Risk Assessments & Method Statements

While method statements are not explicitly mentioned in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers are required under Section 8 to provide systems of work that are planned, organised, performed, maintained and revised as appropriate so as to be, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health. Under Section 19, every employer must identify the hazards in the place of work and assess the risks presented by those hazards. A Risk Assessment Method Statement (RAMS) is the primary tool for meeting both obligations for medium to high-risk work activities on construction sites. The HSA requires that a RAMS must be developed before carrying out any medium to high-risk work activity, planned in consultation with all stakeholders — including the employer, the Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS), and the workers assigned to the task — and formally signed off by all relevant persons before work starts. Safety Check prepares RAMS in accordance with the HSA's 3-step process: Step 1 (Initial Development, based on local conditions and the specific hazards of the work activity), Step 2 (Pre-Start Review and Sign-Off, reviewed and agreed with the PSCS and signed by all stakeholders), and Step 3 (Ongoing Assessment, updated if significant changes occur during the work). Our RAMS are activity-specific, not generic templates — they reflect the actual system of work, the plant and equipment to be used, the training requirements of the workers involved, and the emergency procedures applicable to the site. A properly prepared RAMS provides documented evidence that all relevant hazards have been identified, the work has been suitably planned with adequate resources, key stakeholders have taken responsibility, works have been coordinated with the PSCS and other contractors, and workers have been briefed and consulted. This is essential in the event of an HSA inspection or enforcement action.