RAMS stands for Risk & Method Statement.
Over the years RAMS have become an integral part of any high-end delivery especially where risk factors are higher than normal.
Risk factors take into account every aspect of the delivery even including the delivery vehicle arriving onsite however in my view what they achieve best is giving the delivery crew an overall perspective of what is required for the delivery because fore-warned is fore-armed.
In the high-end computer delivery market for example, delivering to datacentres is very common and you will not be surprised to learn that many datacentres have really tall and wide doors to get really tall and wide computer racks into the very secure internal data centre but have normal doors to enter the building. This is just a very small example of why RAMS are important to highlight such issues.
RAMS have a specific role as described in their name however they should only be written for competent people to refer and consign to, in other words they need to be concise and pro-active and not 35 pages of bed-time reading that will out perform any solution to insomnia.
A well written RAMS is exactly that. Enough information should be provided with specific routes and photographs, if allowed, to give both customer and delivery crew an overall picture of delivery requirements. Risk should be measured sensibility regrading the competence of the delivery crew and equipment required to complete the delivery and the customer should be aware that it is also their responsibility to respect their environment and contain risk where appropriate at source before the delivery crew arrive.
Whilst no RAMS are set in stone as more often than not a RAMS survey is completed days, even weeks before the actual delivery or collection, so it is necessary for the delivery crew to ascertain risk on arrival and amend RAMS accordingly or change delivery route as appropriate because a wall or such like has been built since the survey, and yes that has actually happened.
One of my drivers delivering to a well know telecoms aerial site (on top of a hill and in the middle of nowhere) was approached by one of the well-known telecoms company health and safety officers who requested the driver’s certification to operate the vehicle’s onboard pallet truck. Now operating a pallet truck does not legally in anyway require you to attend a training course however some companies may think this is a necessity which is fine, however it was pointed out to the health and safety officer that the driver is fully qualified, experienced and very competent to drive his 18-tonne truck up the steep approach lane and successfully reversed into the delivery compound without any trouble at all, therefore he is more than competent to operate a pallet truck. Needless to say no certification was requested again.
The reason to point out the above is that RAMS should be written based on competency by all parties and if we are all singing from the same song sheet then happy safe days for high end deliveries…..
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