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Ventilation RAMS Builder
Ventilation risk assessment and method statement
Write RAMS for mounting or replacing ventilation units, mechanical work on ductwork and air handling units, and routine ventilation maintenance. Enter the site, edit the suggested steps and look over the PDF draft.
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Prepare the Ventilation RAMS
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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 Ventilation RAMS covers
Mechanical ventilation work: hanging or swapping fans and units, fitting and altering duct runs and AHU components, and the filter changes and checks of a routine maintenance visit.
- Mount/replace unit
- Duct/AHU mechanical work
- Routine ventilation maintenance
Suggested steps and hazards for Ventilation
What it offers for mount/replace unit before you have answered anything.
Stop things falling on people below
- Fence off the ground below the work so nobody walks under the units, duct sections and tools.
- Use toe boards, brick guards or netting on platforms and lanyard tools where you can.
Hazard
Units, duct sections and tools 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 Check the unit and instructions
- Identify the correct unit and read the maker's installation instructions before opening it.
- Confirm the support, lifting points, clearances and connection handovers.
Hazard
Working on the wrong unit or using an unsuitable mounting method
Who might be harmed and how
Ventilation engineers and people using the building
Controls in place
- Use the actual model instructions and stop if the unit or support does not match the job.
The unit, support and handovers must match the actual installation before it is opened.
HSE: Maintenance of work equipment Isolate and get each handover
- Stop the fan and isolate every relevant power, pressure and water supply.
- Lock off where it could be switched back on, then get the agreed specialist handover.
Hazard
Unexpected start-up or release of electricity, refrigerant or water
Who might be harmed and how
The installation team and nearby workers
Controls in place
- Prove the unit is safe before handling it. Keep electrical and refrigerant work with the people who own those systems.
The unit cannot be moved safely while an energy source or specialist connection remains live.
HSE: Maintenance of work equipment
What the builder asks about Ventilation
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- Where will the unit sit?
- What part are you changing?
- Which service task are you doing?
- Which unit, and how heavy is it?
Where
- What else is in or around the section?
- What will hold the unit up?
- What has been through the duct?
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run behind or around the unit, duct or fixings?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What does the manual allow you to clean?
- What is hooked up to the unit?
- How will the units and duct sections get to the work?
- Will you cut anything on site, and with what?
What your Ventilation 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.