How to Choose RAMS Software: What to Check Before You Pay

RAMS software for writing your own risk assessments and method statements comes in three broad kinds: template libraries and editable packs, tools that ask about the job and draft the documents, and health and safety or site systems with RAMS built in. Many tools mix two or three of these. Pick the kind that fits who you write for and how often, then run your next real job through each tool on your shortlist, as far as each one lets you before you pay.

This guide is for sole traders, small firms and subcontractors who write their own RAMS because a client or principal contractor asks for them. Not sure software is the right route yet? Our guide to choosing between a free template, an AI tool and a consultant helps you decide first.

We make AI RAMS, one tool of the second kind, so we have a stake in your choice. This guide describes kinds of software rather than ranking products, so you can apply the same checks to any tool you find.

Writing your own RAMS, or collecting other people's?

Some systems are built for the people who receive RAMS rather than the people who write them. Principal contractors and site managers use them to collect RAMS from subcontractors, then review and approve them. If your principal contractor uses one, you may still need to write the RAMS in another tool and upload it, because several of these systems work that way. A few products both write and collect.

If collecting is your job, the last question in the FAQ below covers those systems. The rest of this guide is for writing your own.

The three kinds of RAMS software, and who each suits

What each kind does comes from providers' public pages, checked on 26 October 2026, and says nothing about how well any tool works. Who each kind suits is our suggestion.

Template libraries and editable RAMS packs

A template pack is a set of ready-written documents, often editable Word files and sometimes Word only, that you adapt for each job. Some content libraries sit inside larger systems, organised by trade or activity.

If your jobs are similar and you only need a few RAMS a year, our free RAMS template in Word and PDF may be all you need.

Tools that ask about the job and draft the documents

These tools start from your answers to questions or a short description of the job, and at least one starts from the client's project documents instead. At least one drafts the risk assessment only; others draft a fuller pack with a method statement, a COSHH assessment and sometimes a construction phase plan. Several use AI. AI RAMS, our own tool, is one of them and has its own section below.

Whichever tool drafts your risk assessment, checking it is still your job. Our guide to checking an AI-drafted risk assessment shows what to look for.

Health and safety or site systems with RAMS built in

Here RAMS are one part of a wider safety system, which often adds internal approval before documents go to the client, digital signatures, toolbox talk sign-off and team logins. Some systems let you duplicate an earlier job or keep earlier versions, often on higher plans.

What to check before you pay

Ask these about every tool on your shortlist.

What it produces

• Which documents? Risk assessment, method statement, COSHH assessment, and a construction phase plan if you need one. Does one description of the job produce them all, or do you make each separately?
• Specific to your site, job and trade? Some principal contractors and clients say they will not accept generic RAMS. Your test job in the next section will show how specific a tool gets for your kind of work.
• PDF, Word or both? Some tools give only one. If your client has its own RAMS form, an editable Word file may matter more than a finished PDF.
• Your branding? Check that the final copy carries your logo and details. Some free or trial versions mark the output or leave your branding off.

What it costs

• How does it charge? A one-off pack, per document, a flat monthly fee, a monthly fee with a cap on documents, per seat or per site, or by quote.
• How does the price compare? On other providers' public pages, checked on 26 October 2026, one seller's template packs cost £99 to £249 as a one-off. One per-document tool charged £29 for a single risk assessment, or about £15 each when bought ten at a time. On those pages, the cheapest monthly plans ran from £30 to £59 a month; higher and team plans cost more. Some of these prices exclude VAT. Most systems built for collecting RAMS showed no public prices.
• When does a subscription pay off? Divide the monthly price by the price of one document. Count documents, not jobs: one job can need a risk assessment, a method statement and a COSHH assessment. If you make more documents than that in a typical month, the subscription works out cheaper. That holds only while what you make stays within any monthly cap on documents: on the pages checked, one entry plan allowed one RAMS a month and another ten documents.
• What sits on a higher plan? Branding, duplicating jobs, earlier versions, team logins and sign-off are sometimes extras.

How it fits the way you work

• Editing. Can you change every part of the output, including hazards and controls?
• Repeat jobs. Can you duplicate an earlier job? If your jobs are similar and frequent, this may matter more than which kind you pick.
• Earlier versions. Are they kept when you edit?
• Team use. Can others in your firm log in, and does each person cost extra?
• Briefing records. If your client wants a signed record of who was briefed, does the tool record it on a phone or give you a sheet to print?
• Your phone. Does it work on a phone? If you write or show RAMS on site, try the tool on your phone during the test.

One red flag

Be wary of any tool that calls its documents compliant, as if using the software were enough. No software takes on the duty to assess the risks: under regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, that duty stays with the employer or the self-employed person, whichever tool writes the words.

Test your shortlist on your next real job

A feature list tells you less than one real job run through the tool.

Step 1: Pick a real job. Choose one you need RAMS for soon, and keep the client's or principal contractor's request to hand: which documents, any form of their own, and any briefing rules.

Step 2: Describe the job once. Write a short description of the site, work, people, equipment and any substances, and use the same words in every tool.

Step 3: Make the documents in each tool. Go as far as each lets you before paying: a free first job, a trial or a preview. For a template pack, ask for the sample. Note whether a trial needs a card and how long it lasts.

Step 4: Put each result next to the client's request. Are the right documents there, specific to this site and job, in the format the client wants, editable, and carrying your details?

Step 5: Note what you had to add or fix, and what a clean copy costs. Include anything that sits on a higher plan, such as branding or export.

Step 6: Choose, and write down why. A written reason lets you revisit the choice when your work changes.

A made-up example: one shop fit-out through the checks

This example is made up. A small fit-out firm, where one person writes all the RAMS, is asked by a principal contractor for RAMS and a COSHH assessment for a weekend shop fit-out. The contractor wants them on its own form, with every operative's briefing signed. The firm writes a few RAMS a month.

Four checks matter here, and a fifth matters less. COSHH is needed as well as the RAMS, so a tool that does not make all three documents drops out, unless the firm writes the missing ones elsewhere. The contractor's form means an editable file, such as Word, may matter more than a finished PDF. The briefings must be signed, and this contractor accepts either a phone sign-off or a printed sheet. At a few RAMS a month, it is worth comparing per-document pricing with a subscription, after checking for a monthly cap. With one person writing, team logins matter less.

By the table's suggestions, a few RAMS a month is more than a template pack suits, so packs drop out. Signed briefings are one reason a system with RAMS built in can suit, so systems stay. Drafting tools stay too if the firm has varied jobs whose hazards it can judge. If its fit-outs are much alike instead, being able to duplicate an earlier job may matter more than which kind it picks. Within those kinds, the document check then applies, and an editable file counts in a tool's favour. Had the contractor wanted a digital record of who signed, tools without digital sign-off, ours included, would have dropped out too. The firm then runs the fit-out itself through each one.

Where AI RAMS fits, and where it does not

AI RAMS is our own drafting tool, the second kind: you describe the job in a chat and it drafts the document. Its limits first:

• Three documents only. It makes risk assessments, method statements and COSHH assessments, each from its own chat, but not construction phase plans, permits or toolbox talks. Our guide to small jobs explains when you need a construction phase plan.
• No team accounts. There is no way to add colleagues to your account.
• No digital sign-off. It keeps no digital record of who has read or signed. As an option, switched off by default, the risk assessment can add a sign-off page and a briefing register to print and sign on paper.
• No copies for repeat jobs. You cannot copy a document to reuse it.
• No earlier versions. Edits replace the document. If you switch on the risk assessment's sign-off page, it lists each revision number you raise, with the date you saved it.
• Not for collecting. It is not built to collect other firms' RAMS.
• Only what you tell it. It cannot see the site, so checking the draft stays with you.

AI RAMS fits a sole trader, or a small firm where one person writes the RAMS, who needs RAMS and COSHH assessments for varied jobs whose hazards they can judge, and wants to see the draft before paying. To see what the chat asks first, read our step-by-step guide to making a method statement in AI RAMS.

Creating, previewing and editing are free, with no card needed to start. Previews are watermarked; you pay per document to download a clean PDF and Word copy, or subscribe to Pro. Your branding is on every plan, and documents stay stored while your account is active. Current prices are on the AI RAMS pricing page, and are not part of the figures earlier in this guide.

Whichever tools make your shortlist, ours included, run your next real job through each one first. Describe your next job in AI RAMS and see the draft before you pay anything.

Frequently asked questions

Is there free RAMS software?

Yes, with limits. On providers' public pages checked on 26 October 2026, free options included a free first job, one free job a month, free plans, free trials (at least one needing a card), a tool free to one trade association's members, and free samples from template sellers. Free or trial output can be marked or unbranded. If your jobs are similar and few, a free template may be enough.

How much does software for writing RAMS cost?

It depends on how the tool charges. On other providers' public pages checked on 26 October 2026, one seller's template packs cost £99 to £249 one-off, one per-document tool charged £29 for a single risk assessment or about £15 each when bought ten at a time, and the cheapest monthly plans ran from £30 to £59 a month. Higher and team plans cost more, some prices exclude VAT, and most systems for collecting subcontractors' RAMS quote on request. Check for a monthly cap on documents before comparing a subscription.

Is there one tool that does both the risk assessment and the method statement?

Many tools make both, but not all. At least one drafting tool writes only the risk assessment, and template packs and systems vary on whether they include COSHH assessments and construction phase plans. Check which documents a tool produces, and whether one description of the job produces them all.

Which kind of software suits a sole trader or small contractor?

It depends on how often you write RAMS and for whom. A template pack can suit similar jobs, a few a year. A tool that drafts from your description can suit varied jobs whose hazards you can judge. A system with RAMS built in can suit firms where several people write RAMS, or firms whose clients want approval or signed briefing records. Then test your next real job in each shortlisted tool before you pay.

Can workers sign the RAMS on their phone?

Yes, if the tool offers it. Some drafting tools and systems let workers sign on their own phone, for example by scanning a code, and keep a record of who signed. Without that feature, you can print a sign-off sheet and keep the signed copy. Some principal contractors require briefings to be recorded and signed, so check what yours asks for.

Can I use the same software to collect RAMS from subcontractors?

A few products do both, but collecting RAMS is a different job from writing them. Systems built for principal contractors and site managers let the site team review and approve the RAMS that subcontractors send in, track versions and record which workers have signed. In several of these systems, the subcontractor uploads a RAMS written elsewhere. Check which job a product is built for.

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By Filip Perkon, Director, AI RAMS. Last checked on 26 October 2026 against legislation.gov.uk for the legal duty, and against providers' public pages for software descriptions and price ranges. This is general information, not legal advice.