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RAMS by trade · UK

Highways and street works RAMS

Create a site-specific highways or street works RAMS online. Describe the job, review suggested risks and method steps, and download a professional PDF.

Create highways RAMSUpload an existing RAMS

Typical scope

  • Carriageway excavation
  • Footway works
  • Ironworks
  • Duct laying in verge
  • TM setup and takedown
  • Night street works

NRSWA/permit conditions are part of the method — not an annex nobody reads.

Quick answer

A highways RAMS covers traffic management, public interface, buried services, plant on the carriageway/footway, and the conditions of the street works permit for that location.

Primary topic: street works method statement. UK contractors — review every document before you issue it. SafeForJob does not replace competent judgement or HSE guidance.

What usually goes wrong

These are the operational gaps that make generic Word RAMS fail on the next site.

  • TM copied from last job

    Layouts must match this road and permit.

  • Services in the footway

    Same locate-and-dig discipline as groundworks.

  • Night working fatigue

    Lighting, welfare and fatigue controls.

Example

Night duct install on a classified road

Built from one job description. You review and adjust every item before issuing it.

Job description

Install telecoms ducts in the verge of the A329 overnight under a street works permit. Two-way lights, CAT scan, excavator with banksman, reinstate before morning peak.

Activities identified

  • General site work
  • Manual handling
  • Excavation
  • Plant and vehicle movement
  • Fibre and data cabling

Method (11 steps)

  1. 1.Arrive and sign in. Arrive at A329 verge, Tilehurst, report to the County Highways contractor site contact, sign in and complete any site induction.
  2. 2.Brief the team. Brief all operatives on this RAMS, the COSHH assessments and the emergency arrangements. Record attendance.
  3. 3.Locate buried services. Review service drawings and scan the area with a CAT and Genny. Mark located services before breaking ground.
  4. 4.Disconnect and remove existing equipment. Disconnect and remove the existing equipment. Lower or carry it using mechanical aids or team lifts as planned.
  5. 5.Excavate. Excavate by hand near located services, then by machine. Support or batter back excavations and keep spoil away from the edge.
  6. 6.Install and splice fibre. Route and secure cables, then cleave and splice fibres. Dispose of offcuts in the sharps container.
  7. 7.Install new equipment. Position and fix the new equipment to the manufacturer's instructions.
  8. 8.Test and commission. Test and commission the installation. Record results.
  9. 9.Backfill and reinstate. Backfill in layers, compact, and reinstate the surface. Remove barriers once the area is safe.
  10. 10.Clear up and remove waste. Clear the work area, remove waste from site (including recovered refrigerant and hazardous waste) and leave the area safe.
  11. 11.Hand over and sign out. Hand over to the County Highways contractor site contact, report anything outstanding and sign out.

Main risks (5 in total)

Manual handling

Residual Medium

Who: Operatives

  • Use mechanical aids (trolleys, sack trucks, hoists) for heavy items
  • Team lifts for items too heavy or awkward for one person
  • Route planned and cleared before moving items
  • Operatives trained in safe lifting techniques
  • Gloves with good grip and safety footwear

Excavation collapse and falls into excavations

Residual Medium

Who: Operatives, public

  • Excavations battered back or supported (trench boxes/shoring) where people enter
  • Spoil and plant kept away from the edge
  • Edge protection and barriers around open excavations
  • Excavations inspected at the start of each shift by a competent person

Striking buried services

Residual Medium

Who: Operatives, public

  • Service drawings obtained before digging
  • Area scanned with a CAT and Genny by a trained operator; services marked
  • Trial holes dug by hand near located services (safe digging practice)

Moving vehicles and plant

Residual Medium

Who: Operatives, public, site staff

  • Pedestrians segregated from vehicle and plant routes
  • Plant operated by trained, authorised operators only
  • Banksman used for reversing and manoeuvring
  • High-visibility clothing worn

+ 1 more risks in the full RAMS.

Start from this kind of job

What to get right on this document

Permit conditions

Write the permit constraints into the sequence.

Traffic management

Chapter 8 / agreed TM plan referenced.

Public safety

Pedestrian routes kept continuous and signed.

Quick answer

A highways RAMS covers traffic management, public interface, buried services, plant on the carriageway/footway, and the conditions of the street works permit for that location.

What good looks like on a UK site

NRSWA/permit conditions are part of the method — not an annex nobody reads. Name the site, the people at risk, and the sequence that keeps them safe. Generic paragraphs that could apply anywhere are the first thing a principal contractor rejects.

How SafeForJob helps

  • Describe the job in plain English and get suggested activities, risks and method steps
  • Edit every line before you download or issue
  • Reuse a previous RAMS and catch old client or site names
  • Attach or create COSHH assessments where hazardous substances appear

What this page is not

This page is not HSE approval, legal advice or a substitute for competent judgement. It helps you draft a clearer street works method statement document for a named job. You remain responsible for reviewing and issuing it.

Related reading

See what a RAMS is, the free RAMS generator, and HSE guidance on managing risks.

Related pages

All rams by trade · RAMS by trade · Free RAMS generator

Questions

Is this a groundworks RAMS?
Related, but highways adds TM and permit duties.
Who designs TM?
A competent TM designer/provider — reference their plan.
Daytime works?
Same principles with different congestion controls.

Primary sources