Plumbing Risk-Assessment Template: Free Checklist

In this post, we share a step-by-step plumbing risk assessment template for plumbers to use during plumbing inspections or maintenance visits. It includes the following sections:

• Project information

• Initial assessment (visual inspection and client consultation)

• Hazard identification and risk assessment

• Personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Emergency procedures

• Final checklist

• Sign off

Below, we’ll provide a link to download the template to begin using in your own plumbing business.  

However, keep in mind that while this checklist is a useful reference for technicians on the job, PDF templates have some key limitations. 

For example:

• You can’t ensure they’re used for every job. Plumbers notoriously resist red tape, so PDF safety documents often won’t get used.

• PDFs don’t integrate with the other apps you use to run your business, so it’s easy to lose records from inspections.

• The details of hazard and safety issues discovered during inspections can’t be easily shared between field and office staff, causing delays in any next actions (e.g. checking warranty or inventory information, drafting estimates, ordering parts, etc.).

So, in addition to sharing the free risk-assessment template below, we’ll also walk through how our plumbing contractor software, ServiceTitan, solves these challenges and more.

Plumbing Risk-Assessment Template

At the top, there is a section to document general information for the job, including the date, technician name, job location, and job description (company name, phone number, job type, etc.).

Below, the checklist is categorized into the following sections:

Initial Assessment

Visual Inspection

Check the general condition of the site and note any immediate plumbing hazards (e.g. potentially dangerous confined spaces). 

• Safe access to the work area 

• Signs of structural damage

• Evidence of previous plumbing repairs

Client Consultation

Discuss any known issues or concerns.

• History of plumbing problems

• Presence of old or non-standard plumbing materials

• Any DIY repairs or modifications

Hazard Identification

For each task, identify potential hazards, assess the risk level, and outline control measures.

Task 1: Site Preparation

• Hazards Identified

  • Electrical risks (e.g., working near live wires)

  • Trip hazards

  • Exposure to hazardous materials (e.g., asbestos, mold)

• Risk Level (Low/Medium/High)

• Control Measures

Task 2: Water Heater Maintenance

• Hazards Identified

  • Burns from hot surfaces or steam

  • Gas leak (if gas-powered)

  • Electrical shock (if electric-powered)

• Risk Level (Low/Medium/High)

• Control Measures

Task 3: Pipe Repair/Replacement

• Hazards Identified

  • Water damage

  • Exposure to sewage or contaminants

  • Use of power tools

• Risk Level (Low/Medium/High)

• Control Measures

Task 4: Drain Cleaning

• Hazards Identified

  • Chemical exposure (if using drain cleaners)

  • Biological hazards from blockages

  • Equipment entanglement

• Risk Level (Low/Medium/High)

• Control Measures

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Ensure all PPE is used following company policy.

• Safety glasses (eye protection)

• Gloves

• Ear protection

• Dust mask/respirator

• Other

Emergency Procedures

• First aid kit (confirm availability and location)

• Emergency contacts (list local emergency services and any site-specific contacts)

• Evacuation plan (identify nearest exits and assembly points)

Final Checklist

• All hazards identified and control measures in place

• PPE and safety equipment ready

• Client informed of work process and potential risks

• Emergency procedures reviewed with team

A final section requires technicians to sign and certify that they’ve followed all risk assessment protocols outlined in the checklist during the job visit. 

If followed, filling out this plumbing risk-assessment checklist can help ensure techs follow essential safety policies during inspections and maintenance visits. However, as we mentioned above, PDF or paper checklists have key limitations when it comes to:

• Ensuring these checklists are filled out on every job.

• Storing and organizing inspection data. 

• Sharing information about safety issues between field and office staff.

Below, we’ll discuss how plumbing software like ServiceTitan can help contractors address these challenges.

Streamline Plumbing Maintenance for Technicians: Safety Protocols, Inspection Checklists, Estimates & More

Ensure the Proper Forms + Checklists Are Completed for Every Job

ServiceTitan’s plumbing software allows contractors to create customized forms — including safety checklists and plumbing maintenance checklists.

Users can create checklists and add them to specific jobs, customers, locations, or equipment. All forms can be accessed on our desktop or mobile app (compatible with Android and iOS devices). 

This functionality eliminates the need to keep stacks of paper checklists stocked in your trucks or transfer job and customer data to a computer system, which saves time and reduces mistakes. 

Because ServiceTitan saves all entered data on the cloud, retrieving forms and customer information is both quick and straightforward.

Forms can be built from scratch. But our users also enjoy access to a wide variety of pre-built templates — sourced from forms used by other plumbing companies via TitanExchange. These, too, can be customized to the specific needs or preferences of a given plumbing shop. 

Ensure Checklists Are Used Every Time

In form settings, business owners can select the option to require techs to fill out certain forms for certain jobs. Risk-assessment checklists are a great use case for this. 

For example, if a tech is performing an inspection during a maintenance visit, they can be required to complete your risk-assessment checklist before they’re able to mark the job as complete, helping to prevent serious injury and promote the health and safety of your technicians. 

This fosters accountability through automation, reducing stress on behalf of owners and managers while ensuring standard operating procedures are followed in the field for every job. 

Customize + Adjust Checklists with Ease

Users can also add or subtract from checklists to perfectly match their needs and preferences. For example, any of the following could be added to a plumbing inspection checklist to ensure that technicians make thorough assessments:

• Water supply lines

• Emergency shutoff valves

• Water pressure

• Drainage lines, etc.

In addition, every form and checklist can be duplicated as many times as necessary to address all of the necessary systems and components — straight from the job site.

Create and Present Estimates When Issues Are Discovered

For business owners, one of the benefits of having a consistent plumbing inspection process is that it empowers technicians to discover and capitalize on valuable sales opportunities.  

For example, when a tech finds a plumbing issue in the course of a job, ServiceTitan gives them the ability to build a custom proposal right from our integrated pricebook. 

Using a tablet, techs can present proposals including product photos, equipment specs, and pricing to clients on the spot, as well as email them to customers for review and approval. This feature allows contractors to save time in delivering estimates to customers whose needs are often urgent. 

ServiceTitan also provides automated tracking and follow-up on outstanding estimates, enabling users to improve close rates and maximize their bottom line.

Easily Track, Access, and Update Maintenance Agreements

Oftentimes, plumbing checklists are used in the context of memberships or maintenance agreements. ServiceTitan's membership feature allows plumbing businesses to effectively (and efficiently) document, manage, and track recurring services associated with maintenance agreements. 

Crucially, all of the records and specifications of memberships are stored in one place, making them easy to search and reference with just a few clicks.  

Details that ServiceTitan users store with this feature include:

• Membership type 

• Agreement period 

• Membership locations (single or multiple)

• Billing terms and schedule 

• Service frequency (e.g. quarterly, biannual, or annual maintenance plan)

• Revenue recognition (point of sale or deferred)

Since this information is archived in a central location, contractors do not need to sift through Google Docs or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to find exactly what they want. The details are easy to edit and can be viewed from our desktop app by office staff or technicians in the field.  

Furthermore, membership tracking is seamlessly integrated with the software tools that our users rely on to schedule jobs, build proposals, send invoices, and collect payments. 

Leverage Automation to Schedule Preventive Maintenance Visits on Time

Once recurring service events are set up, they are automatically added to your schedule based on the defined dates and frequency. This saves office staff significant time from having to manually track and add these jobs to the schedule while reducing the chances of missing maintenance visits.

Office staff can view upcoming recurring service events by date range, and initiate individual jobs by contacting the customer to coordinate a time and book the job. At that point, the job will be assigned to a technician and automatically viewable on their schedule and through the dispatch board.

You can also create follow-up notifications for cases where you’re unable to contact a customer, they aren’t ready to book a job, or they no longer want the service. These offer plumbing contractors peace of mind and help to ensure that office staff don’t forget to follow up in these instances. 

If you’re scheduling a regular maintenance visit that’s not connected to a service agreement, our call booking workflow offers a suite of features that make this seamless, including:

• Providing CSRs with the names and customer histories of incoming callers.

• Guiding CSRs through an intuitive set of form fields and drop-down menus to ensure important information is captured on the first call.

• Allowing CSRs to schedule appointments from the same screen efficiently.

• Automatically adding scheduled jobs and job details to our sophisticated, easy-to-use dispatch board.

Efficiently Send Invoices and Get Paid Faster

Drawing on the equipment, hourly rates, and other factors that go into a plumbing quote, ServiceTitan automatically populates invoices so that there’s no discrepancy between the estimate and the bill. 

Plumbing contractors can choose to send invoices by email — with a link to allow clients to pay online — or have them e-signed on-site with a mobile device. 

Collecting payments is similarly painless. Homeowners and commercial clients alike can settle up through our customer portal, which allows them to save credit card information. Contractors are still free to take cash or checks, too. (As revenue flows in, our QuickBooks integration makes it easy to keep track of.)   

Finally, ServiceTitan can help plumbing contractors overcome objections by providing near-instantaneous access to one of our financing partners. It takes just minutes on our mobile software for customers to apply and get approved, reducing cost obstacles that might otherwise reduce profitability.

Get a ServiceTitan Demo to See These Features in Action

Using best-in-class plumbing service software such as ServiceTitan empowers contractors to improve efficiency and grow their revenue.

In addition to optimizing plumbing safety protocols and maintenance tasks, our software offers additional features to facilitate other core business functions as well, including:

• Call booking

• Scheduling

• Dispatching

• Work orders

• Payments

• Real-time reports