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Duct access-panel installation RAMS Builder

Duct access-panel installation risk assessment and method statement

Prepare RAMS for fitting service panels into ductwork and for opening and closing existing access points. Add the site and duct details, trim the suggested steps and review the PDF draft.

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Prepare the Duct access-panel installation RAMS

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Duct access-panel installation RAMS

What will you be doing?

More details

Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.

What a Duct access-panel installation RAMS covers

Cutting in and fixing access panels on ductwork so services can be reached, and opening and resealing panels that are already in place.

  • Fit a service panel
  • Open and restore access

Suggested steps and hazards for Duct access-panel installation

What it offers for fit a service panel before you have answered anything.

  1. Stop things falling on people below

    • Fence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the panels.
    • Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.

    Hazard

    Panels falling onto people below

    Who might be harmed and how

    People below, including the public

    Controls in place

    • Lower waste in bags or a chute, never throw it.
    • Keep the exclusion zone up until the last item is down.

    Falling objects are a leading cause of harm to the public near construction.

    HSE: Protecting the public
  2. Check the formed opening

    • Compare the opening with the selected panel instructions.
    • Do not fix into an unsupported or unknown opening.

    Hazard

    A panel falls, binds or leaves the service opening unsafe.

    Who might be harmed and how

    Installer and people below

    Controls in place

    • Keep the opening supported and protected.
    • Stop if its size or construction differs from the detail.

    The opening must match the panel before it can be fixed safely.

    Premium double door access panel fitting instructions
  3. Plumb and level the frame

    • Use the selected fixings on each side and keep the frame supported while fixing.
    • Stop if the panel, opening or fixing detail is not confirmed.

    Hazard

    The frame pulls loose or the door cannot close correctly.

    Who might be harmed and how

    Installer and building users

    Controls in place

    • Use only the fixings named for the panel and opening.
    • Keep hands clear while the frame is supported.

    A plumb and level frame supports the panel and lets its doors close correctly.

    Premium double door access panel fitting instructions

What the builder asks about Duct access-panel installation

Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.

The job

  • What must the panel let you reach?
  • What system is behind the panel?

Where

  • Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
  • What pipes or cables run around the formed opening and frame?

How it’s done

  • What will you stand on to reach the work?
  • What panel and opening information do you have?
  • How will the system be made safe?
  • How will the access panels get to the work?

What you’ve been told

  • Does the surrounding construction need fire performance?
  • How will the panel be restored?

What your Duct access-panel installation RAMS includes

Method statement

The sequence of the work, step by step. The suggestions are a starting point; you write the method for the job as it will be done.

Risk assessment

Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. There is no risk score: you judge each row against the real site, and adding a hazard does not put its controls in place.

PDF draft for review

The document as you left it, for someone competent to check. A download is not approval and not permission to start work.