Pay-per-document generators
Examples: RAMScribe, RapidRAMS
You describe the job and get a site-specific RAMS back for a fixed fee per document, with no subscription. Best for a sole trader or subcontractor who needs the odd RAMS for a specific job, often on a deadline. The cost is predictable and there is nothing to cancel. The limit is volume: if you produce several RAMS a month, a subscription usually works out cheaper.
Subscription RAMS software
Examples: swiftRMS, The Site Book, RAMS AI
A monthly fee, usually for unlimited or high-volume documents, often with a document library and team features. Best for a firm that writes RAMS regularly, more than two or three a month. The trade-off is that you pay every month whether you use it or not, and it is another tool for the team to adopt.
Full CDM and EHS platforms
Examples: HandsHQ
Broader safety-management software that covers RAMS alongside COSHH, training records, and other CDM duties, usually priced per seat and sold through a demo. Best for a larger contractor that wants one system for the whole safety function. For a small firm that only needs a RAMS, it is more than the job requires.
Templates
Examples: HASpod, Etsy, free HSE templates
A blank or example document you edit yourself, from free official templates to low-cost packs. The cheapest option, and fine if you have the time and knowledge to make it genuinely site-specific. The risk is a generic template that does not match the job, which is one of the most common reasons a principal contractor rejects a RAMS.
Health and safety consultants
Examples: Local H&S consultancies
A competent person writes a bespoke RAMS for you, typically for a few hundred pounds per document. Best for complex or high-risk work where the stakes justify the cost. For routine work it is expensive and slower than the alternatives.
Which should you choose?
If you need the odd RAMS for a specific job, a pay-per-document generator is usually the simplest and cheapest, with nothing to cancel. If you write RAMS regularly, more than two or three a month, a subscription tool tends to work out cheaper. If the work is complex or high-risk, a consultant is worth the cost. Templates suit anyone with the time and knowledge to make them genuinely site-specific.
Pay-per-document, no subscription
Need a one-off RAMS? Try RAMScribe.
Describe the job and get a site-specific risk assessment and method statement, built on the HSE five steps and CDM 2015. Read a full sample first, or generate your own.
First document free. Then £15 each, or three for £35. No subscription.
FAQ
- What is the best RAMS software for a sole trader?
- For occasional, one-off documents, a pay-per-document generator is usually the best fit because there is no subscription and the cost is predictable. If you produce several RAMS a month, a subscription tool works out cheaper.
- Is free RAMS software any good?
- Free templates from the HSE are a legitimate starting point, but you have to make them genuinely site-specific yourself. A generic template that does not match the job is a common reason a RAMS is rejected on site.
- How much does a RAMS cost?
- It ranges from free templates you complete yourself, to a fixed fee per document with a generator, to a monthly subscription, to a few hundred pounds for a consultant-written document. What is right depends on how often you need one and how complex the work is.
- Where does RAMScribe fit?
- RAMScribe is a pay-per-document generator. It suits the occasional or one-off RAMS where you want a site-specific document without a subscription. The first document is free, then £15 each. For regular high-volume use, a subscription tool is likely cheaper.