Break down a high-risk task into sequential steps and identify the hazards specific to each one.
Occupational Health & Safety
Writing Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) for High-Risk Tasks
Learn to break high-risk tasks into steps, select controls that go beyond a warning notice, and draft method statements a principal contractor can approve without a rewrite.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Generic risk assessments and method statements copied from a previous job are one of the most common reasons a principal contractor rejects a RAMS submission, or an incident investigation finds the paperwork never matched the actual task. This course teaches supervisors, engineers and safety advisers how to break a high-risk task into discrete steps, identify the hazards and credible failure modes at each step, and select controls that follow the hierarchy rather than defaulting to a warning notice and a glove. Participants learn to reference a task-specific COSHH assessment, link the RAMS to the correct permit to work, name competent persons and rescue arrangements, and set monitoring and stop-work triggers a supervisor can actually use on site. Practical exercises include drafting a method statement for a live task, running a peer review against a structured checklist, and revising a RAMS after a simulated site condition change. By the end, participants can produce a task-specific RAMS pack that a principal contractor's team can approve without a rewrite and that a worker can follow step by step.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Apply the hierarchy of controls to select measures that go beyond personal protective equipment alone.
Draft a method statement that references the relevant permits, COSHH assessments and rescue arrangements.
Write risk assessments that name competent persons, control measures and residual risk ratings clearly.
Review a RAMS submission against a structured checklist to catch generic or copied content.
Revise a method statement when site conditions, sequencing or plant change during the works.
Brief a work crew on a RAMS so that the written controls match what actually happens on site.
Who Should Attend
Site supervisors and foremen responsible for approving RAMS before work starts.
Health and safety advisers who review contractor method statements.
Construction and engineering project managers coordinating high-risk activities.
Principal contractor safety teams auditing subcontractor RAMS submissions.
Trade supervisors preparing task-specific method statements for their own crews.
Client-side safety representatives checking RAMS quality before granting site access.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Breaking Down the Task Before Writing Anything
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Task Sequencing and Hazard Spotting on Site
- Split a high-risk activity into discrete work steps before naming a single hazard or control.
- Walk a task sequence with workers to capture hazards that a desk-based assessment would miss.
- Distinguish credible failure modes from theoretical ones so the RAMS stays focused and usable.
- Record plant, materials, environment and adjacent activities that change the hazard picture.
Session 2Gathering Inputs From COSHH, Permits and Surveys
- Pull relevant findings from an existing COSHH assessment into the task-specific risk assessment.
- Cross-check ground investigation or asbestos survey data before finalising excavation or demolition steps.
- Identify which activities will require a permit to work and align the RAMS wording accordingly.
- Confirm competent person requirements and current certificates before the RAMS names an individual.
02Selecting and Justifying Controls
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Applying the Hierarchy Instead of Defaulting to PPE
- Test whether a step can be eliminated or substituted before writing a procedural control.
- Specify engineering controls such as guarding, exclusion zones or mechanical lifting aids by name.
- Write administrative controls as specific actions with a named responsible person and timing.
- Justify residual PPE requirements with reference to the controls already applied above them.
Session 2Setting Monitoring, Stop-Work and Rescue Arrangements
- Define monitoring checks a supervisor can complete in the time available during the task.
- Set stop-work triggers tied to observable site conditions rather than vague judgement calls.
- Detail rescue and emergency arrangements specific to confined space, height or isolation work.
- Assign named roles for supervision, monitoring and emergency response within the method statement.
03Drafting and Reviewing the Document
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Structuring a Method Statement Reviewers Can Approve
- Sequence method statement steps to mirror the order of physical work, not a generic template.
- Write control measures as instructions a worker can follow rather than abstract policy statements.
- Cross-reference drawings, permits and COSHH sheets so the reviewer can verify each claim quickly.
- Remove copied wording that does not match the plant, materials or sequence on this job.
Session 2Running a Structured Peer Review
- Apply a review checklist that flags generic hazards, missing rescue plans and unnamed competent persons.
- Challenge a draft RAMS by walking through what happens if a named control fails on the day.
- Score a submission for approval, conditional approval or rejection using consistent criteria.
- Feed reviewer comments back into a revised draft without losing task-specific detail.
04Keeping RAMS Live on Site
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Briefing Crews So Paper Matches Practice
- Brief a work crew on the RAMS content in language that matches their trade and experience.
- Record sign-off in a way that demonstrates workers understood the controls, not just attended.
- Spot the gap between a signed RAMS and actual practice during a site walk-round.
- Correct a mismatch between written method and site practice before it becomes a near miss.
Session 2Revising RAMS When Conditions Change
- Identify triggers that require a RAMS revision, such as sequence, plant or weather changes.
- Issue a revised method statement and re-brief affected workers before work resumes.
- Maintain a version history that shows what changed, when and why, for later investigation.
- Close out a RAMS at task completion with lessons that feed the next task-specific assessment.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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