Health and Safety Software UK | Ramsdocs — Regulation-by-Regulation Compliance

Health and safety software is a digital platform that replaces paper-based systems for managing your statutory H&S obligations — risk assessments, incident reporting, COSHH records, training logs, and compliance documents. For UK employers, those obligations are set by specific regulations. This page maps every major Ramsdocs module directly to the regulation it satisfies, so you can see exactly which legal duty each part of the platform discharges.

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What Is Health and Safety Software? (And What the Labels Actually Mean)

Sidebar: HSE Software vs EHS Software vs Safety Management Software — What the Labels Actually Mean

HSE software (Health, Safety and Environment) and EHS software (Environment, Health and Safety) are the same category described in a different order. Both refer to unified digital platforms covering risk management, incident reporting, COSHH, permits to work, contractor management, and training records. The label difference is purely terminological — there is no legal distinction between them.

Safety management software typically focuses on the core H&S management cycle — risk identification, assessment, control implementation, compliance monitoring, and incident investigation — without the environmental management strand that EHS platforms add.

For procurement purposes: if your obligations are primarily H&S (HASAWA 1974, MHSWR 1999, RIDDOR 2013, COSHH 2002, CDM 2015), a safety management platform covers your needs. If you also carry environmental reporting obligations, look for an EHS platform. Ramsdocs is designed specifically around UK H&S statutory duties and the document workflows that discharge them.

Health and safety software provides the infrastructure to meet your legal duties without relying on spreadsheets, shared drives, or paper files that can be lost, version-conflicted, or unauditable. At its core, it digitises the HSE's five-step risk management process: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, and review the controls (HSE — Risk assessment: steps needed to manage risk).

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The UK Legal Framework: Which Regulations Your Software Must Support

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2 places a general duty on every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees (HASAWA 1974, s.2). That overarching duty is given operational substance by a series of statutory instruments, each requiring specific documents to be produced and retained.

Every employer with five or more employees must write down their health and safety policy (HSE — Health and safety policy). Where employers have fewer than five, the written policy is not legally required, though it remains useful. But the policy is only the starting point. The regulations that follow mandate risk assessments, COSHH assessments, training records, incident reports, and — in construction — a Construction Phase Plan for every project.

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Regulation-to-Feature Mapping: How Ramsdocs Discharges Each Statutory Duty

No competitor page does this. The table below maps each regulation directly to the Ramsdocs module that satisfies it and the document it produces. Review and adapt all outputs to your specific site, task, and workforce.

Regulation	Statutory duty	Ramsdocs module	Document output
HASAWA 1974, s.2	Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees	Policy Manager	Written H&S policy (mandatory for employers with 5+ employees)
MHSWR 1999, reg 3	Make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of risks to employees and others; record significant findings if 5+ employees	Risk Assessment Builder	Completed, dated, version-controlled risk assessment
MHSWR 1999, reg 13	Provide adequate H&S training on recruitment, on exposure to new risks, and when methods of work change	Training Records Module	Training matrix, induction records, training completion certificates
COSHH 2002, regs 6–7	Assess risks from hazardous substances before work begins; prevent or adequately control exposure	COSHH Assessment Builder	COSHH assessment referencing hazardous properties, exposure routes, WELs, and control hierarchy
RIDDOR 2013, reg 4	Report and record work-related fatalities, specified injuries, 7-day incapacitation injuries, and dangerous occurrences	Incident Reporting Module	RIDDOR-structured incident log; reports to enforcing authority
CDM 2015, regs 12–13	Principal contractor to draw up Construction Phase Plan before site set-up; plan, manage, monitor and coordinate construction phase	RAMS Builder + CPP Template	Construction Phase Plan; RAMS documentation for each work package
Work at Height Regs 2005, regs 6–7	Avoid WAH where reasonably practicable; prevent falls; give collective protection priority over personal protection	Risk Assessment Builder + Method Statement Builder	WAH risk assessment; method statement specifying collective then personal controls
LOLER 1998, reg 9	Thoroughly examine lifting equipment at prescribed intervals or via an examination scheme	Equipment Register + Inspection Scheduler	Lifting equipment register; thorough examination records
PUWER 1998, reg 4	Ensure work equipment is suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided	Equipment Register	Equipment suitability records; pre-use check logs
Manual Handling Ops Regs 1992, reg 4	Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable; assess and reduce risk where it cannot be avoided	Risk Assessment Builder	Manual handling risk assessment
PPE at Work Regs 1992, reg 4	Provide suitable PPE to workers exposed to risk where risk not adequately controlled by other means	PPE Register	PPE issue records; suitability assessments
Confined Spaces Regs 1997, reg 4	Avoid confined space entry where reasonably practicable; where entry required, operate a safe system of work	Permit-to-Work Module + Method Statement Builder	Confined space permit to work; safe system of work documentation
Control of Asbestos Regs 2012, reg 6	Make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before work liable to expose employees to asbestos; record significant findings	COSHH / Asbestos Assessment Builder	Asbestos risk assessment; record of significant findings
Control of Noise at Work Regs 2005, reg 5	Assess risk from noise for work liable to expose employees at or above lower exposure action value	Risk Assessment Builder	Noise risk assessment identifying measures required
RR(FS)O 2005, art 9	Responsible person to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment identifying general fire precautions required	Fire Risk Assessment Module	Fire risk assessment; record of findings and any groups especially at risk
DSEAR 2002, reg 5	Assess risks to employees from any dangerous substance present or liable to be present at the workplace	Risk Assessment Builder	DSEAR risk assessment

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Worked Scenario: A Principal Contractor Sets Up a New Project in Ramsdocs

Scenario: Midlands groundworks and civils firm awarded a contract to construct a new commercial unit. The project involves more than one contractor. The PC opens Ramsdocs on the day of appointment and works through the following sequence.

Step 1 — Construction Phase Plan (CDM 2015, reg 12)

CDM 2015, regulation 12 requires the principal contractor to draw up a Construction Phase Plan during the pre-construction phase and before setting up the construction site (CDM 2015, reg 12). A construction phase plan is required for every construction project (HSE CIS80). The PC opens the CPP Template in Ramsdocs, populates project details, site rules, welfare arrangements, key hazards (falls from height, excavation collapse, buried services, asbestos), and names the person responsible for day-to-day safety. The plan is version-controlled from creation.

The PC notes that if the project will last longer than 500 person days, or 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously on site, it must be notified to HSE (HSE CIS80). The project duration and workforce numbers are assessed against these thresholds before the construction phase begins.

Step 2 — General Risk Assessments (MHSWR 1999, reg 3)

MHSWR 1999, regulation 3 requires the employer to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to employees and to others arising from the conduct of the undertaking (MHSWR 1999, reg 3). The PC uses the Ramsdocs Risk Assessment Builder to work through the HSE five-step process — identifying hazards including excavation, plant movement, work at height, and manual handling of heavy formwork; assessing likelihood and severity; specifying controls; recording findings; and setting a review date. With five or more employees, the significant findings and any groups especially at risk must be recorded (MHSWR 1999, reg 3(6)).

Step 3 — COSHH Assessments (COSHH 2002, regs 6–7)

The project involves diesel plant, concrete, and a subcontractor cutting block paving. COSHH 2002, regulation 6 prohibits the employer from carrying out work liable to expose employees to any substance hazardous to health until a suitable and sufficient risk assessment has been made and its steps implemented (COSHH 2002, reg 6). A COSHH assessment must concentrate on hazards from hazardous substances in the workplace — and health hazards are not limited to labelled products; harmful substances can be produced by processes such as silica dust from cutting and fumes from diesel engines (HSE — COSHH basics: assessment). For substances classified as carcinogens or mutagens, COSHH 2002 requires exposure to be controlled to as low as is reasonably practicable (HSE — EH40). The PC creates assessments in the COSHH Builder for each substance and process, applying the control hierarchy under regulation 7: substitution first, then engineering controls, then PPE as a last resort (COSHH 2002, reg 7).

Step 4 — Work at Height Documentation (WAH Regs 2005, regs 6–7)

Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries in the UK (HSE INDG401). Roof work alone accounts for a quarter of all deaths in the construction industry, with falls through fragile materials the single biggest cause within that figure (HSG33). WAH Regs 2005, regulation 6 requires every employer to ensure work is not carried out at height where reasonably practicable to do otherwise, and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury (WAH Regs 2005, reg 6). Regulation 7 requires collective protection measures to take priority over personal protection measures (WAH Regs 2005, reg 7). The PC builds WAH method statements for scaffold access and roof-edge work, specifying collective measures (edge protection) before personal measures (harness). HSE guidance confirms that every time a ladder is used in construction, a pre-use check should be carried out by the user before the task and after anything has changed (HSE — Safe use of ladders). Pre-use check records are logged in Ramsdocs.

Step 5 — Training Records (MHSWR 1999, reg 13)

Under MHSWR 1999, regulation 13, employers must take account of employees' capabilities and provide adequate health and safety training on recruitment, on exposure to new or increased risks, and when methods of work change (MHSWR 1999, reg 13). The PC's Training Records Module logs site inductions, CSCS card numbers, PASMA and IPAF certificates, and toolbox talk attendance for every worker — including subcontractors — before they enter the site.

Step 6 — RIDDOR Incident Logging (RIDDOR 2013, reg 4)

Three weeks into the project, a subcontractor's operative suffers a bone fracture (other than to a finger, thumb or toe) from a work-related accident. RIDDOR requires employers and others in control of work premises to report and keep records of work-related fatalities, injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences (HSE — RIDDOR key definitions). The purpose of RIDDOR is to inform the relevant enforcing authority that a work-related accident has occurred so that HSE or the local authority can respond to ensure compliance with health and safety law (HSE — RIDDOR key definitions). Where a person at work is incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days (excluding the day of the accident), the report must be sent to the relevant enforcing authority as soon as practicable and in any event within 15 days of the accident (RIDDOR 2013, reg 4). The PC logs the incident in the Ramsdocs Incident Reporting Module, which structures the record in line with RIDDOR's reportable categories and prompts the responsible person to report to the enforcing authority within the required timeframe.

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The Complete H&S Document Checklist for a UK Construction Project

Download-ready. Cross-referenced to the regulation requiring each document. Review and adapt to your specific project with a competent person.

Document	Regulation requiring it	Notes
Written H&S policy	HASAWA 1974, s.2; HSE guidance	Mandatory in writing if 5+ employees
General risk assessments	MHSWR 1999, reg 3	Significant findings recorded if 5+ employees
Construction Phase Plan	CDM 2015, reg 12	Required for every construction project
COSHH assessments	COSHH 2002, regs 6–7	Required before work starts; covers process-generated substances
WAH risk assessment & method statement	WAH Regs 2005, regs 6–7	Collective controls documented before personal controls
Manual handling risk assessment	Manual Handling Ops Regs 1992, reg 4	Required where hazardous MH cannot be avoided
PPE assessment and issue records	PPE at Work Regs 1992, reg 4	PPE as last resort; suitability documented
LOLER thorough examination records	LOLER 1998, reg 9	Intervals depend on equipment type and use
PUWER equipment suitability records	PUWER 1998, reg 4	Covers all work equipment on site
Confined space permit to work	Confined Spaces Regs 1997, reg 4	Required where confined space entry cannot be avoided
Asbestos risk assessment	Control of Asbestos Regs 2012, reg 6	Significant findings must be recorded
Noise risk assessment	Control of Noise at Work Regs 2005, reg 5	Required for work at or above lower exposure action value
Fire risk assessment	RR(FS)O 2005, art 9	Responsible person must make and record assessment
RIDDOR incident records	RIDDOR 2013, reg 4	Specified injuries, 7-day incapacitation, dangerous occurrences
Training records / site induction log	MHSWR 1999, reg 13	Training on recruitment, new risks, changed methods

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Core Modules Explained: Risk Assessments, COSHH, RIDDOR, Training Records, and More

Risk Assessment Builder — Ramsdocs structures the HSE five-step process into a guided digital workflow: identify hazards, assess risks, specify controls, record findings, set review date. The assessment is version-controlled so you can demonstrate you reviewed it when circumstances changed, as required by MHSWR 1999, regulation 3.

COSHH Assessment Builder — Captures the elements required by COSHH 2002, regulation 6: hazardous properties of the substance, supplier data and safety data sheet, level and type of exposure, relevant workplace exposure limits from EH40, and the measures taken under regulation 7's control hierarchy. Covers process-generated substances — silica, wood dust, welding fumes — not only labelled products.

Incident Reporting Module — Structures incident records around RIDDOR's reportable categories: fatalities, specified injuries (including bone fractures other than finger, thumb or toe), incapacitation for more than seven consecutive days, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences. Prompts the responsible person to submit to the enforcing authority within the timeframe required by RIDDOR 2013, regulation 4.

Training Records Module — Logs training delivered on recruitment, on exposure to new risks, and when methods of work change, satisfying the duty under MHSWR 1999, regulation 13. Supports induction records, toolbox talk sign-offs, and third-party certificate storage.

RAMS Builder — Produces method statements to accompany risk assessments, structured around the CDM 2015 general principles of prevention: avoid risks where possible, evaluate those that cannot be avoided, put in place proportionate controls at source.

Equipment Register and Inspection Scheduler — Maintains records for lifting equipment (LOLER 1998, regulation 9) and work equipment (PUWER 1998, regulation 4), with scheduled inspection prompts.

Permit-to-Work Module — Supports confined space permits required where entry into a confined space cannot be avoided, as set out in the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, regulation 4.

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Health and Safety Software for Small Businesses: What Changes (and What Doesn't)

The scale of your obligations shifts with headcount — but the underlying duties do not disappear. The written H&S policy is only legally required when you have five or more employees (HSE — Health and safety policy). The duty to record the significant findings of a risk assessment under MHSWR 1999, regulation 3 also applies to employers with five or more employees. The duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, however, applies to every employer regardless of size.

For a sole trader or micro-business, Ramsdocs removes the overhead of building document templates from scratch while keeping outputs proportionate. For growing businesses crossing the five-employee threshold, the platform means your recording obligations are already in place before the legal trigger arrives.

Lone worker management is relevant at any size. HSE confirms that employers must manage health and safety risks before people can work alone — including anyone contracted to work for you, such as self-employed individuals — and that lone workers include delivery drivers, health workers, engineers, security staff, and cleaners (HSE — Lone working: employer guidance). The risk assessment framework in Ramsdocs covers lone working scenarios as part of the general MHSWR 1999, regulation 3 assessment.

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How to Evaluate Health and Safety Software: 8 Questions to Ask Before You Buy

1. Does it map to specific UK regulations — or just offer generic forms? Ask the vendor to show you which regulation each module satisfies. If they can't, you're buying a document store, not a compliance tool.
2. Can it produce a Construction Phase Plan and RAMS for CDM projects? Critical for any business in or serving the construction supply chain.
3. Does the COSHH module cover process-generated substances (silica, wood dust, welding fume) or only labelled products?
4. Is RIDDOR reporting structured around the regulation's actual categories, including the 7-day incapacitation threshold and the 15-day reporting requirement in regulation 4?
5. Does training record management cover the triggers in MHSWR 1999, reg 13 — recruitment, new risks, changed methods — or only course completion dates?
6. Is version control and audit trail built in, so you can demonstrate to an enforcing authority that assessments were current?
7. How are documents shared with workers and subcontractors? CDM 2015, regulation 13 requires the principal contractor to ensure that employers and self-employed persons follow the construction phase plan.
8. What does the pricing model mean at your scale? Per-user, per-module, and per-document models all produce very different total costs depending on your workforce size and document volume.

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Why Ramsdocs: The Information-Gain Difference

Every other health and safety software page you will read lists features: risk assessments, incident reporting, COSHH, training records. None of them tell you which regulation each feature discharges or what document it produces.

Ramsdocs is built around the principle that a health and safety document is a legal instrument, not a form-filling exercise. The regulation-to-feature mapping table above — which no competitor provides — is the architecture of the platform. When you build a risk assessment in Ramsdocs, you are working through the MHSWR 1999, regulation 3 duty. When you log an incident, you are satisfying RIDDOR 2013, regulation 4. When you build a CPP, you are discharging the duty in CDM 2015, regulation 12.

The platform is designed to produce PC review-ready documentation and to reduce RAMS rework. It is not a substitute for site-specific professional judgement — every document must be reviewed and adapted by a competent person before use. But it ensures you arrive at that review with a compliant structure, the right regulatory references, and an audit trail that holds up.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is health and safety software? A digital platform that manages your statutory H&S obligations — risk assessments, COSHH assessments, incident reporting, training records, permits to work, and compliance documentation — replacing paper-based and spreadsheet-driven processes.

Which UK regulations does health and safety software need to support? At minimum: HASAWA 1974 s.2 (general duty), MHSWR 1999 reg 3 (risk assessment), COSHH 2002 regs 6–7 (hazardous substances), RIDDOR 2013 reg 4 (incident reporting), MHSWR 1999 reg 13 (training). For construction: CDM 2015 regs 12–13, WAH Regs 2005, LOLER 1998, PUWER 1998. See the mapping table above for the full list.

Is health and safety software suitable for small businesses? Yes. The duty to carry out a risk assessment applies regardless of headcount. The duty to record significant findings, and to produce a written H&S policy, applies from five employees. Software makes it practical to meet those obligations without specialist H&S staff.

What is the difference between HSE software, EHS software, and safety management software? HSE software and EHS software are the same category in different word order — both cover H&S plus environment. Safety management software focuses on the H&S management cycle without the environmental strand. See the sidebar at the top of this page.

Does CDM 2015 apply to small projects? A Construction Phase Plan is required for every construction project under CDM 2015, regardless of size. Projects that will last longer than 500 person days, or 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously on site, must also be notified to HSE (HSE CIS80). The notification threshold and the CPP requirement are separate obligations.

What is RIDDOR and what does software need to do? RIDDOR requires employers and others in control of work premises to report and keep records of work-related fatalities, injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences, so that HSE or the local authority can respond to ensure compliance (HSE — RIDDOR key definitions). Where a worker is incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days following a work-related accident, the report must reach the enforcing authority within 15 days of the accident (RIDDOR 2013, reg 4). Software should structure incident records around RIDDOR's categories and prompt timely reporting.

What documents must a UK employer produce and store? See the checklist above. At minimum: H&S policy (if 5+ employees), risk assessments with significant findings recorded, training records, COSHH assessments where hazardous substances are used or generated, and RIDDOR incident records. Construction projects add the CPP and a full RAMS suite.

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Get Started with Ramsdocs

Ramsdocs is built for UK employers, safety managers, and principal contractors who need documentation that is PC review-ready, regulation-referenced, and audit-trail-supported. Explore the platform, review the regulation-to-feature mapping above, and adapt every output to your specific site and task with a competent person.

[Start your free trial] [Download the H&S document checklist] [Book a demo]

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Disclaimer: All documents produced using Ramsdocs must be reviewed and adapted to the specific site, task, workforce, and circumstances by a competent person before use. Ramsdocs does not guarantee regulatory compliance and does not remove the need for site-specific professional judgement. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Regulatory duties cited are drawn from the primary sources listed and should be verified against current legislation.