Live operational RAMS — not static documents

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. In UK construction and high-risk work, RAMS are how organisations identify hazards, define controls, and explain how a task will be carried out safely — before work begins.

The hero above is the same structure users see on every RAMS in DocRide: risk ownership, activity title, live risk profile, readiness checks, and approval — all in one connected view.

Static documents vs a live operational platform

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How DocRide RAMS are structured

DocRide does not store RAMS as isolated files. Each RAMS is a connected record built around an actual work activity, with every safety element linked in one system.

What the RAMS hero tells you at a glance

• Risk ownership — who is accountable for this activity
• Risk profile — activity-level risk before and after controls
• Controls assurance — confidence that controls are effective
• Operational improvement — whether safety performance is improving
• Readiness checks — hazards, method, competence, and emergency arrangements complete
• Approval — who signed off the RAMS and when

Risk table

Below the hero, every RAMS includes a structured hazard matrix — the same table users work with inside DocRide, linking foreseeable risks, controls, and residual (ALARP) ratings.

Understanding the risk table

The risk table is the core of every RAMS. Each row is one foreseeable risk for the work activity. You assess it before controls, define what you will do about it, then show the residual risk afterwards — with a clear ALARP justification. That is the same logic UK regulators and clients expect: identify, control, demonstrate residual risk is reasonably practicable.

Before controls

• Foreseeable risks — The harm that could result from the activity (for example, a fall from height or contact with hazardous substances).
• Hazard source — What could cause that harm: the situation, equipment, material, environment, or behaviour that creates the risk.
• Likelihood (Pre) — How likely the harm is before controls are applied, using your organisation’s risk matrix scale.
• Severity (Pre) — How serious the outcome would be before controls, on the same scale.
• Risk rating (Pre) — The combined score (typically likelihood × severity) before controls. This drives how robust your controls need to be.

Controls & residual risk

• Risk controls — The specific measures that eliminate, reduce, or manage the risk. In DocRide, each line can show its place in the hierarchy of control (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE).
• Residual explanation (ALARP) — Why the remaining risk is As Low As Reasonably Practicable after controls are applied — the reasoning that supports signing the RAMS off.

After controls

• Likelihood (Post) — Expected likelihood once controls are in place and being followed.
• Severity (Post) — Expected severity after controls (often unchanged where controls mainly reduce likelihood).
• Risk rating (Post) — Residual risk after controls. This should fall within your organisation’s acceptable risk level and be supported by the ALARP explanation.

Compliance management

Directly beneath the risk table, DocRide maps applicable health and safety law to the specific activity — showing what each regulation requires for this work and how your proposed risk controls satisfy those obligations.

Understanding compliance obligations

A RAMS is not only about hazards and controls — it must show how the work meets legal duties. The Compliance Obligations Status table connects each applicable law to this specific activity and to the controls you have already proposed in the risk table above. That closes the loop between risk assessment and regulatory compliance.

Purpose

• Demonstrate legal coverage — Show which health and safety laws and regulations apply to the jurisdiction and type of work being assessed.
• Tailor duties to the task — Translate broad legal requirements into plain-language obligations relevant to this activity, not generic boilerplate.
• Link law to controls — Explain how the risk controls in your RAMS satisfy each requirement, giving auditors and clients a clear compliance trail.
• Support sign-off and assurance — Give approvers confidence that the RAMS addresses statutory duties, not only operational risk.

What each column means

• Title of law / regulation — The act, regulation, or statutory instrument that creates the duty (for example, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 or the Work at Height Regulations 2005).
• Requirements summary (this activity) — What that law requires for this work: the specific obligations your organisation must meet when carrying out the assessed activity.
• How proposed risk controls satisfy compliance — How the controls listed in the risk table above meet those legal requirements — the explicit mapping between your safety measures and compliance.

Responsible roles

Each RAMS defines who does the work, what competence they need, and what PPE they must use — in one section, with assignees linked to live competence records.

Understanding responsible roles

Each role card brings together who is assigned, what competence they need, and what PPE they must wear for that role on this RAMS — not in separate spreadsheets or annexes.

Competence

• Role-specific requirements — Each responsible role lists the training, qualifications, or experience needed to carry out that work safely (for example, working at height training or an NVQ in the trade).
• Linked to live records — In DocRide, those requirements are checked against each assignee’s competence and certification records, not a one-off tick on a PDF.
• Visible at assignment — When you assign someone to a role, you can see immediately whether their profile satisfies every listed requirement — before work starts on site.

PPE

• Per-role protective equipment — The PPE panel shows what must be worn for that role on this activity (helmets, harnesses, gloves, and so on).
• Clear visual reference — Standard items appear with recognised icons so workers and supervisors know exactly what is required without reading long equipment lists.
• Part of the same record — PPE sits alongside competence and assignees in one role card, so the method statement, people, skills, and equipment stay aligned.

Avatar borders

Assigned users appear as avatars under each role. When competence requirements are defined for that role, DocRide adds a coloured border to show whether the assignee’s records match what the RAMS requires:

• Green border — The assignee meets all competence requirements listed for that role. Their certifications and training records are in place for this RAMS.
• Red border — One or more competence requirements are missing or not yet verified. The person is assigned to the role, but their profile does not yet fully satisfy what the RAMS specifies — action is needed before you can be confident they are ready for the work.
• No coloured border — Either no competence requirements are set for that role, or competence checking does not apply in that context.

Understanding tangible resources

Tangible resources are the tools, plant, and equipment used to carry out the work activity — items where wrong use, misuse, or poor maintenance could directly affect health and safety. DocRide lists them on the RAMS so they are assessed and managed alongside hazards, roles, and controls — not forgotten in a separate asset register.

What each column shows

• Equipment — The tool or item recorded for this activity (for example, scaffolding, a harness, or a ladder). When linked to an asset in DocRide, you see the live asset reference here too.
• Risk — How significant the equipment is from a use, misuse, and upkeep perspective — whether wrong use or lack of maintenance could contribute to harm (typically rated Low, Medium, or High).
• Maintenance — The likelihood that the equipment could cause a safety or health issue, based on maintenance history and scoring where assets are linked.
• Status — Serviceability pulled from the linked asset: calibration due dates, maintenance status, and whether the item is fit for use.
• Risk Owner — Who the linked asset is issued to, so accountability for that piece of equipment is visible on the RAMS.

Why it matters on a live RAMS

• Connects paperwork to real kit — Equipment lines on the RAMS can be linked to assets in your system, so status and ownership update when the asset record changes.
• Supports readiness checks — Tangible resources are one of the four readiness indicators on the RAMS hero: all listed equipment should have assets attached before the assessment is considered complete.
• Closes a common gap — Many RAMS mention tools in passing but do not track whether the right equipment is maintained, assigned, and safe to use. DocRide keeps that visible in one place.