RAMS Boards
RAMS boards give a site one fixed place to post its risk assessments and method statements, so the safety documentation stays organised, current and in front of the people doing the work. Each board keeps the documents protected and in plain view, and gives the whole workforce the same version of the site rules and safe working methods. HERMEQ supplies RAMS boards for indoor and outdoor use, sized for anything from a small refurbishment to a large new build with several trades on site, with next day delivery nationwide.
What goes on a RAMS board
A RAMS board is where a site posts the documents that govern how its work is done, so that anyone arriving can read them before they start. The contents follow the job, but most construction sites post the following.
- The current risk assessment and method statement for each activity under way, so operatives can check the agreed method for the task in front of them.
- The site rules, including PPE requirements, working hours and the routes for vehicles and pedestrians.
- Emergency contacts and the location of the assembly point.
- First aid arrangements, with the names of the first aiders and where the first aid kit is kept.
- Fire arrangements, including the alarm signal, escape routes and the positions of extinguishers.
- Live permits to work, such as hot works or excavation permits, so others know where restricted work is taking place.
- A summary of the construction phase plan, which sets out how health and safety is managed on the project.
Every item on that list is information a person needs before going onto the work area, which is why the board belongs at the site entrance or on the induction route, next to the point where operatives sign in. On most jobs that means beside the pedestrian gate in the site hoarding, or next to the site gates, set back far enough that a group reading it does not stand in the path of deliveries. An open entrance is often the most exposed point on a site, so a freestanding board placed there needs to be secured against wind from the day it goes in.
RAMS boards for construction sites and workplaces
The way a board is used depends on whether the workforce changes week by week, as on a building site, or stays largely the same with visiting contractors, as in a factory or depot.
Construction and groundworks sites
On new build and civils jobs the board carries RAMS from every trade on site at once, and it stays readable only if each trade's documents are grouped together under the trade's name, for example scaffolding, groundworks, steel erection, bricklaying, plastering and flooring. When a method statement is revised, the old version comes off the board the same day, and when a trade finishes its package its documents come down with it. Arranging the groups in programme order makes it easy to see which trades are working and which are due next.
Factories, depots and facilities
In permanent workplaces the board stays in one place for years, normally at the gatehouse or reception where contractors sign in. It carries the site rules and emergency arrangements for the premises, with a separate area for the RAMS and permits of contractors carrying out maintenance or project work.
RAMS board colours and size
Colour and visibility
A bright board is easy to find at a busy entrance and draws the eye of a new arrival looking for the sign-in point. On larger sites with more than one board, different colours separate their purposes, and red is the usual colour for fire points, so it is best kept for fire information.
Document capacity
Size the board to the number of trades and documents on site at the peak of the programme, not at the start. A board that is too small ends up with method statements pinned over one another, and the out-of-date version is then the one people read.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is a RAMS board a legal requirement on a construction site?
No regulation names a RAMS board as such. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess risks and give employees comprehensible information about them, and CDM 2015 requires contractors to give workers the information and instruction they need for the work. A RAMS board is a common, practical way of meeting that duty to inform, used alongside inductions and toolbox talks.
Who is responsible for keeping the RAMS board up to date?
On a project with several contractors the principal contractor, normally through the site manager, manages the board and decides what goes on it. Each contractor is responsible for supplying its current RAMS and replacing them whenever they are revised. On a job with a single contractor, that contractor keeps the board current, and a check at the start of each week is a sensible routine.
Can a RAMS board be used outdoors all year?
A board made for outdoor use can stay outside through the seasons. The documents should sit in weatherproof pockets or behind a clear cover, because rain and sunlight make paper unreadable quickly. Checking the board at each site inspection for damage, condensation and faded documents keeps it legible.
How is a freestanding RAMS board kept stable in wind?
A freestanding board is held in place by ballast in its base or by fixings into the ground, following the method set out for that board. Fixing into hardstanding suits a board that will stay in one position for a long job, and ballast suits unmade ground or a board that moves as the work moves. It should never be propped against fencing or hoarding as a substitute for securing it.
Can a RAMS board be moved from one site to the next?
A freestanding board can be taken down at the end of one job and set up at the next. Every document from the previous site should come off before it leaves, because old RAMS, contacts and assembly points posted on a new site are a hazard in themselves. The new site's documents go up before the first operatives arrive.