Before we discuss what RAMS documents are and why they are important, it is ideal that you have a brief understanding of what is involved in a risk assessment and method statement.
RAMS stands for Risk Assessment Method Statement and is an important document that has to be completed in line with the health and safety legislation to identify tasks that are to be carried out.
When you are reviewing health and safety in the workplace, you may come across RAMS documents. RAMS are often required for those working in the construction industry, and they are often included alongside health and safety policies.
Risk assessments are used by a wide range of organisations to recognise any potential hazards in the workplace, and assess the severity and likelihood of the risks happening. This is especially important for high-risk environments, such as the construction industry, to help reduce health and safety risks.
RAMS are available for any business that is looking to improve its overall health and safety and risk management. However, they are most popular in the construction industry because you are working day in and day out with dangerous tasks.
In this blog, we will be exploring what RAMS documents are and why businesses use them. For more information, read on!
What is the Purpose of RAMS Documents?
The main purpose of RAMS documents is to identify steps that need to be carried out for a specific activity or task in a safe and efficient manner. The main purpose of risk assessments is to record and identify any hazards in the workplace.
RAMS are put in place to protect people and workplaces and are built on information outlined in various risk assessments. The risk assessments and method statements are most commonly used by the construction industry.
Companies create this document once they have completed a risk assessment; however, method statements may not be required for all risk assessments, only ones that are high-risk. Simply put, RAMS documents are mainly required if there is a risk that can’t be completely eliminated by other appropriate control measures.
Working in the construction industry comes with a range of health risks, which is why it is crucial for workers to wear the correct protection and abide by the health and safety rules.
What Are the Benefits of RAMS Documents?
RAMS documents offer a wide range of benefits for many industries. One of their primary advantages is the ability to assess and manage risks associated with complex systems.By documenting potential hazards, analysing their impact, and implementing appropriate mitigation measures, RAMS documents allow organisations to enhance system reliability, minimise downtime, and ensure operational safety.
Moreover, RAMS documents contribute to effective lifecycle management by guiding organisations through every stage of the system.
From design and development to operation and maintenance, these documents ensure that systems meet required reliability, availability, and safety standards while minimising lifecycle costs and maximising operational efficiency.
Overall, RAMS documents provide a culture of continuous improvement within businesses. By regularly updating and revising these documents based on feedback and evolving industry standards, organisations can drive ongoing enhancements in processes, technologies, and systems to improve overall reliability, availability and safety.
What is The Difference Between RAMS And Risk Assessments?
A risk assessment is where you identify hazards in the workplace and come up with solutions on how to prevent or eliminate them completely. Whereas a RAMS document is created by companies when they have completed a risk assessment.
To sum up, a risk assessment identifies potential hazards in the workplace before putting measures in place to control them. However, a method statement goes into detail by describing detailed steps on how to complete the job while avoiding the risks associated with it to ensure you complete the job safely. So, it is clear that method statements should follow risk assessments to ensure that everyone working in a high-risk environment is safe at all times.
Risk assessments and method statements are the most common types of health and safety documents required when carrying out an activity. Although risk assessments and RAMS are both health and safety documents, they are different types of documents that are often found together.
Overall, a risk assessment's purpose is to tell you what risks there are in your organisation and how to control them, whereas a method statement tells you how and in what order work should be carried out.
What Are the Benefits of Using RAMS Documents?
By using risk assessments and method statements in the workplace, you can help make your organisation a safer place, reassure staff members and improve business performance. Some of the benefits of using RAMS documents include:
- Safe decision making
- Improve efficiency and productivity
- Reduces absences due to injuries or sickness
- Protect and safeguard your business's reputation
These are just some of the many benefits of implementing risk assessments and method statements in your workplace. By incorporating both of these into your workplace, workers and staff are more likely to complete tasks safely.
Contact Beaconrisk
Here at Beaconrisk, we offer a range of e-learning services, accreditation courses and health and safety advice to help keep your workplace safe. We provide expert workplace health and safety support to help save you time and money, so you can focus on what you do best without any stress or disruptions.
If you would like any information on the services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us at 0151 647 8658. We are more than happy to help!