RAMS — Excavation & Groundworks
Risk Assessment & Method Statement for trenches, foundations and drainage — collapse, buried services and plant-operative interface.
An excavation RAMS aligned with CDM 2015 reg 22, HSE HSG185 (excavations) and HSG47 (underground services). Covers the big killers — side collapse, striking buried services, people and plant falling in, and the plant-operative interface — with the controls that actually prevent them: trench support, CAT & Genny surveys, daily competent-person inspection, exclusion zones and banksmen. Add your dig detail and support method and it is ready.
What is inside
- Branded cover page with full document-control block
- Statutory references — CDM 2015 reg 22, HSG185, HSG47, PUWER, LOLER
- Planning and control hierarchy (survey, support, segregate, inspect)
- 8-hazard risk register with L×S residual scoring
- 7-step method statement including services search and support install
- PPE table (Class 3 hi-vis, S3 footwear, gas monitor for deep digs)
- Competence section — CPCS/NPORS plant, banksman, NRSWA
- Emergency procedures for collapse and service strikes (electricity/gas)
- Critical collapse / buried-services warning in highlighted box
- Sign-off page with 10-name briefing table + revision history
How to use it
- Download the Word file and put your company name, the site and the date at the top.
- Work through every section. Delete what does not apply and write in what does. A template nobody has edited is the first thing an inspector notices.
- Get it signed by the people it covers, keep the signed copy with the job, and put a review date in the diary.
Questions people ask
Is the RAMS — Excavation & Groundworks really free?
Yes. Enter an email and the Word file downloads straight away. No card, no trial to start, and one-click unsubscribe on the occasional UK site compliance tip we send.
What format is it in?
A Word .docx file (rams-excavation-groundworks.docx). It opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice, and every line is editable.
What is inside it?
Branded cover page with full document-control block. Statutory references — CDM 2015 reg 22, HSG185, HSG47, PUWER, LOLER. Planning and control hierarchy (survey, support, segregate, inspect). 8-hazard risk register with L×S residual scoring. 7-step method statement including services search and support install. PPE table (Class 3 hi-vis, S3 footwear, gas monitor for deep digs). Competence section — CPCS/NPORS plant, banksman, NRSWA. Emergency procedures for collapse and service strikes (electricity/gas). Critical collapse / buried-services warning in highlighted box. Sign-off page with 10-name briefing table + revision history.
Is a RAMS a legal requirement in the UK?
The law does not use the word RAMS. It requires a written risk assessment for significant risks (Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999) and a safe system of work, and CDM 2015 asks contractors to plan and manage their work so it is carried out without risk. A risk assessment and method statement is how UK sites evidence that, and most principal contractors will not let you start without one. Guidance, not legal advice.
Can I put my own company name and logo on it?
Yes, it is yours to edit. If you would rather not fill it in by hand, SiteLynx builds the same document in about ten minutes with your branding, your crew sign it on their phones, and every plan is 14 days free.
Or let SiteLynx write it
The same document, built in about ten minutes from the job you type in, with 1,200 BS, EN and NHBC references behind it and your crew signing on their phones. Every plan is 14 days free. What you see on the pricing page is the bill.
Start free trial