Free to use · PDF download # Dewatering RAMS Builder > Dewatering RAMS builder for pumping out excavations and bypassing a watercourse. Answer a few questions, or download a free template or example PDF. > Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=dewatering Dewatering risk assessment and method statement Prepare RAMS for pumping water out of an excavation and for bypassing a watercourse around the works. - Free to use - No account needed - Questions follow HSE guidance - Saves in this browser ## Dewatering RAMS template A blank dewatering RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record. Risk assessment and method statement Dewatering RAMS - **Company**: left blank to fill in - **Site and work area**: left blank to fill in - **Planned dates**: left blank to fill in - **In charge on site**: left blank to fill in - **Team**: left blank to fill in Method statement 1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4 5. 5 6. 6 Risk assessment | Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [Download the templatePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/dewatering-rams-template.pdf) ## Dewatering RAMS example The same RAMS, filled in for one job. Risk assessment and method statement Dewatering, Plot 6, Wharf Lane, Stockport: drainage trench - **Company**: Hollins & Reed Groundworks Ltd - **Site and work area**: Plot 6, Wharf Lane, Stockport: drainage trench - **Planned dates**: 12 to 14 October 2026 - **In charge on site**: Dan Hollins - **Team**: Two operatives: Dan Hollins leads and checks the area each morning; Priya Shah works with him. Method statement 1. 1 Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active work area. Keep entrances and escape routes clear. 2. 2 Check the weather before you startStop handling pumps, hoses and temporary barriers when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning, and rest in the shade in hot weather. 3. 3 Check the dewatering methodRead the excavation and dewatering assessment before placing a pump. Check the water source, nearby structures and ground support are covered. 4. 4 Keep the pump power safe in the wetRun pumps off 110 volt or through an RCD, with leads and plugs checked and in date. Keep joints and boards up out of the water and off the ground. 5. 5 Carry the pumps, hoses and barriers safelyPlan the route, clear it, and carry long items upright with two people. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to. 6. 6 Know where the water is going before you startFind out which drain or tank the water goes to, and that the site is allowed to put it there. If you cannot say the water is clean, pump it into a tank or settlement bag instead of a drain. 7. 7 Channel water to a stable sumpLead entering water to a stable sump and position the pump so it cannot undermine the excavation. Keep the excavation protected while water is removed. 8. 8 Run the pump under controlCheck the pump, hose, power supply and connections before starting. Start it in the agreed sequence and watch the water level and excavation sides. 9. 9 Keep people and plant out while pumpingKeep people and powered plant out of the excavation while the dewatering control is operating. Reassess before anyone enters or plant is used in the excavation. 10. 10 Write down how much you pump outRead the meter at the same time every day while the pump is running and write it in the job file. 11. 11 Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the person in charge when the work is complete. Risk assessment - People entering the work area or tripping over materials Workers, occupants and visitors Mark or barrier the active work area. Store tools and materials away from access routes. - Wind catches the pumps, hoses and temporary barriers and blows them onto people nearby The team and people nearby Check the forecast each morning and agree when the wind stops the work. Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave. - Collapse, settlement or pollution caused by uncontrolled dewatering The excavation team and people nearby Stop if the water or stability risk is not understood. Keep the agreed support arrangement unchanged. - A shock from a pump, lead or board standing in water The pump team and anyone in the excavation Only an electrician isolates, locks off and proves dead before anyone opens a pump or a board. Never lift a running pump by its cable, and never dry a damaged lead out and carry on. - Back and shoulder injury from carrying heavy or long items Everyone handling materials Use a trolley or sack truck on the flat. Never carry up a ladder; hand items up or hoist them. - Dirty water going into a drain or stream and killing fish, with a fine to follow The pump team and the environment Only the drain or tank you were told to use, nothing else. Stop pumping if the water changes colour or smell. - Erosion, flooding or loss of excavation stability The excavation team Inspect the sump, pump and discharge hose before use. Do not let pump-out change the support arrangement. - A pump failure or uncontrolled water level change makes the excavation unsafe The pump team and excavation workers Keep a safe stop and backup arrangement ready. Stop and report a change the method does not cover. - A person is trapped or struck during unstable wet excavation work The excavation team and plant operators Use the agreed access and exclusion arrangement. Stop if the water level or sides change unexpectedly. - The amount of water coming out creeping up and nobody noticing The pump team and the environment Keep the readings with the job paperwork. Tell the site straight away if the reading jumps. - Debris, tools or unfinished work left in the area Workers, occupants and visitors Remove waste by the agreed route. Record and protect any unfinished work. [Download the examplePDF, 4 pages](https://complyonsite.com/rams/samples/dewatering-rams-example.pdf) ## What a Dewatering RAMS covers Pumping water out of an excavation to an agreed discharge point, and diverting a stream or ditch past the works. Not covered: wellpoint and deep well systems. - Pump water from an excavation - Bypass a watercourse flow ## Suggested steps and hazards for Dewatering Suggested for pump water from an excavation before any questions are answered. 1. ### Check the dewatering method - Read the excavation and dewatering assessment before placing a pump. - Check the water source, nearby structures and ground support are covered. Hazard Collapse, settlement or pollution caused by uncontrolled dewatering Who might be harmed and how The excavation team and people nearby Controls in place - Stop if the water or stability risk is not understood. - Keep the agreed support arrangement unchanged. Pumping can change excavation stability and nearby ground, so its effect must be checked first. [HSE: Excavations](https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/excavations.htm) 2. ### Keep the pump power safe in the wet - Run pumps off 110 volt or through an RCD, with leads and plugs checked and in date. - Keep joints and boards up out of the water and off the ground. Hazard A shock from a pump, lead or board standing in water Who might be harmed and how The pump team and anyone in the excavation Controls in place - Only an electrician isolates, locks off and proves dead before anyone opens a pump or a board. - Never lift a running pump by its cable, and never dry a damaged lead out and carry on. Wet ground gives the current a path straight through whoever is stood in it. [HSE: Electricity, systems in buildings](https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/systems.htm) 3. ### Know where the water is going before you start - Find out which drain or tank the water goes to, and that the site is allowed to put it there. - If you cannot say the water is clean, pump it into a tank or settlement bag instead of a drain. Hazard Dirty water going into a drain or stream and killing fish, with a fine to follow Who might be harmed and how The pump team and the environment Controls in place - Only the drain or tank you were told to use, nothing else. - Stop pumping if the water changes colour or smell. Putting the wrong water down a drain is a criminal offence, and the site carries it. [Temporary dewatering from excavations to surface water: RPS 261](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-dewatering-from-excavations-to-surface-water-rps-261/temporary-dewatering-from-excavations-to-surface-water) ## What the builder asks about Dewatering Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. The job - What water will the pump remove? - What flow will the bypass carry? Where - Where will the water go? - Could pumping affect the ground? How it’s done - What will you stand on to reach the work? - How will you keep the flow moving? - How will the pumps, hoses and barriers get to the work? What you’ve been told - Is the paperwork in for working in the stream? ## What your Dewatering RAMS includes ### Method statement The work in order, step by step. ### Risk assessment Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. ### PDF The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF. - ### [Groundworks RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=groundworks) - ### [Excavation RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=excavation) - ### [Trench RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=trench) - ### [Drainage RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=drainage) - ### [Electrofusion welding RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=electrofusion-welding) - [All trades and tasks](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder) ## What the law asks for ### What a RAMS is A risk assessment and method statement. The risk assessment records what could cause harm on the job, who could be harmed and how, and the controls that keep the risk down. The method statement sets out how the work will be done, step by step, in the order it happens. A client or main contractor will usually ask for one before you start. RAMS is a site term, not a legal one: the law asks for the risk assessment and for the work to be planned, and a method statement is the usual way to show that plan for one job. ### What the law asks for - Employers, and self-employed people doing construction work, must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their own people and to anyone else affected by the work ([Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/3)). - An employer with five or more employees must record the significant findings. The assessment must be reviewed if there is reason to think it is no longer valid, or the work has changed significantly. - Every contractor must plan, manage and monitor its work so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, it is done without risks to health and safety, and must give its workers the information and instructions they need, including the hazards the risk assessment found ([Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 15](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/15)). HSE guidance: [the steps to manage risk](https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm) and [what contractors must do under CDM](https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/contractors.htm). This is the law in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent regulations. ### What the builder does You choose the work and answer questions about how the job will be done, such as what you will stand on and what else is going on nearby. Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. Many suggestions link to the HSE guidance they draw on. Your work is kept in this browser, and the PDF is made on your device. ### Separate documents A COSHH assessment, lifting plan, permit to work, asbestos survey and the principal contractor’s construction phase plan are separate from the RAMS.