Guide
RAMS software for a job, not a blank form
RAMS software is only useful if it starts from the task you are actually doing. RAMSPack keeps a hazard library for UK trades, asks you to score the risk, and will not export until you have opened every section.
What this software does
You pick a trade and a task, add the site, and keep or drop the library hazards. The method statement, PPE, plant, substances, emergency arrangements, and training text are drafted from those selections and from what you type. You can edit them. The PDF stays watermarked on the free plan.
It does not sign the document off. The library entries are marked draft – awaiting competent review. You decide whether the pack is suitable and sufficient for the site.
A worked example: replacing a boiler
A boiler swap is a fair test of RAMS software, because the hazards are not all the same kind. Gas, the flue, the weight on the stairs, and work at height have different controls. A template that only says “take care with gas” has not described the job.
No law requires a document called a RAMS. The duty is to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3, and to plan the work safely.
Every hazard below is from the RAMSPack library and is marked draft – awaiting competent review. Change it for the site. It is not HSE approved.
Worked example: Boiler replacement
Replace a domestic gas boiler and the immediate flue and pipe connections. The gas work itself is done only by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register.
Order of work
- Confirm the engineer is Gas Safe registered for this appliance. Check the existing flue route, condensate, and ventilation.
- Protect the property. Tell the occupier there will be no heating or hot water during the changeover.
- Isolate gas, water, and the electrical supply to the boiler. Prove the electrical isolation.
- Drain down only as far as required. Capture the water.
- Remove the old boiler and flue. Check the structure where the flue passed through.
- Hang the new boiler, complete pipework, and install the flue to the manufacturer's instructions.
- The gas engineer commissions the appliance, tests tightness, and analyses combustion. Do not leave an uncommissioned boiler connected.
- Explain the controls, the isolation points, and the benchmark or commissioning record to the occupier. Remove waste.
Fire, explosion, or carbon monoxide from a gas escape or a faulty flue
From the plumber library, task: Boiler replacement. Who might be harmed: Occupiers, neighbours and operatives
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Only a Gas Safe registered engineer breaks, remakes, or commissions gas connections.
- Tightness test before and after the work as the gas procedures require.
- The flue terminates where the manufacturer and the rules allow. Do not leave a boiler in use with an open flue route or a failed combustion test.
- Provide carbon monoxide alarm advice consistent with the Building Regulations approval, without claiming this RAMS is that approval.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; Building Regulations 2010.
Fall while installing a flue or working at a high boiler
From the plumber library, task: Boiler replacement. Who might be harmed: Operatives and people below
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use a scaffold or a podium where the flue is at height. Do not lean a ladder on guttering.
- Keep people out of the area below. Lower tools; do not carry them while climbing.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; Work at Height Regulations 2005; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Manual handling of the boiler on stairs
From the plumber library, task: Boiler replacement. Who might be harmed: Operatives
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 6 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use two people or a suitable stair-handling method. Know the boiler weight before the lift.
- Rest on landings. Do not rush the stairs.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Scalding and pressurised hot water during drain-down and commissioning
From the plumber library, task: Boiler replacement. Who might be harmed: Operatives and occupiers
Before controls: 9 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Let the system cool before draining. Open vents in a controlled order.
- Keep occupiers away from open pipe ends. Check the outlet temperature controls are set as the design requires.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Draft this boiler replacement in the RAMS software