Groundworks RAMS Guide for UK Contractors
Groundworks RAMS must address buried services detection, plant-person interface, spoil management, excavation stability, and traffic management. Utility strikes and plant-person collisions are serious hazards that must be explicitly controlled — not just mentioned.
Key Topics in a Groundworks RAMS
- Buried services
- Before any excavation, service records must be obtained from utility owners and a CAT and Genny (cable avoidance tool and signal generator) survey carried out by a trained operator. The RAMS must state: who obtains the service records, who carries out the CAT/Genny survey, the safe dig distance from marked services (usually 500 mm with hand-digging), and the action if a strike occurs or services are not where expected.
- Plant-person interface
- The RAMS must establish segregation controls: exclusion zones around operating plant, defined pedestrian routes, banksman duties, and restriction of foot access to the working area. A clear visual contact system must be described.
- Spoil management
- Spoil must not be stockpiled at the edge of an excavation (collapse risk). Stockpile location, removal method, and waste classification must be addressed. Contaminated land findings must be reflected in the RAMS.
- Traffic management
- Vehicle movements on and around the site must be managed. The RAMS must describe: haul routes, speed limits, banksman arrangements for reversing, and interface with public highways.
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