SafetyPaperwork
Excavation and earthworks · United Kingdom

Method statement for swimming pool excavation

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of swimming pool excavation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are hitting underground services, road traffic, being hit by mobile plant and trench or excavation collapse.

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RAMS example: swimming pool excavation

This is a complete RAMS for swimming pool excavation, with 8 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Pool excavation · Excavation and earthworks · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Get utility plans, check overhead power lines and access, and set out the pool
  • Hitting underground services
  • Contact with overhead power lines
Workers, Public, Plant operatorsVery high (15)
  • Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Isolate
  • Do a CAT and Genny scan before digging and mark services on the ground. Control (engineering)
  • Hand dig trial holes to find services before machine digging (safe digging practice). Control (engineering)
  • Get utility plans before digging and check them against what you see on site. Control (procedures)
  • Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Control (procedures)
  • If you hit a service, stop, get everyone clear, and call the owner and emergency services. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety boots, gloves and hi-vis when digging. PPE
  • Ask the distribution network operator (DNO) to turn off, move or insulate the lines before work starts. Eliminate
  • Use non-conductive (fibreglass) ladders near any power lines. Reduce / substitute
  • Mark the safe distance with flags, tape or goal posts and keep all plant and people outside it. Isolate
  • Follow HSE GS6: barriers, goal posts under the lines and a permit for work near them. Control (procedures)
  • Use a dedicated spotter whenever plant moves or raises anything near lines. Control (procedures)
  • Treat all lines as live. If plant touches a line, stay in the cab and keep everyone well away. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
2Plan truck routes and protect neighbouring fences and footings
  • Road traffic
  • Structural collapse during alterations
Workers, Road users, Public, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Do the work at low-traffic times, or close the road or lane with approval. Eliminate
  • Put solid barriers between the work and traffic where speeds are high, not just cones. Isolate
  • Use a truck-mounted attenuator or buffer vehicle on high speed roads. Control (engineering)
  • Set up signs and cones to Chapter 8 (Traffic Signs Manual) by trained operatives. Control (procedures)
  • Get a street works permit or licence from the highway authority before you start. Control (procedures)
  • Park work vehicles to shield the work zone, with beacons on. Control (procedures)
  • Wear Class 2 or 3 hi-vis clothing (EN ISO 20471). PPE
  • Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Eliminate
  • Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Isolate
  • Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Control (engineering)
  • Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Control (procedures)
  • Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots. PPE
Medium (5)
3Set up an exclusion zone and spotter around the excavator
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Workers, Visitors, PublicVery high (15)
  • Separate people and plant with barriers, exclusion zones and marked walkways. Isolate
  • Use plant with working reversing alarms, cameras and lights. Control (engineering)
  • Have a traffic management plan showing plant routes, loading areas and pedestrian paths. Control (procedures)
  • Use a spotter when reversing or working near people. Control (procedures)
  • Make eye contact with the operator before going near. Stay out of the swing radius. Control (procedures)
  • Operators hold a CPCS, NPORS or equal card for the plant they use. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check on each machine every day and record it. Control (procedures)
  • Wear hi-vis clothing and a hard hat. PPE
Medium (5)
4Dig in stages, keeping spoil away from the edge
  • Trench or excavation collapse
  • Being hit by mobile plant
Workers, Visitors, PublicVery high (15)
  • Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Eliminate
  • Barricade or cover the excavation so people and plant cannot fall in. Isolate
  • Trench or excavation collapse: see step 5 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Being hit by mobile plant: see step 3 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
5Batter or shore the walls and keep people out of the hole unless it is safe
  • Trench or excavation collapse
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
Workers, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Eliminate
  • Barricade or cover the excavation so people and plant cannot fall in. Isolate
  • Support or batter back the sides of any excavation where collapse could happen. Use trench boxes or sheet piling for deeper trenches. Control (engineering)
  • Keep spoil, materials and plant at least 1 metre back from the edge. Control (engineering)
  • Provide a safe way in and out, such as a ladder near where people work. Control (engineering)
  • Inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after rain or anything that could weaken it. Record it. Control (procedures)
  • Never work alone in a trench. Watch for water, cracks and bulging walls, and get out if you see them. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis and safety boots. PPE
  • Cover every hole and penetration with a fixed, secured cover marked "HOLE" or "DANGER". Isolate
  • Put guardrails with toe boards around stairwells, lift shafts, voids and open edges. Isolate
  • Install stairs early and fit temporary handrails as soon as they go in. Control (engineering)
  • Never remove a cover or guardrail without approval. Put it back straight away. Control (procedures)
  • Inspect covers and barriers daily and after other trades have been through. Control (procedures)
  • Keep lighting good enough to see openings, especially on lower floors and in the evening. Control (procedures)
  • Use a harness clipped to a rated anchor when working right next to an open void. PPE
Medium (5)
6Watch for groundwater and pump out, keeping pump leads dry
  • Drowning
  • Electric shock from leads and power tools
WorkersHigh (12)
  • Work from the bank or a platform instead of in or over the water where you can. Eliminate
  • Put up barriers or guardrails along water edges. Isolate
  • Pump out flooded pits and excavations before work. Control (engineering)
  • Never work near deep water alone. Keep a rescue person with a throw line or life ring ready. Control (procedures)
  • Check water levels and the weather, and stop work in floods or fast-flowing water. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a life jacket when working over or next to water deep enough to drown in. PPE
  • Use battery-powered tools where you can. Reduce / substitute
  • Use 110V tools through a centre-tapped transformer, or battery tools. Use an RCD on any 230V supply. Control (engineering)
  • Keep leads off the ground and out of water, using lead stands or hooks. Control (engineering)
  • Check leads, plugs and tools before every use. Tag out and remove anything damaged. Control (procedures)
  • Keep tools and leads inspected and PAT tested on a regular schedule. Control (procedures)
  • Do not use tools in rain or wet areas unless they are rated for it. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety boots and dry gloves. PPE
Medium (5)
7Load and cart spoil, cleaning the road
  • Road traffic
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, Road users, Public, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Road traffic: see step 2 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Medium (5)
8Fence the hole at the end of every day
  • Public entering the work area
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
  • Drowning
Public, Children, Workers, VisitorsVery high (15)
  • Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Isolate
  • Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for prams and wheelchairs. Isolate
  • Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Control (engineering)
  • Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Control (procedures)
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Control (procedures)
  • Falling through a floor opening or void: see step 5 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Drowning: see step 6 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Medium (5)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans, check overhead power lines and access, and set out the pool
  2. Plan truck routes and protect neighbouring fences and footings
  3. Set up an exclusion zone and spotter around the excavator
  4. Dig in stages, keeping spoil away from the edge
  5. Batter or shore the walls and keep people out of the hole unless it is safe
  6. Watch for groundwater and pump out, keeping pump leads dry
  7. Load and cart spoil, cleaning the road
  8. Fence the hole at the end of every day

PPE

Safety bootsHi-vis vestSafety helmetEar defendersRigger gloves

Plant and equipment

Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator cardSite dumper: CPCS or NPORS forward tipping dumper cardSkid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer cardHand tools

Permits and plans

Permit to dig

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this RAMS.

Free RAMS template for swimming pool excavation

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this RAMS

Pre-start checklist for swimming pool excavation

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Get utility plans, check overhead power lines and access, and set out the pool
  2. Plan truck routes and protect neighbouring fences and footings
  3. Set up an exclusion zone and spotter around the excavator
  4. Dig in stages, keeping spoil away from the edge
  5. Batter or shore the walls and keep people out of the hole unless it is safe
  6. Watch for groundwater and pump out, keeping pump leads dry
  7. Load and cart spoil, cleaning the road
  8. Fence the hole at the end of every day

Hazards to watch on swimming pool excavation

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 6, 8DrowningA worker falls into a river, dam, pool or flooded pit and drowns or is swept away.
Step 2, 7Road trafficPassing cars and trucks hit workers or plant working on or next to a road.
Step 4, 5Trench or excavation collapseThe trench walls cave in and bury or crush a worker. Any excavation can collapse, however shallow. Sides must be supported or battered back wherever a collapse could hurt someone.
Step 1Contact with overhead power linesA ladder, MEWP, crane, tipper or long length of material touches or gets close to an overhead line and electrocutes people.
Step 6Electric shock from leads and power toolsDamaged leads, plugs or tools, or water near power, give the user an electric shock.
Step 2Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on swimming pool excavation: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and fatal becomes very unlikely and fatal).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Licences and legal requirements in United Kingdom

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Excavator (360): CPCS or NPORS excavator card
  • Site dumper: CPCS or NPORS forward tipping dumper card
  • Skid steer loader: CPCS or NPORS skid steer card

Employers must assess the risks of their work and record the significant findings (required where you employ 5 or more people). On CDM projects, contractors give their RAMS to the principal contractor before starting, and brief the workers on it.

Rules that apply: HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services; HSE GS6 Avoiding danger from overhead power lines; Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice (Red Book); CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 19 (stability of structures); CDM Regulations 2015 and PUWER 1998; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 22 (excavations); Work at Height Regulations 2005; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; CDM Regulations 2015.

Why RAMS get rejected

Principal contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for swimming pool excavation?

You must assess the risks of swimming pool excavation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for swimming pool excavation?

Usually Safety boots, Hi-vis vest, Safety helmet, Ear defenders, Rigger gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More excavation and earthworks RAMS

RAMSTrench Excavation10 stepsRAMSFoundation Excavation5 stepsRAMSSite Strip and Levelling6 stepsRAMSSurface Water Drainage Installation5 stepsRAMSPost Hole Digging5 stepsRAMSBackfill and Compaction5 steps

Related jobs in other trades

ScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves contact with overhead power linesRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves contact with overhead power linesElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves electric shock from leads and power toolsDemolitionSoft StripAlso involves structural collapse during alterationsBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves being hit by mobile plant

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkOverhead Power LinesToolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkExcavation and Trench SafetyToolbox talkUnderground Services and CAT and Genny

Blank RAMS template: free RAMS templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United States (JHA) · Canada (FLHA)

Sources