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Rodent proofing RAMS Builder

Rodent proofing risk assessment and method statement

Prepare RAMS for sealing a building against rats and mice and proofing the drains and service entries they use. Add the premises, edit the suggestions that fit and read through the PDF draft.

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Prepare the Rodent proofing RAMS

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Rodent proofing 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 Rodent proofing RAMS covers

Closing the routes rodents use to get into a building: sealing gaps in the fabric with mesh and barriers, and fitting proofing to drains and the points where services enter.

  • Building rodent exclusion
  • Drain and service proofing

Suggested steps and hazards for Rodent proofing

What it offers for building rodent exclusion before you have answered anything.

  1. Check the weather before you start

    • Do not lift or fix mesh, barriers and loose 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 mesh, barriers and loose 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
  2. Stop things falling on people below

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

    Hazard

    Barriers, tools and fixings 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
  3. Control activity before closing

    • Confirm the current pest-control position before sealing the building entry point.
    • Keep treatment work separate from physical proofing.

    Hazard

    Rodents are trapped inside or move to another part of the building.

    Who might be harmed and how

    Workers, occupants and rodents

    Controls in place

    • Record the control decision before closure.
    • Do not start closure while activity is present or unclear.

    Closing a route before activity is controlled can trap rodents or move them elsewhere.

    Code of Practice: prevention and control of rodent infestations on poultry farms

What the builder asks about Rodent proofing

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

The job

  • Have the rats or mice been cleared out yet?
  • Which opening needs protecting?
  • Where is the building entry route?

Where

  • Is the building older than the year 2000? Older buildings can have asbestos in them.
  • What pipes or cables run the wall, roof, ground or service opening where you drill or fix?

How it’s done

  • What will you stand on to reach the work?
  • Which barrier will you fit?
  • What are you blocking the hole with?
  • Will you cut anything on site, and with what?

What you’ve been told

  • Can you check the route without entering it?

What your Rodent proofing 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.