Eight zones, one live yard, zero closure
Phased removal and reinstatement of roughly 136 linear metres of failed surface-water drainage across eight defined areas at an operational pharmaceutical distribution centre. The site stays live throughout. Every method, sequence and control in this RAMS is engineered to keep the yards open while the new system goes in.
- Client
- Northwind Pharma Logistics
- Site
- Compass Park, Wickford · SS12 7AA
- Work type
- Civils, surface-water drainage replacement
- Reference
- BAI-RAMS-NWP-DRN-001
- Sector
- Industrial
- Status
- For approval
Illustrative example: fictional project and parties.
What gets done, and what stays running
The works cover saw-cutting and breakout of existing reinforced concrete, removal of failed ACO units, excavation to formation, installation of ACO S150 channel, doweled slab interfaces and reinforced concrete reinstatement in C40/50 rapid-cure. The distribution centre runs alongside it without interruption. Vehicle access stays continuous, emergency routes stay clear, and no yard is ever fully closed. Construction and operation never collide because the programme is built so they cannot.
Work is choreographed around HGV movements, not the other way round. Saturdays and Sundays take the breakout and the pours; weekday afternoons after 14:00 are reserved for cure inspections and finishing. High-noise activity stays on the weekend.
Eight zones on one choreography
The 136 metres divide into eight areas across the fuel yard, service yard and rear dispatch zones. Each zone runs the same seven-step micro-programme; the macro-programme stitches them together, one high-risk excavation live at a time.
| Per-zone step | Working pattern and safeguard |
|---|---|
| 01 Isolation and segregation | Heras and Chapter 8 between the zone and live traffic, end to end |
| 02 Breakout and removal | Saw-cut limits, banksman for all plant movements |
| 03 Channel installation | ACO S150, 150mm width, invert set to line and level |
| 04 Reinforcement and dowelling | A393 mesh, dowels 20mm diameter by 600mm at 600mm centres |
| 05 Concrete reinstatement | C40/50 rapid-cure, poured to the late Sunday slot |
| 06 Curing and protection | 24 to 48 hours cure, road plates if early access needed |
| 07 Reopening to traffic | Reopened only on confirmed strength, then move to next area |
The stated mobilisation date is 14 March 2026: welfare, bunded fuel store, plant and laydown only, with no intrusive works on day one.
Thirteen steps, one direction
The macro-sequence is followed in every one of the eight zones. No step starts until the supervisor has signed off the previous one, and no pour proceeds without a passed pre-pour checklist.
Five grouped rows are shown here; their relationship to the stated 13-step per-zone method is not set out in this summary.
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| 01 Pre-start coordination and area release | Confirm release with site operations, verify vehicle routes, set segregation and signage |
| 02 Traffic management and segregation, then saw cutting | Chapter 8 barriers, banksman, water suppression on the floor saw |
| 03 Breakout, channel removal and excavation to formation | Mini excavator with breaker inside saw-cut limits, waste segregated |
| 04 Sub-base, ACO installation, dowels and reinforcement | MOT Type 1 compacted, channel to level, resin-set dowels, A393 mesh tied |
| 05 Concrete pour, finishing, curing and reopening | Slump test on arrival, cube taken, minimum 24 to 48 hours cure before traffic |
Every pour gets a slump test and a cube. Every zone gets a supervisor pre-pour checklist. Every reopening is signed for. The QA pack lands with the client at completion: cube certificates, pour records, photographic record and a marked-up drawing.
Hazards named, then reduced
Likelihood times severity on a 5 by 5 scale, scored before and after controls. The register below is the baseline; dynamic risk assessment runs daily and the register is reviewed if conditions change.
| Hazard | Initial | Key controls | Residual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live HGV and van movements | 20 VH | Segregation, phased working, banksman, agreed access windows | 10 MED |
| End-of-shift unsecured area | 16 VH | Barriers and signage maintained, road plates, final supervisor inspection | 4 LOW |
| Mini excavator operation | 16 VH | Trained operator, exclusion zone, banksman, no persons in swing radius | 8 MED |
| Silica dust, cutting and breakout | 16 VH | Wet cutting and water suppression, RPE, no dry sweeping | 8 MED |
| Striking underground services | 15 HIGH | Review service info, controlled excavation, stop on unidentified services | 10 MED |
| Open excavations, trip and fall | 12 HIGH | Immediate barriers, no unattended open excavations, tidy access routes | 4 LOW |
| Fuel spill and concrete washout | 12 HIGH | Bunded storage, spill kits, designated lined washout, no discharge to drains | 4 LOW |
| Excavation collapse, unsupported faces | 15 HIGH | Battered or shored to a competent design, no entry to an unsupported face, daily check | 5 MED |
| Wet concrete, cement burns | 12 HIGH | Gloves and eye protection, skin covered, wash-off water and eye-wash on the pour | 3 LOW |
| Manual handling, ACO units and covers | 12 HIGH | Mechanical handling for units, two-person lift for covers, planned lay-down | 4 LOW |
| Reversing plant and deliveries in the yard | 12 HIGH | Banksman for all reversing, marked routes, no reversing near live pedestrians | 4 LOW |
| Adverse weather, pour quality and access | 9 MED | Pour to forecast, protect fresh concrete, suspend in heavy rain or frost | 3 LOW |
| Hand-arm vibration, breaker and floor saw | 12 HIGH | Low-vibration tools, job rotation, trigger-time limits, anti-vibration mounts | 4 LOW |
| Contaminated ground or unexpected obstructions | 10 MED | Review service and ground info, stop on the unexpected, assess and remove under duty of care | 4 LOW |
| Emergency vehicle access obstruction | 12 HIGH | Routes kept clear at all times, no full yard closure, banksman for movements | 4 LOW |
| Dust and debris to the live distribution centre | 8 MED | Damping down, road sweeper, wheel wash, no dry cutting near the intake | 3 LOW |
After the listed controls, residual risks reduce to low or medium across the register.
Fuel is bunded in the day-one welfare compound, concrete washout goes to a designated lined pit and never to a gully, and spill kits are held at the fuel store and each live excavation. No water from the works is allowed to reach the surface-water drainage the job is rebuilding.
Waste concrete, arisings and packaging are segregated on the laydown and removed under a licensed waste transfer note, with weekly bund and washout-pit integrity checks by the supervisor.