Editing Documents

The RAMSdoc editor guides you through each section of your document. This page covers how to work with each section type and how to use AI assistance while editing.

The editor layout

[Screenshot: Document editor showing the section sidebar, main editing area, and toolbar]

The editor has three main areas:

• Section sidebar (left) — lists all document sections. Click any section to jump to it. Incomplete sections are marked with a warning indicator.
• Main editing area (centre) — where you write and edit content. Uses a rich text editor for method statements and structured forms for risk assessments.
• Toolbar (top) — formatting options, AI actions, and document controls.

Document sections

Work through these sections from top to bottom. The exact sections depend on your document type, but a standard RAMS includes:

Project information

Basic details about the work:

• Document title and reference (auto-generated as RAMS-YYYYMM-NNN)
• Author and date
• Project and site details (pulled from your project/site setup)
• Scope of work — a brief description of what work is being done and why
• Start and end dates
• Working hours

Methodology (method statement)

The step-by-step safe working procedures for carrying out the work. This is written in the rich text editor.

Structure your method statement in phases:

1. Mobilisation — travel to site, unloading, setting up welfare
2. Site setup — establishing work area, barriers, signage
3. Work phases — each distinct stage of the work, in order
4. Demobilisation — clearing up, removing materials, site handback

For each step:

• Describe the action clearly in one or two sentences
• Reference specific control measures where relevant
• Include safety hold points — stages where work must stop for a check or sign-off before continuing

[Screenshot: Method statement editor showing numbered steps with hold point markers]

Tip

Click Generate Method Statement to have AI write the procedures based on your work scope and hazard list (3 credits). You can then edit the output to match your specific approach.

Operational sections

These cover the practical arrangements for the work:

Section	What to include
Access and egress	How workers get to and from the work area safely
Personnel	Who is involved, their roles, and competency requirements
Plant and equipment	What machinery and tools are being used, inspection requirements
Technical information	Drawings, specifications, or standards referenced
Waste removal	How waste is handled, segregated, and disposed of
Housekeeping	Keeping the work area clean and organised
Permits required	Hot works, confined space, electrical isolation, etc.
Security measures	Site security, locked compounds, restricted areas
Training requirements	Qualifications and training needed for this work
PPE requirements	Personal protective equipment for each task
Emergency procedures	First aid, fire, evacuation, spill response
Rescue plans	Specific rescue procedures for work at height, confined spaces, etc.
Traffic management	Vehicle and pedestrian routes, banksmen, exclusion zones
Lighting	Provisions for adequate lighting if working in low-light conditions
Safety communication	Briefing arrangements, radio channels, emergency contacts

Not every section applies to every job. Leave sections blank or mark them as “not applicable” if they do not apply.

Risk assessment

The risk assessment is the core of your RAMS. See completing a risk assessment below for detailed guidance.

COSHH assessments

If your work involves hazardous substances (chemicals, dusts, fumes), add COSHH assessments for each substance. You can:

• Add them manually with substance details, hazard classifications, and control measures
• Generate them with AI (2 credits per substance) — AI outputs GHS classifications, health effects, exposure routes, controls, workplace exposure limits, monitoring requirements, emergency procedures, and first aid

Note

AI-generated COSHH assessments include the note: “Verify all WEL/OEL values against the current HSE EH40 publication.” Always check exposure limits are current.

Completing a risk assessment

For each hazard in your risk assessment:

1. Add hazards

You can add hazards in three ways:

• From the hazard library — browse or search your organisation’s hazard library and add relevant hazards
• AI suggestion — click Suggest Hazards and AI identifies hazards based on your work description, returning them with confidence scores (2 credits)
• Manually — click Add Hazard and describe the hazard yourself

AI-suggested hazards are never added automatically. You review each suggestion and choose which to include.

[Screenshot: Hazard suggestion panel showing AI-identified hazards with confidence scores]

2. Assess the risk before controls

For each hazard, score:

• Severity — how serious the harm could be (using your organisation’s risk matrix scale)
• Likelihood — how likely the harm is to occur without controls

The risk matrix calculates the overall risk rating from these two scores.

3. Add control measures

Add control measures following the hierarchy of control:

1. Elimination — can the hazard be removed entirely?
2. Substitution — can a less hazardous alternative be used?
3. Engineering controls — physical measures (guarding, ventilation, barriers)
4. Administrative controls — procedures, training, supervision, permits
5. PPE — personal protective equipment as a last resort

Click Suggest Controls on any hazard to get AI recommendations that follow this hierarchy (1 credit).

4. Assess the residual risk

After adding controls, score the residual severity and residual likelihood. The risk matrix shows the reduced risk rating.

If the residual risk is still too high, add further controls or reconsider the work method.

[Screenshot: Risk assessment table showing a hazard with before/after scores and control measures]

Using AI while editing

At any point in the editor, you can use these AI features:

Action	What it does	Credits
Suggest Hazards	Identifies hazards you may have missed	2
Suggest Controls	Recommends control measures for a specific hazard	1
Improve Section	Rewrites a section for clarity, completeness, or compliance	1
Compliance Check	Scores the document against UK regulations and flags gaps	3

See AI Features for the full list of AI capabilities.

Saving and autosave

RAMSdoc autosaves your work as you type. You will see a “Saved” indicator in the toolbar. If you lose your connection, changes are saved locally and synced when you reconnect.

When you are finished editing

Once all sections are complete and you are satisfied with the risk assessment:

• If your organisation uses approvals, submit the document for review
• If approvals are not enabled, you can export the document directly