A method that starts halfway through the job
- Begin with arrival and the briefing, not with the first cut or the first course.
- Say what “ready” looks like before tools are out.
Method statement template
A method statement is the order of work. Who arrives, what is made safe first, how materials move, and how the job is closed. It is not a list of hazards. If the only sentences are “take care” and “wear PPE”, the principal contractor has learned nothing about how you will actually do the task.
CDM 2015 does not make every job notify, but it does expect construction work to be planned. The method statement is the piece the gang can be walked through on the morning.
What it has to cover
- The scope in one paragraph: what you will do, and what you will not do.
- People, plant and materials for this visit.
- The first actions on arrival: sign in, walk the area, brief.
- The step that has to happen before the risky step. Edge protection before anyone is on the roof. Prove dead before a conductor is touched. Permit open before a torch is lit.
- How waste, tools and incomplete work are left.
- The stop rule: if the site is not as described, the sequence stops and is rewritten.
Hazards and controls
Sequence copied from a different trade
- Open the trade page that matches the work and start from that sequence.
- Delete steps that belong to a roof, a scaffold or a guard tour if this job is none of those.
Relevant UK law and guidance
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Contractors plan, manage and monitor construction work. The method is part of that plan.
- HSE L153. Guidance on CDM. The plan should be proportionate to the job.
- Work at Height Regulations 2005. Where the method involves height, the sequence has to avoid the work, or prevent the fall, before it minimises the consequences.
Sample excerpt
Sign in and confirm the site contact. Brief this method before any tools are brought through the door.
Walk the area for the hazards the assessment named. If they are different, stop.
Put the access, isolation or exclusion in place. Only then start the task. Clear up as you go and tell the contact when you leave.
Questions
Is a method statement a legal requirement?
The phrase is not in the Act. The duty to plan the work is. On construction sites, CDM 2015 expects a plan that is proportionate to the risk. Clients ask for a method statement because they want the order of work in writing, and because a briefing needs something to point at.
Who should write a method statement?
The person who will run the work. They know which step is first on this site. A competent person reviews it. An unread template with the last job’s address is not a method.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?
The assessment chooses the controls. The method states when they happen. “Edge protection” in a hazard table is not the same as “install edge protection before the felt is stripped”. You need the second sentence.
Can the method statement be a set of photos?
Photos help a briefing. They do not replace the order, the stop rule or the names of the people responsible. Use them beside the steps, not instead of the steps.
How detailed should the sequence be?
Detailed where the harm is. A sentence is enough for unloading a van on a quiet drive. It is not enough for proving a circuit dead or for the fire watch after hot works.
Does RamsBox produce a method statement on its own?
The generator currently produces a combined RAMS, which includes the sequence. A standalone method statement is the same sequence without the scored hazard table. The product structure allows that document later. It is not a separate download yet.
Related
AI-assisted draft. A competent person must review it and approve it for the site before use. RamsBox does not provide health and safety advice and is not affiliated with HSE.