RAMS Software for UK Construction Contractors

The Problem

Writing RAMS from scratch eats a director’s Sunday evening. Method statements drift generic across jobs, subcontractor RAMS sit in inboxes un-read, and when HSE turns up after a near-miss you are piecing signoffs together from a WhatsApp group and a damp A4 folder in the site cabin.

What Changes

Draft a site-specific RAMS in minutes with AI or start from a trade template, move it through draft, in review and approved, send it out to subbies and see who has acknowledged it, and capture typed, drawn or uploaded signatures — every one time-stamped and traceable — ready for the HSE inspector, the Principal Contractor, and the next tender PQQ.

AI drafts the hazards, risk levels, controls and method steps for youEvery RAMS moves through draft, in review, approved and archived — with version trackingTyped, drawn or uploaded signatures for your site team, subbies, clients and visitorsSend RAMS to subcontractors and see who has acknowledged — plus one-tap visitor inductions

How It Works

From first draft to HSE-ready archive, keep the whole RAMS lifecycle in one place so no signoff goes missing and no method statement drifts generic.

1
Set up the project and CDM duty holders
Create the project with the scope, location and trade, and record the CDM 2015 duty holders — Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor. That context feeds every RAMS on the job, so your method statement references the actual site — not a generic template dragged in from last year.
2
Draft a RAMS with AI or start from a trade template
Start from one of six real trade templates — demolition, excavation, groundworks, hot works, lifting operations, working at height — or get AI to draft one for you from the project name, scope, location and trade. You get a proper structure: hazards with risk level, controls against each hazard, numbered method steps. On Enterprise you can bring your own AI key so the costs sit on your account.
The RAMS library for a live job — approved and draft documents with reference numbers and version numbers, tabs for active and archived RAMS, and a count of how many have been sent and signed on each one.
3
Review and approve internally
Edit the hazards, adjust risk ratings, add site-specific controls, re-order the method steps. Move the RAMS through draft, in review and approved — the version number bumps automatically when you make a substantive change. Toggle whether each RAMS needs internal or client sign-off depending on what the contract actually calls for.
The Risk Assessment tab of a live RAMS — three real hazards (excavation collapse, buried utilities, plant and pedestrian segregation), each with a pre and post risk score you can edit, and a risk-rating legend at the top.
4
Send to subbies and track who signed
Send the approved RAMS out to each subcontractor on the job. You can see who it went to, when it was sent, and when they acknowledged it. Signatures come in typed (a name), drawn (on a phone) or uploaded (a scanned wet-ink copy), and the record knows whether it was your site team, a subbie, the client or a visitor who signed. Every signature is time-stamped and traceable.
The Send for Sign-off panel on a RAMS — internal approver and client contacts listed by name and email, an option to add your own approval, and a Send for Sign-off button to fire the whole thing off in one go.
5
Run toolbox talks and site inductions with signatures
Deliver the matching toolbox talk on web or mobile and collect operatives’ signatures against the talk. For visitors, delivery drivers and one-off attendees, open a visitor RAMS session and share the one-tap link — no app, no account — so they can read the RAMS and sign before they step on site.
6
Archive for audit defence
Move completed RAMS to archived and keep the whole signoff register, distribution history and version trail on file. When an HSE inspector asks what the method statement said on the day of an incident, you can show the exact version, who approved it, who signed it, and when.

Features That Move The Needle

Built for high-stakes construction workflows: deadlines, compliance, and audit trails.

AI drafts the first RAMS

AI writes a structured first draft from the project context — hazards, risk levels, controls, numbered method steps — in a couple of minutes. You read it, tweak it to match the site, and move on. On Enterprise you can bring your own AI key so the costs sit on your account.

Six real trade templates

Demolition, excavation, groundworks, hot works, lifting operations and working at height — written for UK trades, not generic office safety. Download, adapt to the site, use on Monday.

Version tracking on every RAMS

Every RAMS moves through draft, in review, approved and archived, and the version bumps automatically when you make a substantive change. No more "RAMS_v7_FINAL_FINAL_use-this-one.docx".

Typed, drawn and uploaded signatures

Operatives on site draw a signature with a finger on a phone, office staff type their name, and you can upload a scanned wet-ink copy where the contract demands it. All three count as valid evidence.

Knows who signed — and in what capacity

The record knows the difference between your site manager approving a RAMS, a subbie acknowledging it, the client signing off, and a visitor completing a site induction.

Distribution tracked per subcontractor

See who received which RAMS, when they acknowledged it, and chase the ones who have not. No more "did we send groundworks RAMS to Murphy’s last week?"

Visitor RAMS inductions in one tap

Visitors, delivery drivers and one-off attendees sign the relevant RAMS via a one-tap link — no app, no account — before they walk on site.

Every signature is traceable

Every signoff is time-stamped, with device info stored on mobile. If a signature is ever disputed, the trail is already there — you do not have to dig for it.

UK CDM 2015 built in

Anchored in the regulations HSE inspectors actually cite

Most generic safety tools sit on top of a US OSHA mental model. Site Samurai is built around the UK framework that sits on your desk — CDM 2015, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and HSE guidance HSG150. It captures and tracks the evidence; it does not make your method statement correct — that remains a competent person’s duty.

CDM 2015 — Construction (Design and Management) Regulations

CDM 2015 places duties on the Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, Designers, Contractors and Workers. Site Samurai records duty holders on the project, keeps RAMS tied to the actual scope and location, and preserves the signoff audit trail required to evidence that suitable arrangements were in place.

CDM 2015 on legislation.gov.uk

CDM 2015 Regulation 13 — Principal Contractor duties

Regulation 13 requires the Principal Contractor to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase and coordinate matters relating to health and safety. The platform supports this with the RAMS state machine (draft → in review → approved → archived), version tracking per edit, and distribution + acknowledgement tracking across subcontractors.

Regulation 13, CDM 2015

HSG150 — Health and Safety in Construction

HSG150 is HSE guidance on managing health and safety in construction — the text inspectors reach for when they want to know whether your arrangements are "so far as is reasonably practicable". Site Samurai’s RAMS structure (hazards, risk level, controls, method steps) is aligned to how HSG150 describes the risk assessment and method statement process.

HSG150 on HSE

Method statements under HSE-recommended practice

Method statements are not named in statute but flow from the statutory risk assessment duty under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. They are contractually required by almost every Principal Contractor. The platform keeps the method statement on the same RAMS record as the risk assessment, with numbered method steps that reference the controls.

MHSWR 1999 Reg 3

Why not just keep using Word templates?

Most UK SME contractors try three things before they land on software that fits. Here is what tends to break.

Word / Excel templates + a shared drive

No version control — "RAMS_v7_FINAL_FINAL.docx" is the audit trail
Method statements drift generic across jobs — same copy, different project name
Toolbox talk attendance on paper in the cabin, lost by month-end
Subcontractor RAMS live in an email thread nobody can find
Zero audit metadata — no IP, no timestamp, no signer identity

HammerTech / Procore Safety

Enterprise pricing (£1,000s/month) and seat counts that punish SME teams
US-centric — CDM 2015 and HSG150 aren’t the mental model
Overkill for an SME running 6-15 live jobs
Long onboarding and per-seat licensing models
Generic global method-statement wording, not UK trade-specific

Generic H&S consultant retainer

£150-£400/month for document generation with slow turnaround
No platform — you get Word docs emailed back, no workflow
No digital signoff, no distribution tracking, no visitor sessions
Consultant leaves, the knowledge leaves with them
Still your problem on a Sunday evening when a job starts Monday

Site Samurai

AI draft plus six UK trade templates — groundworks, excavation, demolition, hot works, lifting, working at height
Every RAMS moves through draft, in review, approved and archived with version tracking
Typed, drawn or uploaded signatures — every one time-stamped and traceable
See which subbies have been sent each RAMS and when they acknowledged it
One-tap visitor RAMS inductions — no app, no account

Site Samurai is built in the UK for UK SME contractors. CDM 2015 is the mental model, AI gets you past the blank page, six trade templates cover the common high-risk activities, and audit-ready signoff — typed, drawn or uploaded, every signature time-stamped and traceable — means the evidence is there the day HSE asks.

Free RAMS templates — use them today, software or not

Six real RAMS templates for the high-risk activities HSE inspectors ask about first. Download, adapt to your site, use on Monday. No signup. Want the whole workflow — AI drafts, signoff, who has acknowledged, visitor inductions — joined up? Start a trial or book 15 minutes with Rich.

Groundworks RAMS Template

Risk assessment and method statement for groundworks — excavation, drainage, foundations and muckaway. Trade-specific hazards and controls already drafted.

DOCX

Excavation RAMS Template

Detailed RAMS for excavation works covering shoring, services avoidance (CAT and genny), collapse prevention and safe access/egress.

DOCX

Demolition RAMS Template

RAMS for demolition works including asbestos considerations, structural stability, dust suppression and exclusion zones.

DOCX

Working at Height RAMS Template

Covers scaffolding, ladders, MEWPs and fall protection — aligned to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 hierarchy of controls.

DOCX

Hot Works RAMS Template

RAMS for welding, cutting and grinding including fire prevention, hot works permit references and post-work fire watch.

DOCX

Lifting Operations RAMS Template

RAMS for lifting operations under LOLER — crane work, load calculations, exclusion zones and appointed person responsibilities.

DOCX

Seen enough?

Start a 14-day free trial with no card required, or book 15 minutes with Rich (the founder) to walk through your exact workflow.

Not ready? Grab the free templates instead →

Why It Works

Proper UK RAMS built for SME contractors. AI drafts hazards and method steps from the actual project, the workflow runs draft, in review, approved and archived the way CDM 2015 expects, and every signature — your site team, subbies, clients, visitors — is time-stamped and traceable. Audit-ready the day HSE asks.

Site Samurai — built for UK CDM 2015 compliance

AI + six trade templates, with audit-ready signoff

Unlimited

Users on every plan

CDM 2015

Aware workflow

AI + Templates

Two ways to start

Who It’s For

If you're the Principal Contractor and CDM 2015 Reg 13 is your name on the line if HSE turns up
If you're a Site Manager running Monday morning toolbox talks and collecting signatures on bits of paper that go missing
If you're the H&S Officer writing the same five RAMS from scratch every job because the templates drifted
If you're a subcontractor who has to submit RAMS before mobilising and your generic Word template keeps getting rejected
If you're the SME director personally signing off RAMS on Sunday evenings because no one else is accountable
If you're ops and you chase 12 subcontractor RAMS the week before site start — and half of them are last month's

Already using Site Samurai? Jump to the module features and workflows your team needs.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions teams ask before they book a demo.

RAMS stands for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. The risk assessment half is a statutory duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Regulation 3 — every employer must assess the risks to workers and others affected by the work. The method statement half is not named in statute but is HSE-recommended practice and is contractually required by almost every Principal Contractor on a UK construction site. Together they demonstrate you have thought through the hazards and decided how to do the work safely.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 put specific duties on Principal Contractors under Regulation 13 — planning, managing and monitoring the construction phase, and making sure welfare and site arrangements are in place. Site Samurai records your duty holders on the project, keeps RAMS tied to the actual scope and location, captures signoffs from your site team, subbies, clients and visitors, and keeps the whole lot versioned and archived. It helps you show the arrangements are in place — it does not replace your competent person’s judgement on whether the method is safe.

A risk assessment identifies the hazards and who might be harmed, rates the risk, and records the controls that reduce it to an acceptable level. A method statement is the step-by-step description of how the work will actually be done safely, referencing the controls. Site Samurai keeps both on the same RAMS record — hazards with risk level and controls on one side, numbered method steps on the other — so they stay consistent as the job evolves.

You give the platform the project name, scope, location and trade, and AI writes a first draft — hazards, risk level, controls, numbered method steps. It is a draft, not the final word. You read it, edit it, and approve it. On Enterprise you can bring your own AI key so the costs sit on your account. The AI is a drafting aid — it does not tell you whether your method is safe or correct, and that judgement stays with your competent person.

Yes. A subbie can type their name, draw a signature with a finger on their phone, or upload a scanned wet-ink copy. Every signature is time-stamped and traceable — the record knows whether it was your site team, a subbie, the client or a visitor signing, and captures device info on mobile. A groundworker can sign on their phone in the cabin before the pre-start. No printer, no scanner, no paper folder.

Open a visitor RAMS session for the site and share the one-tap link. The visitor opens it in their browser, reads the RAMS for the area they are entering, and signs — typed or drawn. No app, no account. The signature is tied to the visitor session, stored on the signoff register, time-stamped and traceable — so you can show the induction happened if someone asks six months later.

You can pull up the RAMS that was live for the activity on the day — the exact version at that moment, the hazards and controls it recorded, the method steps the operatives were meant to follow, and every signature against it, all time-stamped and traceable. Archived RAMS stay on file. The platform captures and tracks the evidence; it does not tell you whether the method was the right one — that is still your competent person’s call.

No — and we are clear about that. Site Samurai flags missing signoffs and shows who has acknowledged the RAMS, but it does not stop anyone from starting work. You and your site managers stay in control of what happens on site. What the platform gives you is visibility: who has signed, who has not, and who has been sent the RAMS but not come back to acknowledge it.

Yes. Each subbie RAMS sits on the project as its own record. You can see what has come in, what has been approved, who has acknowledged it, and whose operatives have signed. The distribution log tracks who it went to, who sent it, and when they acknowledged. No more chasing a project WhatsApp group the week before mobilisation to find out whose RAMS is outstanding.

No. Site Samurai does not submit anything to HSE, CITB or any other body on your behalf. There is no automatic F10 submission for notifiable projects — you still do that yourself — and no auto-scheduling of toolbox talks. The platform captures, tracks and archives the evidence so you can produce it on demand; the duties themselves stay with the duty holders.