SafetyPaperwork
Heating and ventilation · United Kingdom

Method statement for ductwork installation

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

You must assess the risks of ductwork installation 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 silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles, MEWP tip-over or crush, falling tools and materials and loud noise.

Make this RAMS nowWord templatePDF

RAMS example: ductwork installation

This is a complete RAMS for ductwork installation, with 5 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)
Ductwork installation · Heating and ventilation · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up MEWP or platform and close the area below
  • MEWP tip-over or crush
  • Falling tools and materials
Workers, People nearby, Public, People belowVery high (15)
  • Check the ground before setting up. Use outriggers and spreader pads, and keep clear of trenches, pits and slopes. Control (engineering)
  • Use a platform with tilt alarm and secondary guarding (anti-entrapment) where there is an overhead crush risk. Control (engineering)
  • Use IPAF-trained operators for MEWPs, carrying their PAL card. Control (procedures)
  • Do a pre-start check each day. Keep a trained person on the ground who can lower the platform in an emergency. Control (procedures)
  • Never exceed the safe working load, climb on the rails or use a ladder in the basket. Control (procedures)
  • In boom-type platforms, wear a harness clipped to the basket anchor point. PPE
  • Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Isolate
  • Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Control (engineering)
  • Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Control (engineering)
  • Tether hand tools when working at height. Control (engineering)
  • Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Control (procedures)
  • Lower materials with a hoist, chute or rope. Never throw or drop anything down. Control (procedures)
  • Wear a hard hat anywhere objects could fall. PPE
Medium (8)
2Drill anchors with dust extraction
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
  • Loud noise
Workers, People nearbyVery high (20)
  • Order materials cut to size, or use low-dust methods such as score and snap or a block splitter. Reduce / substitute
  • Cut outdoors or in a separate area, with other people well away and upwind. Isolate
  • Use water on the blade or on-tool dust extraction connected to an H-class vacuum. Control (engineering)
  • Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Control (procedures)
  • Do a COSHH assessment and keep exposure below the workplace exposure limit (0.1 mg/m3 respirable crystalline silica, 8 hours). Control (procedures)
  • Workers regularly exposed to silica dust get health surveillance (COSHH reg 11, HSE G404). Control (procedures)
  • Wear a fit-tested FFP3 mask. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Reduce / substitute
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Isolate
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Control (engineering)
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Control (procedures)
  • If you have to shout to be heard by someone 2 metres away, the noise is probably 85 dB(A) or more: wear hearing protection. Control (procedures)
  • Assess noise. At 85 dB(A) or more, hearing protection is required and the zone must be marked. Control (procedures)
  • Wear earplugs or earmuffs rated for the noise. PPE
Medium (6)
3Lift duct sections with two people or a duct lifter
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Repetitive work and awkward postures
WorkersHigh (12)
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Reduce / substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Control (procedures)
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Control (procedures)
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
  • Use tools that cut the effort: powered screwdrivers, long-handled tools and extension poles for overhead work. Reduce / substitute
  • Set work up at waist height on benches or trestles where you can. Control (engineering)
  • Use light tools with good grips, and keep blades and bits sharp. Control (engineering)
  • Rotate tasks and take short breaks every hour on repetitive work. Control (procedures)
  • Warm up before heavy physical work and report aches and pains early. Control (procedures)
  • Wear knee pads for kneeling work and gloves for grip. PPE
Medium (6)
4Join and seal ducts, handling sharp metal edges with gloves
  • Cuts from sharp edges
  • Hazardous chemicals
Workers, OccupantsMedium (9)
  • Deburr or cover sharp edges, and fit edge protectors on exposed sheet metal. Control (engineering)
  • Use knives with retractable or self-retracting blades. Control (engineering)
  • Cut away from your body and keep your other hand clear. Control (procedures)
  • Put used blades in a blade bin or sharps container. Control (procedures)
  • Use two people to handle large sheets of metal or glass. Control (procedures)
  • Wear cut-resistant gloves and long sleeves. PPE
  • Choose the least harmful product that does the job, for example water-based instead of solvent-based. Reduce / substitute
  • Use chemicals in well-ventilated areas, or use fans and extraction in closed rooms. Control (engineering)
  • Do a COSHH assessment and read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before use. Control (procedures)
  • Keep chemicals in labelled containers. Never decant into drink bottles. Control (procedures)
  • Store chemicals away from heat, food and drink, and keep products that react with each other apart. Control (procedures)
  • Have eye wash and a spill kit nearby, and wash hands before eating. Control (procedures)
  • Wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses or goggles as listed on the SDS. PPE
  • Use a respirator with the right cartridge if the SDS calls for one. PPE
Medium (6)
5Clean up offcuts and screws
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, VisitorsMedium (8)
  • 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
Low (4)

Method statement: sequence of work

  1. Set up MEWP or platform and close the area below
  2. Drill anchors with dust extraction
  3. Lift duct sections with two people or a duct lifter
  4. Join and seal ducts, handling sharp metal edges with gloves
  5. Clean up offcuts and screws

PPE

Safety bootsCut-resistant glovesSafety glassesSafety helmetFFP3 dust maskFull body harness and lanyardHi-vis vestHalf-mask respirator (P3 filters)Ear defendersRigger glovesKnee padsChemical-resistant glovesSafety gogglesCoveralls

Plant and equipment

Scissor lift (MEWP): IPAF PAL card (3a)Podium stepPower drillSDS drillHand tools

Permits and plans

Work at height permit

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 ductwork installation

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 ductwork installation

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Set up MEWP or platform and close the area below
  2. Drill anchors with dust extraction
  3. Lift duct sections with two people or a duct lifter
  4. Join and seal ducts, handling sharp metal edges with gloves
  5. Clean up offcuts and screws

Hazards to watch on ductwork installation

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

Step 1MEWP tip-over or crushThe platform tips on soft or sloping ground, the worker is crushed against a beam or ceiling, or is thrown out of the basket.
Step 3Repetitive work and awkward posturesDoing the same movement for hours, kneeling or working overhead causes long-term damage to joints, muscles and tendons.
Step 4Hazardous chemicalsGlues, sealants, solvents, acids, cleaners and cement burn skin and eyes or cause breathing problems and poisoning.
Step 1Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 2Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tilesCutting, grinding or drilling concrete, brick, stone, tiles or fibre cement makes fine silica dust that causes silicosis and lung cancer.
Step 4Cuts from sharp edgesSheet metal, glass, blades, cable tray and offcuts cut hands and arms.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on ductwork installation: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatal becomes unlikely and major injury).

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:

  • Scissor lift (MEWP): IPAF PAL card (3a)

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: Work at Height Regulations 2005 and LOLER 1998; Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 10 (falling objects); COSHH Regulations 2002; Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

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 ductwork installation?

You must assess the risks of ductwork installation 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 ductwork installation?

Usually Safety boots, Cut-resistant gloves, Safety glasses, Safety helmet, FFP3 dust mask, Full body harness and lanyard, Hi-vis vest, Half-mask respirator (P3 filters), Ear defenders, Rigger gloves, Knee pads, Chemical-resistant gloves, Safety goggles, Coveralls. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More heating and ventilation RAMS

RAMSAir Conditioning Installation10 stepsRAMSDucted Air Conditioning6 stepsRAMSBoiler Replacement6 stepsRAMSAir Conditioning Maintenance5 stepsRAMSRooftop AHU Replacement6 stepsRAMSF-Gas Leak Repair6 steps

Related jobs in other trades

DemolitionSoft StripAlso involves hazardous chemicalsBricklayingBrickworkAlso involves silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tilesElectricalConsumer Unit ReplacementAlso involves cuts from sharp edgesRoofingRe-RoofingAlso involves falling tools and materialsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves falling tools and materials

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkCOSHH and Hazardous Substances

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

Sources