UK Health & Safety Legislation

RAMSdoc is built around UK health and safety legislation. This page summarises the key regulations that apply to RAMS documents and how RAMSdoc helps you meet their requirements.

Primary legislation

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA)

The foundation of UK health and safety law. It places duties on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees and others affected by their work.

How RAMSdoc helps: Every RAMS document you create is a record of how you are meeting your duty to assess risks and plan safe systems of work.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Requires employers to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments, implement preventive and protective measures, and provide health surveillance where appropriate.

How RAMSdoc helps: The risk assessment section of every RAMS is designed to meet the “suitable and sufficient” standard. AI compliance scoring checks your assessment against these requirements.

Key regulations by hazard type

Regulation	What it covers	When it applies
CDM Regulations 2015	Construction work planning, coordination, and management	All construction projects (see CDM 2015 for details)
Work at Height Regulations 2005	Prevention of falls from height	Any work where a person could fall and be injured
COSHH Regulations 2002	Control of hazardous substances	Work involving chemicals, dusts, fumes, or biological agents
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992	Reducing risk from manual handling	Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling loads
Noise at Work Regulations 2005	Protecting hearing from noise exposure	Work where noise levels may exceed action values
Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005	Reducing vibration exposure	Use of vibrating tools or machinery
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)	Safe use of work equipment	All work equipment including hand tools, machinery, and plant
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)	Safe lifting operations	Cranes, hoists, lifts, and other lifting equipment
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989	Electrical safety	All electrical work and work near electrical installations
Confined Spaces Regulations 1997	Safe working in confined spaces	Tanks, vessels, pits, sewers, or any enclosed space
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012	Managing asbestos exposure	Any work that may disturb asbestos-containing materials
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005	Fire safety in workplaces	All workplaces and construction sites
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022	Provision and use of PPE	When risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means

Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs)

ACOPs provide practical guidance on how to comply with regulations. While not law themselves, following an ACOP is generally accepted as meeting the legal requirement. Key ACOPs include:

• L8 — Legionnaires’ disease: The control of legionella bacteria in water systems
• L21 — Management of health and safety at work
• L23 — Manual handling
• L24 — Workplace health, safety, and welfare
• L153 — Managing and working with asbestos

RAMSdoc’s regulation database includes references to relevant ACOPs, and compliance scoring checks your documents against ACOP guidance where applicable.

HSE guidance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes guidance documents that explain what you need to do to comply with the law. Key guidance includes:

• HSG65 — Managing for health and safety (Plan, Do, Check, Act framework)
• HSG245 — Investigating accidents and incidents
• INDG163 — Five steps to risk assessment
• EH40 — Workplace exposure limits (updated periodically)

Tip

RAMSdoc’s hazard library and AI features reference these HSE guidance documents. When compliance scoring flags a gap, it often includes a reference to the relevant guidance so you know where to look for more information.

How RAMSdoc tracks regulations

RAMSdoc maintains a regulation database that is kept up to date through regulatory monitoring. When you create a RAMS document:

1. RAMSdoc identifies which regulations apply based on your work type, hazards, and industry.
2. The compliance score checks your document against those regulations.
3. If a regulation changes, RAMSdoc can notify you that existing documents may need updating.

Your responsibilities

RAMSdoc helps you create compliant documentation, but the legal duty remains with you and your organisation. Specifically:

• The employer is responsible for ensuring risk assessments are suitable and sufficient
• A competent person must review and approve all RAMS documents — AI generation does not replace this requirement
• On-site implementation of the controls in your RAMS is your responsibility — the document itself is not enough
• Regular review of documents is required when conditions change, after incidents, or at scheduled intervals

RAMSdoc provides the tools to make compliance easier, but it is not a substitute for competent health and safety advice.