Free to use · PDF download # Pipe insulation RAMS Builder > Pipe insulation RAMS builder for lagging pipework and insulating ductwork. Answer a few questions, or download a free RAMS template or example as a PDF. > Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=pipe-insulation Pipe insulation risk assessment and method statement Prepare RAMS for lagging pipework and insulating ductwork. - Free to use - No account needed - Questions follow HSE guidance - Saves in this browser ## Pipe insulation RAMS template A blank pipe insulation RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record. Risk assessment and method statement Pipe insulation 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/pipe-insulation-rams-template.pdf) ## Pipe insulation RAMS example The same RAMS, filled in for one job. Risk assessment and method statement Pipe insulation, Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport - **Company**: Hollins & Reed Contracting Ltd - **Site and work area**: Unit 3, Canal Side Business Park, Stockport - **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 Do not climb into a tight space on your ownRisers, crawl spaces, ceiling voids, ducts and plant pits can hold bad air, and you can get stuck. If the only way to lag it is to get inside one, stop: that is a permit job with the air tested first. Somebody stays outside watching, and there is a way of getting you out before anyone goes in. 3. 3 Confirm the pipe service and temperatureCheck what the pipe carries and the specified operating temperature before choosing insulation. Stop if the service or temperature is unknown. 4. 4 Carry the insulation materials 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. 5. 5 Use the specified pipe systemCheck the product, thickness and facing against the specification before fitting. Keep the product information with the work. 6. 6 Fit and seal the pipe insulationFit the specified sections or wrap tightly around the pipe. Seal each joint with the specified tape or facing system. 7. 7 Close gaps around the pipe runCheck bends, supports and penetrations as well as straight sections. Close gaps with the approved material and tape before the finish hides them. 8. 8 Keep hot pipework safeTreat the pipe as hot until its temperature and safe working method are confirmed. Keep people away from exposed hot sections while insulation is incomplete. 9. 9 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. - Being overcome by bad air, or trapped, inside a riser, void, duct or pit The insulator and whoever tries to pull them out Lag it from outside the space wherever you can. No permit, no air test, no rescue plan: nobody goes in. - Poor performance, condensation or burns from the wrong insulation Insulators, service workers and occupants Use the project specification and product data. Do not guess the insulation from the pipe appearance. - 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. - The pipe loses thermal or fire performance because an unsuitable product is fitted Insulators, service workers and building occupants Use the named system and thickness. Stop if the product or thickness is not identified. - Heat loss, condensation or exposed hot surfaces at an open joint Insulators, service workers and occupants Keep the vapour barrier continuous where the system needs one. Leave valves, flanges and access points usable. - Cold bridging, condensation or loss of thermal protection Insulators, service workers and occupants Inspect the full worked length. Do not hide an incomplete joint behind a finish. - Contact with a hot pipe causes a burn Insulators, service workers and people nearby Use the agreed isolation or protection method. Stop if the pipe temperature is unknown. - 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/pipe-insulation-rams-example.pdf) ## What a Pipe insulation RAMS covers Thermal or fire insulation on installed, identified pipework and ductwork. Not covered: stripping old insulation that may contain asbestos. - Pipework insulation - Ductwork insulation ## Suggested steps and hazards for Pipe insulation Suggested for pipework insulation before any questions are answered. 1. ### Do not climb into a tight space on your own - Risers, crawl spaces, ceiling voids, ducts and plant pits can hold bad air, and you can get stuck. - If the only way to lag it is to get inside one, stop: that is a permit job with the air tested first. - Somebody stays outside watching, and there is a way of getting you out before anyone goes in. Hazard Being overcome by bad air, or trapped, inside a riser, void, duct or pit Who might be harmed and how The insulator and whoever tries to pull them out Controls in place - Lag it from outside the space wherever you can. - No permit, no air test, no rescue plan: nobody goes in. Most people who die in confined spaces are the second one in, going after the first. [HSE: Confined spaces](https://www.hse.gov.uk/confinedspace/) 2. ### Confirm the pipe service and temperature - Check what the pipe carries and the specified operating temperature before choosing insulation. - Stop if the service or temperature is unknown. Hazard Poor performance, condensation or burns from the wrong insulation Who might be harmed and how Insulators, service workers and occupants Controls in place - Use the project specification and product data. - Do not guess the insulation from the pipe appearance. The service and temperature set the insulation performance needed. [Pipe Insulation and lagging](https://www.rockwool.com/uk/applications/hvac-insulation/pipe-insulation/) 3. ### Use the specified pipe system - Check the product, thickness and facing against the specification before fitting. - Keep the product information with the work. Hazard The pipe loses thermal or fire performance because an unsuitable product is fitted Who might be harmed and how Insulators, service workers and building occupants Controls in place - Use the named system and thickness. - Stop if the product or thickness is not identified. Insulation thickness and product choice depend on the pipe service and temperature. [Pipe Insulation and lagging](https://www.rockwool.com/uk/applications/hvac-insulation/pipe-insulation/) ## What the builder asks about Pipe insulation Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests. The job - What service is the pipe carrying? - What shape is the duct? How it’s done - What will you stand on to reach the work? - Which pipe insulation system is specified? - What performance must the duct insulation provide? - What is already around the pipe? - What is already around the duct? - How will the duct insulation be held in place? - Will you cut anything on site, and with what? - How will the insulation materials get to the work? ## What your Pipe insulation 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. - ### [Plumbing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=plumbing) - ### [Ventilation RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=ventilation) - ### [Kitchen extraction RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=kitchen-extraction) - ### [Power flushing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=power-flushing) - ### [Closed system flushing RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=closed-system-flushing) - ### [Catering equipment RAMS](https://complyonsite.com/tools/rams-builder?job=catering-equipment) - [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.