Practical guidance for UK construction professionals on writing better safety documentation, meeting CDM 2015 obligations, and running safer sites. Written and reviewed by industry practitioners with over 30 years of combined construction experience.
Every article on the RAMS AI blog is written to help construction professionals solve real compliance problems. We cover the full range of safety documentation that UK sites need — from Risk Assessment & Method Statements (RAMS) and Construction Phase Plans through to COSHH assessments, toolbox talks, and site inductions.
Topics include:
Published by RAMS AI Team
Tree surgeon qualifications in the UK usually mean City & Guilds NPTC units for chainsaw and aerial work, with LANTRA widely accepted for equipment like chippers and stump grinders. The old CS numbers still used on site map to current units, for example CS30 is 201/202, CS31 is 203, CS38 is 206/306 and CS39 is 308. Commercial clients and...
· RAMS AI Team
Mobile scaffold tower regulations fall under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, so towers must be planned, assembled and used by competent people. PASMA training is the recognised route to competence but it is not a legal monopoly. Towers should be erected using a safe method...
· Simon Winson
Gas safe unsafe situations are classified under the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure as Immediately Dangerous or At Risk. If it is Immediately Dangerous, you must make safe straight away, isolate or disconnect as needed, label it and inform the responsible person, in...
· Simon Winson
If you are asking who should perform a risk assessment, the law points to competence, not who has the fanciest title. I review RAMS every week and see the same mistakes. Here is a plain guide to who does the assessment, when to get help, and who signs RAMS off before you start...
· RAMS AI Team
A roofing risk assessment must identify and control fragile surfaces and roof lights, specify suitable edge protection, set weather stop conditions as numbers, plan material handling to height, and protect the public below. It should also cover access, rescue arrangements,...
· RAMS AI Team
Tree surgeon insurance for commercial work usually means public liability, employers’ liability if you take anyone on, and professional indemnity if you issue surveys or reports. Employers’ liability is a legal requirement if you employ people under the Employers’ Liability...
· Simon Winson
A harness arrest is the start of the emergency, not the end. Here is what a real working at height rescue plan looks like on a wet Tuesday, with the right kit, named people, and a method you have actually practised. WAHR 2005 reg 4(1) requires you to plan for emergencies and...
· Simon Winson
A working at height risk assessment that passes review is task specific. State the exact task and location, calculate the real fall distance, and choose your access method against the Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 6 hierarchy, starting with avoid, then prevent, then...
· RAMS AI Team
The person intending to carry out the demolition, usually the building owner or their contractor, serves it. You must not start until you receive a Section 81 counter-notice or 6 weeks have passed from service, as set out in the Building Act 1984 sections 80 and 81. This is...
· RAMS AI Team
Scaffold tags use a simple site control system. Green usually means the scaffold has been handed over or inspected and is safe to use as configured. Yellow often means caution, typically incomplete, being altered or restricted use under control. Red means do not use. The colours...
· RAMS AI Team
To write a risk assessment that HSE will recognise, follow five steps: identify hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate risks and choose controls, record your findings, then review. The legal test is that it is suitable and sufficient under the Management of Health...
· Simon Winson
A refurbishment and demolition survey is the intrusive asbestos survey you must do before any demolition or refurb work that disturbs the fabric of a pre‑2000 building. This comes from the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which require you to identify asbestos before work...
· RAMS AI Team
A straight-talking guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for sole traders and small crews. What counts as height, the plan-supervise-competence duties, the avoid-prevent-mitigate hierarchy, and what you must inspect and record. No waffle, just how to keep your team legal...
· Simon Winson
For scaffolds used as working platforms for construction work where a person could fall 2 metres or more, an inspection is required before first use and at intervals not exceeding 7 days. Scaffolds must also be inspected after circumstances that could jeopardise safety, such as...
· Simon Winson
Dynamic risk assessment is the on-the-spot judgement you make when site conditions change mid-task. Here is a plain guide that sets it against your written RAMS, shows when a quick dynamic check is enough, and when you must stop, brief and update the paperwork. I include two...
· RAMS AI Team
: Method Statements for Modular Installation. A modular building installation method statement must describe the installation sequence in sufficient detail that the principal contractor and LOLER competent person can confirm that all hazards have been identified and controlled...
· RAMS AI Team
Why Modular Construction RAMS Matter. Modular and volumetric construction — the installation of factory-manufactured building modules onto prepared foundations — is one of the fastest-growing sectors in UK construction. The installation phase concentrates some of the...
· RAMS AI Team
: The Three Post-Installation Hazards. Racking contractors are responsible for the safe installation of a structure that, once handed over, will be operated by warehouse staff who may have limited knowledge of its design limits. Your method statement must therefore address not...
· RAMS AI Team
Why Industrial Racking RAMS Matter. Industrial pallet racking installation is a specialist trade with a safety record that has driven significant regulatory attention. Racking collapse — typically resulting from overloading, impact damage, or inadequate installation — can cause...
· RAMS AI Team
: Three Categories That Drive Most Asphalt Incidents. Analysis of asphalt surfacing accidents in UK construction consistently identifies three primary risk categories that account for the majority of serious injuries and fatalities: hot bitumen contact, plant-pedestrian...
Every article published on the RAMS AI blog, oldest entries included.
Every article published on this blog is written or reviewed by construction industry professionals with hands-on experience of UK site safety. We reference current legislation including the CDM 2015 Regulations, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and HSE Approved Codes of Practice. We do not publish generic safety content — every article addresses specific, practical challenges that UK construction teams face on real projects.
RAMS AI is developed by United Applications Ltd, a British software company focused on making construction compliance faster and more reliable through AI-assisted documentation tools.