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Plumbing RAMS Builder
Plumbing risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for isolating and draining down, fitting or replacing pipe, cold joints, sanitaryware, pumps and valves, radiator swaps and water pressure tests.
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Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.
Plumbing RAMS template
A blank plumbing RAMS to fill in: job details, method statement, risk assessment and briefing record.
Risk assessment and method statement
Plumbing 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Risk assessment
| Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | Controls in place | Further action |
|---|---|---|---|
Plumbing RAMS example
The same RAMS, filled in for one job.
Risk assessment and method statement
Plumbing, 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.
- 2Check for asbestos before you disturb anythingAsk for the asbestos survey or register before you start. Read what it says about old pipework, lagging, boards or sealants. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 3Check the route before you cutUse service information and a suitable detector before cutting or drilling. Stop if old lagging or an unknown material is in the route.
- 4Carry the plumbing 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.
- 5Support the pipe and its fittingsFix the pipe on supports that suit its material and route. Do not leave a joint carrying the weight of the pipe.
- 6Keep joints where they can be reachedLeave every joint accessible for inspection and repair. Fit an access panel if the agreed route needs a cover.
- 7Test and flush the new runTest the completed run using the written arrangement for the system. Flush it before it is handed back for use.
- 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.
Breathing asbestos fibres from old boards, sheets, sealants or insulation
The team and anyone in the building
Do not cut, drill or break any material until it is confirmed asbestos free. Licensed work is not for this method; hand it to a licensed contractor.
A hidden service or asbestos material is struck or disturbed
Plumbers and people in nearby rooms
Check the asbestos information before disturbing the building. Use a controlled route and stop for an unknown service.
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.
Pipe movement or support failure causes a leak or falling material
Plumbers and people below the route
Use sound supports at the agreed positions. Check the wall or structure before fixing to it.
A hidden leak damages the building before it can be found
Plumbers, occupants and people below
Do not close in a joint without an agreed access arrangement. Record the route before covering it.
A leaking or contaminated pipe is put back into service
Plumbers, occupants and users of the water
Keep the area protected until the test passes. Record leaks and correct them before handback.
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 Plumbing RAMS covers
Isolating and draining down, pipework, sanitaryware, pumps, valves, radiator swaps and water pressure tests. Not covered: soldered or brazed joints, and any gas work.
- Isolate/drain
- Fit/replace pipe
- Cold joint
- Sanitaryware
- Pump/valve replacement
- Water pressure test
- Radiator replacement
Suggested steps and hazards for Plumbing
Suggested for fit/replace pipe before any questions are answered.
Check the route before you cut
- Use service information and a suitable detector before cutting or drilling.
- Stop if old lagging or an unknown material is in the route.
Hazard
A hidden service or asbestos material is struck or disturbed
Who might be harmed and how
Plumbers and people in nearby rooms
Controls in place
- Check the asbestos information before disturbing the building.
- Use a controlled route and stop for an unknown service.
The route and its materials must be understood before cutting or drilling starts.
HSE: Locations of asbestos and taking the right action Support the pipe and its fittings
- Fix the pipe on supports that suit its material and route.
- Do not leave a joint carrying the weight of the pipe.
Hazard
Pipe movement or support failure causes a leak or falling material
Who might be harmed and how
Plumbers and people below the route
Controls in place
- Use sound supports at the agreed positions.
- Check the wall or structure before fixing to it.
Suitable supports keep movement and load away from the joints.
Water Regs UK: Installing pipework Keep joints where they can be reached
- Leave every joint accessible for inspection and repair.
- Fit an access panel if the agreed route needs a cover.
Hazard
A hidden leak damages the building before it can be found
Who might be harmed and how
Plumbers, occupants and people below
Controls in place
- Do not close in a joint without an agreed access arrangement.
- Record the route before covering it.
Reachable joints allow leaks to be found and repaired without opening the building again.
Water Regs UK: Installing pipework
What the builder asks about Plumbing
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What pipe are you fitting?
- Which fitting is in the job?
- What are you changing?
- What component are you replacing?
- What are you fitting?
- What water is in the pipe?
- What water will the joint carry?
Where
- Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
- What pipes or cables run where you will drill, fix or open the system?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
- What is feeding the section?
- What test has been specified?
- Where will the water go?
- How will you join the pipe?
What your Plumbing 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.