, and they are important health and safety documents that companies file at the end of completing a risk assessment. These documents contain detailed information about a hazard whose risk has been assessed and offer specific step-by-step guides to working around that hazard that all employees, contractors, and others can easily follow.

RAMS documents serve the same overall purpose: to ensure workplace safety. But for all their similarities, Risk Assessments and Method Statements are still two different documents with a few unique qualities and motivations of their own.

The 5 Steps of the Risk Assessment Processing (Simplified)

Before you start the risk management process, you should know that certain specifics may vary across industries; however, the overall process is still the same.

Step #1 - Identify the Hazards

The first step to starting a risk assessment for any activity is to ascertain what hazards your employees face or exist within the premises and operations of your business. Thoroughly examine your workplace and look out for what operating procedures or activities could potentially cause harm. Be mindful to include all aspects of the workplace operations, even remote workers and non-routine activities like repair and maintenance.

Common safety hazards to consider:

• Natural disasters (flooding, earthquakes, fire, etc.)
• Biological hazards (pandemic diseases, foodborne illnesses, etc.)
• Workplace accidents (slips and trips, transportation accidents, structural and mechanical breakdowns)
• Intentional acts (labour strikes, demonstrations, bomb threats, robbery, arson, etc.)
• Technological hazards (lost internet connection, power outage, etc.)
• Chemical hazards (asbestos, cleaning fluids, etc.)
• Mental hazards (excess workload, bullying, etc.)
• Interruptions in the supply chain

Step #2 - Determine Who Is at Risk and How They Might Be Harmed

Whoever is most at risk of harm from every identified potential hazard in the first step should be made a note of.

Step #3 - Evaluate the Risks and Decide on Precautions

At this stage, you will need to calculate the likelihood of the identified potential hazards occurring. You will also have to quantitatively evaluate the severity of the consequences where any associated hazard occurs. This evaluation helps determine which major hazards to prioritise first.

Step #4 - Record Significant Findings

Once you have completed the first three steps, record your significant findings. This part is legally required for businesses with five or more employees.

The record (or the risk assessment plan) should show that the following took place:

• Conducted a proper check of your workspace
• Determined who would be affected
• Controlled and dealt with obvious hazards
• Initiated precautions to keep risks low
• Kept your staff involved in the process

Step #5 - Review Assessment and Update Where Necessary

Finally, review your assessment and update if necessary. Over time, continual review and revision may be necessary to stay on top of any new or emerging hazards when conditions change or based on feedback from the team completing the activity.

Three Action Steps for Preparing an Effective Method Statement

Method statements, which are referred to as a Safe System of Work, follow risk assessments. They build on the information outlined in risk assessments and go on to detail how specific activities can be conducted safely.

Action #1 - List Hazards and Outline Safety Responses

As you begin your method statement, describe any procedures related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), environmental considerations, and quality controls. Also, list the precise course of action project team members need to take to mitigate the associated risks.

Action #2 - Write Step-By-Step Instructions

This is the most important section of your method statement. It requires you to list the exact step-by-step instructions that will be required for everyone to safely complete tasks. Instructional diagrams can be added to ensure comprehension.

Action #3 - Revise Statements for New Locations, Equipment, and Guidelines

Review and adjust your method statements to account for every aspect of your business that can affect your established guidelines, like a new location in an additional territory. Regularly update your method statements to reflect changes in reporting procedures, clean-up procedures, and project phases.

The Benefits of Using RAMS Documents

• Supports Safe Decision Making: When workers run into project roadblocks and must make quick decisions, RAMS can guide the safest choice of action without having to wait for formal approval.
• Prevents Misunderstandings: Method statements formalise the necessary processes with a clear, safe, step-by-step system of work which eliminates confusion caused by verbal or informal instructions.
• Improves Productivity and Efficiency: With a step-by-step guide in place, any qualified or trained worker can complete a task efficiently, which enhances productivity.
• Reduce Absence Due to Sickness: RAMS detail how to implement safety measures and eliminate risks associated with prolonged exposure to harmful biohazards, reducing sick leave and associated costs.
• Reduce the Risk of Fines and Other Legal Penalties: Overall improvement in safety compliance and risk management legislation supported by RAMS reduces the risk of fines or legal penalties.
• Protects Your Business’ Reputation: By effectively protecting both employees and clients from harm, RAMS can help to improve or remedy your company’s reputation.

Conclusion

As seen in the Redhall Engineering Services case, one of the main consequences of incomplete RAMS is that it can lead to injuries in the workplace, and it can be costly dealing with the fallout from failing to have the necessary controls in place.

Coyle Group can help your organisation with the arrangement and completion of all necessary requirements for an effective RAMS document, as well as provide additional compliance consultancy services.