Are you in the know on RAMS?
Let’s talk about RAMS, no not the Derby Ram Trail (although we are excited about that!), or a certain football team, this one is the tool needed to prove you are health and safety compliant.
So what is a RAMS?
It’s a Risk Assessment and Method Statement.
It shows how you will approach a task or job specific to an area you are working on or in. Typically there’s a few documents involved if you are asked for a RAMS.
What are those documents?
A Health and Safety Policy Statement of Intent, a Method Statement (can be known as a Safe System of Work), a standard Risk Assessment. You could also broaden out your standard to a Point of Work Risk Assessment that’s very specific to a site or job.
Why do you need a RAMS?
Let’s take a Method Statement first; put simply it’s a way to highlight all of the hazards involved with a site/task/job and how you will operate safely. It will outline all of the control measures you will put in place to ensure everyone is safe who is working on the site/task/job.
Onto a Risk Assessment, not only do you need these for your workplace to comply with the law they are the document that employees must understand in order to operate safely or in legalise terms ‘to protect your people as far as is reasonably practicable’. So this document should closely examine whether what your people will be doing has enough measures in place to operate safely. It’s the identification of all of the risk factors involved and how to prevent harm.
Who needs a RAMS?
RAMS are not as well-known as risk assessments primarily because there is no legal requirement to do them. According to the Health and Safety Executive website, RAMS are “not required by law” however there is a legal requirement to undertake risk assessments? RAMS can be used by any businesses to improve the health and safety of business operations, however, they are predominantly for the construction sector. Every company is required, by law, to assess all of the risks involved operating within the workplace for the tasks that are undertaken AND put in place preventative measures to stop them happening.
Put simply anyone from a self employed electrician up to a multi-million pound turnover national infrastructure organisation needs to know their RAMS and have completed the work.
What are the benefits?
- Supports safe decision making and improves work processes.
- Reduced risk of the reputational damage that can occur following a serious accident.
- Reduced absentee rates.
- Improved productivity.
- Clear method statements prevent misunderstandings.
- Improve productivity and efficiency.
- Safeguard your business’s reputation.
- Reduced risk of fines and other penalties that can follow a serious accident in the workplace.
Don’t feel sheepish if you’re still not sure about all this RAMS info, get in touch with Kedleston Safety and we’ll put you on the right trail.
