Construction Phase Plan vs RAMS: CDM 2015 Duties Explained

1 — What This Page Answers

Two documents. One framework. Different owners.

If you have received a CDM 2015 obligation on a construction project and are unsure whether you need a Construction Phase Plan, a set of RAMS, or both — this page resolves that question. It maps the two documents against the actual regulatory structure, shows precisely where one ends and the other begins, and illustrates how RAMS produced by a trade contractor feed upward into the principal contractor's CPP.

Neither document is optional. Neither replaces the other. Understanding this distinction before work starts is a basic CDM compliance requirement.

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2 — What a Construction Phase Plan Is: Legal Definition and CDM 2015 Duty

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) impose specific duties on a principal contractor in relation to planning and managing the construction phase of a project. Regulation 12 of CDM 2015 requires that a Construction Phase Plan is drawn up before the construction phase begins. Where a principal contractor is appointed, that duty falls on them. Where there is only one contractor on a project and no principal contractor is appointed, Regulation 15 places the equivalent obligation on that single contractor.

Critically: a Construction Phase Plan is required on every construction project — not only on notifiable projects. The notification threshold under Regulation 6 is a separate trigger that determines whether the HSE must be informed; it does not create or remove the CPP obligation.

The CPP is a project-level document. It sets out how the health and safety of the construction phase will be managed overall — covering site rules, emergency procedures, welfare arrangements, the management of specific risks identified for the project, and the co-ordination of contractor activities. CDM 2015 requires the CPP to be reviewed and updated as the project evolves.

The CPP is not an activity-by-activity risk assessment. It does not describe in detail how a groundworks contractor will support a trench or how a roofer will control falls from height. It references those hazards at project level and assumes that individual contractors will produce the activity-level evidence that sits beneath it.

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3 — What RAMS Are: Legal Basis and Who Must Produce Them

RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) is an industry acronym, not a defined legal term in CDM 2015 or any other regulation. The two components of a RAMS document have separate legal origins:

• Risk Assessment — the legal duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment arises from the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, not from CDM 2015 directly. CDM 2015 assumes this duty exists; it does not create it.
• Method Statement — a written sequence of work controls is industry practice. It gives the risk assessment operational form by describing, step by step, the measures that will be implemented on site.

Together, these documents function as the activity-level evidence of how a specific contractor will manage the risks arising from their specific scope of work. Every contractor on a project — whether directly employed or as a subcontractor — carries the duty to assess the risks from their own work and to have controls in place before that work begins.

Who produces RAMS? The contractor carrying out the work. Not the principal contractor. Not the client. The PC may request, review, and retain RAMS as part of their CPP management function — but the duty to produce them sits with the trade contractor who holds the risk.

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4 — Side-by-Side Comparison: CPP vs RAMS

Dimension	Construction Phase Plan	RAMS (Risk Assessment + Method Statement)
Legal basis	CDM 2015, Regulation 12 (PC) / Regulation 15 (single contractor)	Risk assessment: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Method statement: industry best practice
Who produces it	Principal contractor (or single contractor where no PC is appointed)	Each individual contractor for their own scope of work
When must it exist	Before the construction phase begins	Before the specific activity begins
Document level	Project-level: site rules, welfare, overall risk management, co-ordination	Activity-level: specific task, specific hazards, specific controls
Who receives/reviews it	Client, principal designer, principal contractor/single contractor, and contractors who need the relevant parts; HSE may request it during inspection	Principal contractor (reviews and retains where appointed); client may request sight of it
How often updated	Reviewed and updated throughout the construction phase as conditions change	Updated when the scope, method, site conditions, or workforce changes materially
What happens if missing	Potential enforcement action by HSE; work cannot lawfully start without a CPP in place	Potential enforcement action; HSE inspectors assess risk in context — document absence alone does not automatically trigger a specific notice, but working without adequate risk controls in place is the underlying breach
RAMS is not a substitute	A CPP cannot be replaced by a bundle of RAMS — it performs a different function	A set of RAMS cannot replace a CPP — they operate at a different level of the document hierarchy

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5 — How RAMS Feed Into the CPP: The Document Hierarchy Explained

The relationship between the CPP and RAMS is hierarchical, not interchangeable.

Think of the CPP as the project framework and RAMS as the trade-package evidence that populates it. The CPP identifies at project level that, for example, excavation work will take place on the site and that buried services, trench collapse, and adjacent structure movement are hazards requiring management. It does not — and should not — contain the granular activity method.

That granular method is what RAMS delivers. When a groundworks contractor submits their RAMS to the PC before excavation begins, those RAMS provide:

1. The specific risk assessment for the excavation activity (hazards identified, likelihood and severity assessed, controls specified)
2. The method statement setting out the step-by-step sequence: service scanning, trial holes, trench support specification, spoil storage location, exclusion zones, emergency procedures

The PC reviews the RAMS against the CPP framework to confirm that the trade contractor's controls are consistent with site rules and do not create conflicts with other contractors' activities. Once accepted, the RAMS become the activity-level evidence underpinning the CPP's project-level statement of control.

The document hierarchy in practice:

CLIENT
  └── Notification to HSE (if project meets the notifiable threshold)
        └── CONSTRUCTION PHASE PLAN  [Project level — owned by PC]
              ├── Site rules, welfare, emergency procedures
              ├── Project-level hazard identification (excavation, services, etc.)
              └── Trade-package RAMS [Activity level — owned by each contractor]
                    ├── Groundworks RAMS: excavation, trench support, services
                    ├── Structural RAMS: temporary works, propping
                    └── [Each trade contractor's RAMS sits here]

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6 — Worked Scenario: Groundworks Package on a Domestic Extension

Scenario: A principal contractor is managing a two-storey rear extension to a domestic property. A groundworks subcontractor has been appointed to carry out strip foundations and drainage connections. The project is not notifiable. Work is due to start on Monday.

What the PC's CPP contains at project level:

• Site address, client details, site rules, welfare arrangements (temporary WC, hand-washing)
• Identified project hazards: buried services (gas, water, electric), excavation adjacent to existing structure, spoil storage in restricted garden space, public access to rear
• Management arrangements: pre-start services scan required before any excavation; trench support to be used at depths exceeding 1.2m; no spoil storage within 1m of trench edge
• Reference to groundworks contractor RAMS as the activity-level control document

What the groundworks contractor's RAMS adds:

• Specific risk assessment: service strike (high severity/medium likelihood → mitigated by CAT scan + genny, trial holes), trench collapse (high severity/medium likelihood → mitigated by trench box for depths >1.2m), manual handling of drainage pipework, working adjacent to existing foundation
• Method statement step-by-step: (1) CAT scan full footprint; (2) hand-dig trial holes over service routes; (3) mark services; (4) machine excavate strip foundations under supervision; (5) erect trench box before personnel enter at >1.2m depth; (6) inspect trench daily and after heavy rain (CDM 2015 Schedule 3 identifies work which puts workers at risk of burial under earthfalls as work involving particular risks); (7) drainage connection; (8) backfill and compact in 150mm layers
• Signed by groundworks contractor's competent person; submitted to and reviewed by PC before Monday start

The gap this scenario illustrates: The CPP tells every contractor on site that excavation next to the existing foundation is a hazard requiring controls. The RAMS tells the groundworks contractor — and the PC who reviews them — exactly what those controls are and in what sequence they are applied. Remove either document and a material part of the safety management chain is broken.

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7 — Common Compliance Failures

CDM audits and HSE inspections repeatedly surface the same document-related failures:

• CPP produced but never issued to contractors — the CPP exists as a file on the PC's laptop but subcontractors have never seen the site rules it contains. The RAMS those contractors produce therefore cannot be consistent with CPP requirements.
• RAMS used as a substitute CPP — on smaller projects, a PC hands the client a bundle of trade RAMS and calls it a Construction Phase Plan. These are different documents with different functions. A set of RAMS does not satisfy Regulation 12.
• CPP not updated as the project evolves — the CPP is written at mobilisation and never touched again, even when scope changes, new contractors arrive, or site conditions change materially.
• Trade contractor produces generic RAMS — the method statement describes a trench excavation in generic terms, with no reference to the specific site, the services identified on the scan, or the adjacent structure. The PC accepts it without review. The activity-level evidence the CPP relies on does not actually exist.
• No CPP at all on smaller projects — the misconception that a CPP is only required on notifiable projects leads smaller PCs to skip the document entirely. The obligation exists on every construction project where a principal contractor is appointed, and on every project (through Regulation 15) where there is only one contractor.

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8 — Before-Groundbreak Checklist: Do You Have Both Documents?

Use this checklist before any groundworks begin. Each item is a binary yes/no. Work should not start until every item is confirmed.

Construction Phase Plan (project level)

• CPP drawn up and in place before the construction phase begins
• CPP identifies the principal contractor (or single contractor) responsible for managing the construction phase
• Site rules documented and communicated to all contractors
• Welfare arrangements confirmed (sanitary conveniences, washing facilities, drinking water, rest facilities — per CDM 2015 Schedule 2)
• Project-level hazards identified, including excavation, buried services, adjacent structures
• Emergency procedures documented
• CPP references trade-package RAMS as activity-level control documents
• CPP issued to all contractors working on site

Groundworks RAMS (activity level)

• Risk assessment completed for all excavation activities — suitable and sufficient, identifying hazards, affected persons, and controls
• Method statement documents step-by-step sequence including service detection, trench support, spoil management, exclusion zones
• RAMS signed by a competent person within the groundworks contractor's organisation
• RAMS submitted to and reviewed by the principal contractor before work starts
• RAMS consistent with CPP site rules (no conflicts on spoil storage, exclusion zones, working hours)
• RAMS updated if scope, method, or site conditions change before or during the work

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9 — Decision Flowchart: CPP or RAMS or Both?

START: Are you about to carry out construction work?
  │
  ▼
Is there more than one contractor on the project?
  │
  ├── YES → Has a principal contractor been appointed?
  │           │
  │           ├── YES → PC must produce the CPP (Regulation 12)
  │           │          Every contractor must provide task-specific risk assessment and safe-method evidence for their own work
  │           │          → YOU NEED BOTH
  │           │
  │           └── NO  → Client must appoint a PC — work should not start
  │
  └── NO (only one contractor) → That contractor must draw up a CPP
                                   (Regulation 15 duty)
                                   That contractor must also produce RAMS
                                   for their own activities
                                   → YOU NEED BOTH
                                   
Is the project notifiable (check the Regulation 6 threshold)?
  │
  ├── YES → Notify HSE via F10 before construction phase begins
  │          CPP and task-planning obligations unchanged — notification is additional
  │
  └── NO  → No F10 required
             CPP and task-planning obligations still apply in full

The answer at every branch is: both documents are required. The variables are who holds each duty and whether an additional HSE notification is needed — not whether the documents exist.

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10 — How RAMSDocs Generates RAMS That Satisfy Your PC's CPP Requirements

RAMSDocs generates activity-level RAMS documents — the risk assessment and method statement component of the document hierarchy described on this page.

A RAMSDocs-generated RAMS is structured to address the hazards and controls your principal contractor expects to see referenced in their CPP: service detection, excavation depth and trench support, spoil management, exclusion zones, emergency procedures, and competent person sign-off. This makes the document PC review-ready and is designed to reduce the back-and-forth rework that occurs when RAMS arrive on site with generic, non-site-specific content.

RAMSDocs does not produce a Construction Phase Plan. The CPP is a project-level document owned by the principal contractor (or single contractor) and must be drawn up, reviewed, and adapted by a competent person with knowledge of the specific project. No software output removes that obligation.

Every RAMS generated by RAMSDocs should be reviewed and adapted to your specific site, task, and project conditions by a competent person before use.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Construction Phase Plan required on every construction project, or only notifiable ones? A CPP is required on every construction project — Regulation 12 applies regardless of whether the project meets the notification threshold. Notification is a separate, additional duty triggered by project scale.

Can RAMS replace a Construction Phase Plan? No. They operate at different levels of the document hierarchy and have different legal bases. A bundle of trade RAMS does not satisfy Regulation 12 of CDM 2015.

Who is legally required to produce a Construction Phase Plan? Where a principal contractor is appointed, that duty falls on the PC under Regulation 12. Where there is only one contractor and no PC is appointed, Regulation 15 places the equivalent obligation on that single contractor.

Who produces RAMS? The contractor carrying out the specific activity. The PC reviews and retains them; they do not produce them on the trade contractor's behalf.

What happens if neither document is produced before work starts? Working without a CPP in place is a breach of CDM 2015. Working without adequate risk controls (including a suitable and sufficient risk assessment) is a breach of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Either position exposes the duty-holder to potential enforcement action by the HSE. The severity of any response depends on inspectors' assessment of the actual risk on site, not document absence alone — but the underlying legal breach exists from the moment work begins without the required framework in place.

What is the legal basis for RAMS? The risk assessment component is grounded in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The method statement is industry practice. CDM 2015 does not create the risk assessment duty — it assumes it exists.

When should RAMS be obtained from specialist contractors — before or after contracts are awarded? Best practice is to obtain and scrutinise RAMS from specialist contractors before contract award, not simply before mobilisation. Reviewing a specialist's risk assessments and method statements at tender stage allows a principal contractor to identify incompatible working methods, unacceptable residual risks, or conflicts with site rules while there is still time to negotiate controls or select a different contractor. Receiving RAMS on the morning of mobilisation reduces the review to a rubber-stamping exercise rather than a genuine scrutiny of the safe system of work, which undermines the project-level management function that the CPP is intended to provide.

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The information on this page reflects the text of CDM 2015 as published at legislation.gov.uk. All documents produced using RAMSDocs must be reviewed and adapted to the specific site, task, and project by a competent person before use. RAMSDocs does not provide legal advice, and nothing on this page constitutes legal advice.