How to Write a Method Statement (UK): Step-by-Step Guide with Example

If you've ever had a job held up because a principal contractor rejected your paperwork, you know how frustrating a method statement can be. You know the job. You've done it a hundred times. But somehow, getting that knowledge onto paper in the right format is where things fall apart.

This guide walks you through exactly what a method statement is, when you need one, the sections it must contain, and a full worked example for a real small job. There's also a copy-paste skeleton you can use today, a list of the mistakes that get RAMS rejected on site, and answers to the questions we hear most.

What Is a Method Statement?

A method statement is a written, step-by-step description of how a job will be carried out safely. It sets out the sequence of work, the people involved, the equipment and materials needed, and the control measures that keep everyone safe at each stage.

Think of it as the "how" document. It tells anyone reading it, a site manager, a principal contractor, a new starter on your team, exactly what happens first, second, third, and so on, and what precautions are in place at each step.

Method Statement vs Risk Assessment: What's the Difference?

This trips up a lot of people, so let's be clear:

• A risk assessment identifies the hazards of a job (falling, electric shock, dust, manual handling) and rates how likely and how severe each one is, then lists the controls that reduce that risk.
• A method statement takes those controls and builds them into the actual sequence of work. It answers "what do I do, in what order, and how do I stay safe while doing it?"

In practice, the two documents are almost always used together and bundled as "RAMS" (Risk Assessment and Method Statement). Your risk assessment says a harness is needed for the roof work. Your method statement says exactly when the harness goes on, where it's clipped to, and at which step in the job. If the two don't match, an inspector or principal contractor will spot it immediately, and that's one of the fastest ways to get your RAMS rejected.

When Will a Principal Contractor Demand One?

You'll usually need a method statement whenever:

• You're working on a site controlled by a principal contractor under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), even for small jobs
• The work involves a notifiable risk, such as working at height, hot works, excavation, confined spaces, asbestos-containing materials, or lifting operations
• You're a subcontractor or sole trader working alongside other trades on a shared site
• Your client's insurer, housing association, or local authority requires documented evidence of safe systems of work before you start
• You're tendering for commercial or public sector work, where RAMS are requested as part of the pre-qualification paperwork

Even on small domestic jobs, more clients and letting agents are now asking to see a method statement before work begins. It's becoming standard practice, not just a construction site formality.

The 10 Sections Every Method Statement Needs

A method statement that gets accepted first time will almost always contain these ten sections, in some order:

1. Project and site details: client name, site address, contract or job reference, and the principal contractor if there is one.
2. Description of the works: a plain summary of what's being done, in one or two sentences.
3. Personnel: who's carrying out the work, their roles, and their relevant training or qualifications (for example, IPAF, PASMA, CSCS card, first aid).
4. Plant, tools and equipment: everything that will be used on site, from a cordless drill to a tower scaffold.
5. Materials and substances: what's being installed or used, including anything that needs a COSHH assessment.
6. Site-specific hazards: what's different about this site, overhead cables, restricted access, members of the public, other trades working nearby.
7. Sequence of operations: the numbered, step-by-step method, from setting up to leaving the site clean and tidy.
8. PPE and control measures: what protective equipment is worn and what controls apply at each stage.
9. Emergency procedures: first aid arrangements, nearest hospital, fire procedure, and what happens if something goes wrong.
10. Sign off and review: who wrote the document, who approved it, the date, and when it should be reviewed or reissued if conditions change.

Miss any of these and there's a good chance your RAMS will come back with a request for more detail, usually at the worst possible time, the day before you're due on site.

Worked Example: Repointing a Chimney Stack from a Tower Scaffold

Here's a full method statement for a small, common job: repointing a chimney stack on a two-storey terraced house using a tower scaffold. This is exactly the kind of job that gets rejected if the paperwork is generic, so pay attention to how specific each section is.

1. Project and Site Details

Client: Mrs J Hargreaves. Site: 14 Elm Street, Manchester. Contract ref: EH-0714. No principal contractor, domestic client under a domestic conversion project (CDM 2015 Part 6 applies).

2. Description of the Works

Removal of loose and defective mortar joints from the chimney stack and re-pointing with a matching lime mortar, carried out from an independent tower scaffold erected on the rear elevation.

3. Personnel

Two operatives: J. Miller (lead bricklayer, 12 years' experience, CSCS gold card) and T. Owusu (labourer, CSCS card, trained in tower scaffold assembly to PASMA standard).

4. Plant, Tools and Equipment

PASMA-compliant tower scaffold with toe boards and guard rails, pointing trowels, brick bolster, angle grinder with dust extraction for raking out, mixing bucket, wheelbarrow, debris chute, hard hat, harness and lanyard for the final metre of unguarded work above the guard rail.

5. Materials and Substances

NHL 3.5 lime mortar, sand, water. Silica dust from raking out is managed using on-tool extraction and RPE (see PPE section). Safety data sheet for the lime mortar held on site.

6. Site-Specific Hazards

Rear garden has a paved patio with limited level ground for the tower base, a neighbouring conservatory roof directly below the workface, and a garden shed used for storage that must be protected from falling debris. No overhead cables present. Access to the rear garden is via a side gate 900mm wide.

7. Sequence of Operations

1. Carry out a visual check of the ground and confirm the tower base plates are on firm, level standing before erecting the tower.
2. Erect the tower scaffold following the PASMA method, fitting outriggers, guard rails and toe boards at every working platform before use.
3. Fit debris netting to the tower and lay protective boards over the conservatory roof below the workface.
4. Carry out a pre-use inspection of the completed tower and record it before anyone climbs.
5. Rake out defective mortar joints using the angle grinder with dust extraction fitted, working from the platform with guard rails in place.
6. Clear dust and debris into the debris chute after each section, keeping the working platform clear.
7. Mix lime mortar in small batches to avoid waste and manual handling of oversized loads.
8. Point the joints, working top to bottom in sections no wider than 1.5 metres at a time.
9. For the final course at the chimney pot, where work extends above the top guard rail, clip on to a secured anchor point using a harness and lanyard before leaning over.
10. Brush down and inspect the finished pointing, remove debris netting and protective boards, and dismantle the tower in reverse order of erection.
11. Leave the site clean, remove all waste, and confirm the patio and garden are left as found.

8. PPE and Control Measures

Hard hats when working below the tower, safety boots at all times, gloves when handling mortar, RPE (FFP3 mask) and on-tool dust extraction during raking out, harness and lanyard for the final unguarded course, hi-vis vest visible to anyone entering the garden.

9. Emergency Procedures

First aider on site: J. Miller. First aid kit kept in the works van. Nearest A&E: Manchester Royal Infirmary, 2.1 miles. In the event of a fall or injury, stop work immediately, call 999 if required, and inform the client. Fire procedure: evacuate the garden via the side gate and assemble at the front of the property.

10. Sign Off and Review

Prepared by: J. Miller. Approved by: J. Miller (sole trader). Date: 27/07/2026. This method statement will be reviewed if weather conditions change, if the scope of works changes, or every 5 working days, whichever is sooner.

Copy-Paste Method Statement Skeleton

Use this as a starting point for your own job. Fill in every bracket with something specific to your site. Leaving anything generic is the number one reason RAMS get sent back.

METHOD STATEMENT

1. PROJECT AND SITE DETAILS
Client: [name]
Site address: [address]
Contract/job reference: [reference]
Principal contractor (if any): [name]

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKS
[One or two sentences describing exactly what is being done]

3. PERSONNEL
[Name, role, relevant training/qualifications for each person on the job]

4. PLANT, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
[List every tool, machine and piece of access equipment used]

5. MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES
[List materials used, note any that need a COSHH assessment]

6. SITE-SPECIFIC HAZARDS
[What is different about THIS site: access, neighbours, ground conditions,
overhead services, other trades, members of the public]

7. SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS
1. [First step]
2. [Next step]
3. [Continue numbering every step until the job and clean-up are complete]

8. PPE AND CONTROL MEASURES
[What is worn and what controls apply, linked to the steps above]

9. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
First aider: [name]
Nearest hospital: [name and distance]
Fire/evacuation procedure: [details]

10. SIGN OFF AND REVIEW
Prepared by: [name]                Date: [date]
Approved by: [name]                Review trigger: [conditions for review]

Writing that skeleton out for every job takes time you don't always have, especially when a job comes in at short notice. This is exactly the gap our RAMS generator is built to close. Describe the job once and it produces a complete, site-specific method statement in minutes, built around these same ten sections.

Common Mistakes That Get RAMS Rejected

Most rejected method statements fail for the same handful of reasons. Watch out for these:

• Generic wording that could apply to any site. If your document mentions "uneven ground" but the job is on a flat driveway, a reviewer will assume you never actually looked at the site.
• Mismatch between the risk assessment and the method statement. If the risk assessment calls for a harness but the method statement never mentions clipping on, that inconsistency will be picked up immediately.
• Missing site-specific detail. Overhead cables, neighbouring properties, restricted access, and members of the public all need to be named, not implied.
• No numbered sequence. A block of prose describing the job isn't a method statement. Reviewers want to see clear, ordered steps.
• Out-of-date qualifications or missing personnel details. If a named operative's card has expired, or the document doesn't name who's actually on site, expect it to bounce.
• No review date or trigger. A method statement with no plan for updating it if conditions change looks like a document that was written once and never looked at again.
• Copy and paste from a previous job. Leftover client names, wrong addresses, or references to equipment that isn't being used on this job are an instant red flag.

If you recognise your own paperwork in that list, you're not alone. It's the single biggest reason tradespeople end up rewriting RAMS the night before a job starts. Our RAMS generator is built to catch exactly these gaps, prompting you for the site-specific detail that generic templates always miss, and keeping your risk assessment and method statement consistent automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a method statement for a small domestic job?

Not always, but increasingly yes. If the work involves working at height, hot works, or any notifiable risk, or if your client, letting agent or insurer asks for one, you should have a method statement ready. It also protects you if anything goes wrong.

Who is legally responsible for writing the method statement?

Under CDM 2015, the contractor carrying out the work is responsible for having a suitable and sufficient method statement in place before starting. If you're a sole trader or small business, that responsibility sits with you, even if a principal contractor reviews and approves the document.

Can I reuse a method statement from a previous job?

You can use a previous document as a starting point, but every method statement must reflect the actual site and conditions for the current job. Reusing one without updating the site-specific hazards, personnel and sequence is one of the most common reasons RAMS get rejected.

How long should a method statement be?

Long enough to cover all ten sections properly, and no longer. A method statement padded out with generic health and safety text is not more thorough, it's just harder to read. Two to four pages is typical for most small trade jobs.

What's the difference between a method statement and a work plan?

A work plan or programme is about timing and scheduling. A method statement is about how the work is carried out safely. They often sit alongside each other, but a method statement always needs to include the hazards, controls and PPE, not just the order of tasks.

How quickly can I put a method statement together?

Writing one from scratch typically takes one to three hours, depending on the complexity of the job. Using a tool like AI RAMS, you can generate a complete, site-specific method statement and matching risk assessment in a few minutes, then review and tweak it before sending it out.

Get Your Next Method Statement Done in Minutes

Writing a method statement properly, with all ten sections covered and matched to your risk assessment, is what gets you on site without a fight. If you'd rather spend your evening at home than rewriting paperwork, try AI RAMS for free and generate your next RAMS document before the kettle's boiled.