Scaffolding method statement template
Last updated 17 October 2026
A scaffolding method statement is the order for this elevation. Ties, ground, and the public are part of the method, not a footnote.
A scaffolding method statement sets out how this scaffold will be built, altered, used and taken down. Ties, foundations, and people passing underneath belong in the sequence. A site-ready RAMS your principal contractor can review shows those steps with the hazards, and a competent person still has to check them against the elevation.
Use the scaffolding RAMS template when the job is the scaffold. If the scaffold is only the access for another trade, that trade’s RAMS should say they will not alter it.
Worked example
An independent scaffold to the eaves of a terraced house, with a narrow pavement:
- Check the ground, the basement lights and the overhead lines before the first standard goes up.
- Protect the pavement and agree the loading bay so it does not block the neighbour's door.
- Erect to the design or the TG20 configuration the job is using. Ties go in as the lift rises, not at the end of the day.
- A competent person inspects it before use. The gang does not board out and “inspect later”.
- Striking is planned so boards and tubes do not pass over the public. The pavement is walked before the barriers come in.
What the law is asking for
- Work at Height Regulations 2005. Scaffolding is work equipment for work at height. It must be inspected before first use, after substantial alteration, after any event that could affect its safety, and at least every seven days while it is in use.
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, where erection is construction work. The sequence has to account for other contractors and the public.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Collapse, falling objects and being struck by a vehicle are assessed for this street, not copied from the last job.
- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, if a gin wheel or hoist is part of the method.
NASC TG20 and SG4 are guidance from the industry body. They are not regulations.
Questions
Is TG20 the method statement?
No. NASC TG20 is industry guidance for tube and fitting scaffolds built to a recognised configuration. The method statement still has to describe this elevation, this pavement and this sequence.
Who can erect the scaffold?
People who are competent for that type of scaffold. A CISRS card is the usual evidence on a UK site. The card does not remove the need to follow the design and the inspection rules.
Does the hirer’s RAMS cover erection?
Only if the hirer is also erecting it, and the RAMS matches this site. A user of a hired scaffold still needs to know the loading, the ties and what they must not alter.