Replacement of two Hoval UltraGas® 2 D dual-module boilers (4 modules total, free-issue), with low-loss headers, a ~750 kW plate heat exchanger, primary and secondary pumping, twin-wall stainless flue, gas manifold modification and full BMS integration. The hospital remains heated throughout — final changeover is engineered as a single, planned, out-of-hours event.
Two boilers. Four modules. Zero loss of heat. Wards, theatres and clinical areas stay served by a temporary boiler arrangement throughout — the new plant is fully built, tested, flushed and commissioned before we touch the live circuit. The cutover is one Sunday, one shift, one signature.
RAMS Submission incorporating Method Statement, Risk Assessment, COSHH framework and Permit Register. To be read with the approved technical submission, programme, and Hoval UltraGas® 2 D installation instructions.
Two parallel narratives: the boiler replacement on one side, the live hospital on the other. The replacement is built complete and tested before the live system is touched — the cutover is the only point where they intersect.
Two Hoval UltraGas® 2 D dual-module boilers (free-issue), low-loss headers per pair, ~750 kW plate heat exchanger for hydraulic separation, primary and secondary pumps, air/dirt separation, magnetic filtration, valves, balancing and commissioning sets.
Twin-wall stainless flue suitable for condensing operation; redundant flues removed and penetrations made good. Gas manifold modification, module branches with flexible connections, tightness testing, purging and certification. Electrical supplies, isolators, containment and labels; cascade controls and BMS enable/fault interface; functional testing.
System flushing, chemical clean and inhibitor dosing to BSRIA BG 29; pre/post water sampling and analysis.
Hoval-authorised commissioning engineer; cascade tuning, burner modulation, safeties; warranty validation.
Witness testing with client engineering reps, on-site training of Estates staff, full O&M pack.
Temporary boiler interface (client-supplied); final cutover engineered as a single planned out-of-hours event.
Six assumptions form the boundary of this RAMS. Each one is explicit so that — if any condition shifts on site — the change-control mechanism is obvious rather than implicit.
Access, ventilation and existing incoming services are adequate for installation. Routes for handling boilers and ancillaries to be agreed with Estates pre-mobilisation.
Heating continuity maintained via a client-supplied temporary boiler. Built AI provides the necessary connections within the included scope.
Final changeover from temporary heating to new plant is planned as an out-of-hours operation under hospital coordination, with formal pre-notification.
Existing secondary distribution (pipework, emitters, terminal units) is not altered beyond the defined connections at the new plate heat exchanger.
Plantroom assumed asbestos-free / cleared per management survey; any unidentified suspect material triggers stop-work and Estates referral.
Hoval boilers are free-issue. Built AI takes responsibility from delivery acceptance — serial numbers verified against schedule on receipt.
Six functions covering the works package. Two are statutory (Gas Safe, NICEIC). One is manufacturer-mandated (Hoval). The remainder are RAMS- and CDM-driven.
Daily control of works, permits, coordination with Hospital Estates, toolbox talks. Single point of contact for safety, sequence and progress.
All gas modifications, tightness testing, purge and certification to current standards (IGEM/UP/10). No gas works proceed without certification.
Electrical supplies, local isolators, containment, full inspection, testing and certification. Lock-off authority for LV isolations.
Final commissioning, cascade configuration, burner tuning, safeties and warranty activation. Authorised engineer only.
Permits-to-Work issued, daily authorisation of intrusive activity, witness for isolations and changeover, infection-control sign-off.
CSCS, competence for confined plantrooms, current manual handling and safe lifting training. Site induction is mandatory before tools are unpacked.
Two boilers feeding a low-loss header. The header feeds the plate heat exchanger. The plate heat exchanger feeds the existing hospital secondary — and only the secondary. Hydraulic separation means the existing distribution is not disturbed.
Mobilisation Day 1, cutover Day 14, handover Day 15. Two activities are critical: the gas commissioning, and the cutover itself. The rest of the work flexes around them.
Normal working hours assumed. Limited out-of-hours working only for final changeover (Phase 10) and any agreed disruptive activity.
All intrusive activity in clinical-adjacent zones to avoid peak clinical hours where practicable.
Two activities sit on the critical path:
1.5-day buffer built into Phase 9 (commissioning) to absorb late-running flushing or BMS issues.
No float on Phase 10 — pre-cutover readiness gate must be passed before the window opens.
Hospital sites operate on a permit-driven safety culture. Every intrusive activity in this programme has a corresponding permit; no work proceeds without one. Infection control and clinical-area liaison overlay every permit.
Issued by Estates for plantroom access and intrusive works. Daily renewal. Scope and duration explicit.
LOTO authority for boiler / pump / control supplies. Prove dead before work commences.
Isolation, purge, modification and re-commissioning of gas manifold and module branches.
Isolation of heating flow/return, controlled draining and discharge per site rules.
Welding, brazing or grinding. Fire watch posted; post-work checks at +1hr; spark control mats deployed.
Suitable access equipment (podium / mobile tower) for flue installation and high-level pipework.
Authorisation to apply test pressure to new pipework sections. Exclusion zone, recorded results.
Authorisation for the cutover window. Pre-notification 7 days; confirmation 24 hours.
Six steps applied to every isolation in this scope. The principle is simple: nothing is dead until it has been proven dead, and nothing is live again until Estates have witnessed it.
Pre-start survey with Estates: live services, valves, isolators, lift points, exclusion zones.
Confirm continuity strategy. Issue cutover-window comms. Estates briefed on isolation extent.
LOTO applied to electrical supplies, gas manifold and heating flow/return. Tags placed.
Controlled drain-down to designated discharge. Gas manifold purged per IGEM/UP/10.
Prove dead (electrical) and prove isolation (gas). Recorded on permit before strip-out begins.
On reinstatement, controlled re-energisation in agreed sequence. Estates witness sign-off.
Each phase has an objective, a numbered method and a mandatory note that gates progression. SMSTS supervision throughout; daily toolbox talks; Estates briefed at every shift-start.
No tools out until induction is complete and permits are live.
Strip-out gate — no Phase 3 activity until temporary arrangement is signed-off as live.
Recovered metals, insulation and electrical components recorded on waste transfer notes.
Pressure test pass is a mandatory hold point before insulating.
No persons under suspended loads at any point during boiler positioning.
Penetration / fire-stopping inspection is a mandatory hold point before sealing.
Critical-path activity. Gas Safe certification is a mandatory hold point.
BMS enable/fault proving is a mandatory hold point before commissioning.
Water sample acceptance is a mandatory hold point before commissioning sign-off.
Estates witness presence required throughout the cutover window.
Witness test and training are mandatory hold points before formal acceptance.
Mandatory quality control gates. Each one has a name, a definition, and a named authority. None of them can be bypassed without written change-control.
Gas, electrical and mechanical isolations all proven dead before any strip-out commences. Recorded against permits.
All new pipework pressure-tested and recorded before insulation or boxing-in.
Penetrations, fire-stopping and supports verified before boxing-in or making good.
Gas Safe certification issued before any gas is introduced to appliances.
NICEIC inspection, testing and certification complete before energisation.
BSRIA BG 29 flush and dose complete; water sampling accepted before commissioning.
Enable and fault paths exercised end-to-end before handover.
Witness test passed and Estates training delivered before formal acceptance.
Hospital-sector overlay applied on top of standard CDM 2015 controls: infection control, permit-driven work, clinical access protection, out-of-hours coordination. PPE minimum: safety boots, task gloves, eye protection, hi-vis as required, hearing protection in cutting/grinding, RPE for dust generation, chemical-resistant gloves and face protection for dosing.
Formal changeover plan; Estates coordination; temporary plant strategy; out-of-hours cutover only.
Gas Safe Engineers only; purge and tightness testing; interlocks; controlled work area; emergency isolation known to all team members.
LOTO, prove dead, competent persons, NICEIC testing and certification.
Mechanical handling plan; exclusion zones; trained operatives; no persons under suspended loads at any time.
Permit, fire watch, extinguishers, post-work checks at +1hr.
Controlled dosing; COSHH controls; eyewash availability; bunding and spill kits.
Suitable access equipment; edge protection where applicable; tool-tethering controls.
Task planning, barriers, cleaning regime, hospital liaison; PPE in plantroom.
Waste segregation and duty of care; controlled draining; spill prevention; bunding where required; packaging recycling where practicable.
Framework for the COSHH register. Exact products and Safety Data Sheets confirmed prior to site start and appended to this RAMS. All operatives briefed before substances are brought to site.
Likelihood × severity, before and after controls. Sixteen hazards specific to hospital boiler replacement. Hospital emergency procedures override contractor procedures at all times.
Conclusion. After implementation of the listed controls, residual risks reduce to ALARP. Dynamic risk assessment is undertaken daily; this register is reviewed if site conditions change. Emergency arrangements: hospital procedures override contractor procedures — gas leak, electrical incident or chemical splash all defer to Estates emergency response.
No operative starts work without attending the briefing, agreeing the safe system of work and signing this record. Failure to comply is grounds for removal from site.
This RAMS briefing was delivered in full and all operatives confirmed understanding of the content.
Meridian Health Trust / St Aldwyn's Hospital Estates representative — permit and isolation witness.