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Closed system flushing RAMS Builder
Closed system flushing risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for cleaning a closed heating loop or chilled-water loop and dosing it afterwards.
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Closed system flushing RAMS template
A blank closed system flushing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Closed system flushing 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
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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Risk assessment
| Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action |
|---|---|---|---|
Closed system flushing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Closed system flushing, 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
- 1Set 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.
- 2Confirm the loop and treatmentIdentify the closed loop, its pipe and plant materials, and any treatment already in it. Match the cleaner and inhibitor to the system before dosing; stop if either is unknown.
- 3Make the heating loop safe to openIsolate the plant and loop, let hot parts cool and release pressure before opening a drain or connection. Prove the isolation and keep anyone from restarting the plant while the loop is open.
- 4Plan the drain and dischargeAgree the drain points, discharge route and refill water before opening the loop. Protect nearby plant and keep treatment water out of unsuitable drains.
- 5Circulate the cleanerAdd only the named cleaner and circulate it for the maker’s stated sequence. Keep the loop within its operating limits and stop for a leak or abnormal reading.
- 6Flush and check the waterDrain and flush through the agreed route until the cleaning result meets the stated check. Use the named water check before treating the final fill.
- 7Protect and hand back the loopAdd the named inhibitor to the final fill, or wait for the service provider to test it. Record the treatment, test result and restart condition before circulation resumes.
- 8Clear 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.
An incompatible treatment damages pipework, seals or plant.
The treatment worker and plant owner
Use the maker's product information. Refer unknown materials or previous treatment to the service provider.
Hot or pressurised water escapes and injures someone.
The treatment worker and plant staff
Use the site's isolation procedure. Stop if the loop cannot be isolated, cooled or depressurised safely.
Contaminated treatment water reaches people, plant or unsuitable drainage.
The treatment worker, plant staff and the environment
Keep the discharge route controlled from the first drain-down to the final flush. Use the site waste and discharge arrangements.
The wrong dose or sequence damages the loop or leaves it ineffective.
The treatment worker and plant owner
Follow the product instructions and record the product and dose. Do not dose until the product and loop are identified.
Cleaner residue or suspended contamination remains in the heating loop.
The treatment worker and plant owner
Keep discharge contained and record the water check. Do not refill or restart until the agreed check passes.
The cleaned loop corrodes or scales because final protection is missing.
The plant owner, building users and service workers
Use the specified final-fill product and keep its record with the job. Do not restart without the agreed final check and handover.
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.
What a Closed system flushing RAMS covers
Isolating, draining, flushing, chemically cleaning and dosing a closed heating or chilled-water loop. Not covered: domestic radiator systems.
- Clean heating loop
- Clean cooling loop
Suggested steps and hazards for Closed system flushing
Suggested for clean heating loop before any questions are answered.
Confirm the loop and treatment
- Identify the closed loop, its pipe and plant materials, and any treatment already in it.
- Match the cleaner and inhibitor to the system before dosing; stop if either is unknown.
Hazard
An incompatible treatment damages pipework, seals or plant.
Who might be harmed and how
The treatment worker and plant owner
Controls in place
- Use the maker's product information.
- Refer unknown materials or previous treatment to the service provider.
The loop and treatment must be identified before dosing starts.
Domestic hot and cold water supply and central heating Make the heating loop safe to open
- Isolate the plant and loop, let hot parts cool and release pressure before opening a drain or connection.
- Prove the isolation and keep anyone from restarting the plant while the loop is open.
Hazard
Hot or pressurised water escapes and injures someone.
Who might be harmed and how
The treatment worker and plant staff
Controls in place
- Use the site's isolation procedure.
- Stop if the loop cannot be isolated, cooled or depressurised safely.
A closed loop can hold heat and pressure after the plant has been switched off.
Domestic hot and cold water supply and central heating Plan the drain and discharge
- Agree the drain points, discharge route and refill water before opening the loop.
- Protect nearby plant and keep treatment water out of unsuitable drains.
Hazard
Contaminated treatment water reaches people, plant or unsuitable drainage.
Who might be harmed and how
The treatment worker, plant staff and the environment
Controls in place
- Keep the discharge route controlled from the first drain-down to the final flush.
- Use the site waste and discharge arrangements.
The drain and refill route need controlling before treatment water is released.
Domestic hot and cold water supply and central heating
What the builder asks about Closed system flushing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What heating loop are you cleaning?
- What cooling loop are you cleaning?
- What condition and contamination are known?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What treatment product and method are specified?
- How will the final fill be checked and protected?
- How will the loop be flushed and put back?
What your Closed system flushing 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.
The method statement and risk assessment in one A4 PDF.
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).
- 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).
HSE guidance: the steps to manage risk and what contractors must do under CDM. 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.