Free to use · PDF download
Flood work RAMS Builder
Flood recovery risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for clearing contaminated contents after a flood, drying the building out and making flood-resilient repairs. Describe the property, what the water left behind and the services, edit the suggested steps and review the PDF draft.
- Free to use
- No account needed
- Questions follow HSE guidance
- Work recovers in this browser
Prepare the Flood work RAMS
Checking this browser for your work…
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 Flood work RAMS covers
Removing and bagging contaminated contents and finishes, running dehumidifiers and air movers once the water has gone, and rebuilding with materials and details that stand up to the next flood.
- Flood contamination recovery
- Drying out
- Flood-resilient repair
Suggested steps and hazards for Flood work
What it offers for drying out before you have answered anything.
Check the weather before you start
- Do not lift or fix wet contents and repair materials in strong wind; a large sheet is a sail.
- Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning, and rest in the shade in hot weather.
Hazard
Wind catches the wet contents and repair materials or blows someone off balance at height
Who might be harmed and how
The team and people below
Controls in place
- Agree a wind limit for panels and platforms and check the forecast each morning.
- Tie down or take in loose materials before you leave.
Wind is the main weather cause of falls and dropped loads in outside work at height.
HSE: Work at height Wait until floodwater recedes
- Start drying equipment only after the floodwater has receded.
- Do not use a dehumidifier to remove standing floodwater.
Hazard
Electric shock or equipment damage while standing floodwater remains
Who might be harmed and how
Drying workers and occupants
Controls in place
- Use a separate safe method for any remaining floodwater.
- Keep electrical equipment out until it is dry and inspected.
Drying equipment is for moisture in the air and materials, not for standing floodwater.
How to recover from flooding Keep wet electrical equipment out of use
- Isolate wet equipment and wiring from use.
- Have the right person check it before it is energised again.
Hazard
Electric shock or fire from wet or damaged electrical equipment
Who might be harmed and how
Drying workers, occupants and other trades
Controls in place
- Do not test or repair electrical equipment as part of drying work.
- Keep isolated equipment marked and protected.
Floodwater can leave electrical equipment unsafe after the visible water has gone.
How to recover from flooding
What the builder asks about Flood work
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What was in the floodwater?
- What needs cleaning or sorting?
- What resilience work is specified?
Where
- Has electrical equipment or wiring got wet?
- What property detail are you working to?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run in or behind the building element you are changing?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- How will you dry the area?
- How will the flooded contents and materials get to the work?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What you’ve been told
- What might be in the damaged material?
- What will show the area is ready?
- Is this repair after flooding, or a planned retrofit?
What your Flood work 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.