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Construction method statement template

Shaun Holmes

I've spent over 20 years in UK construction, and the sequence on the sheet has to be the sequence we will actually use.

This is a blank method statement for a UK sole trader or a small trade firm. The words stay on this page. The Word file and the printable PDF need an email the first time, and the download starts straight away. You will also get the weekly email. Unsubscribe any time.

HSE's construction administration page says the arrangements for demolition, dismantling, or structural alteration must be recorded in writing before the work begins. That record is usually a method statement from the risk assessment. The same page says method statements are not required by law for every other task. They are still a practical way to plan the work and to tell the people doing it what the precautions are, especially where the work is higher risk, complex, or unusual. Write the sequence you will use. If the circumstances change, revise it.

Adapt this to the actual job and the actual site. It does not replace competent advice. HSE says not to copy an example and put your company name on it, because that would not satisfy the law and would not protect your employees.

The PDF is the printable version. You can read and copy the words below without the file.

How to fill in a construction method statement

Describe this job, the order of work, who is competent to do it, the plant and PPE you will actually have, the controls from the risk assessment, and what you will do if you have to stop.

Write the scope for this job
Say what is included, what is not, and who else is affected. Another trade, the occupier, and the public belong here when they are part of this job.
Write the sequence you will use
HSE says a method statement describes, in a logical sequence, how the job is to be carried out and the control measures. Keep your order. If the order has to change, stop and revise the sheet.
Name the people and what they are competent to do
Write who does the work and what they are competent to do on this job. A method statement does not make someone competent.
List the plant, tools, and PPE that will be there
Only list equipment you will have. HSE puts PPE after getting rid of the hazard, changing the job or the material, and organising the work. Say which hazard the PPE is for.
Cross-refer the risk assessment
Each hazard on the method statement points at the risk assessment. Do not add a control here that the assessment does not have, and do not leave a step with no control.
Write the emergencies and take the sign-off
Say how you stop the work, how you get help, and what happens if you find something you did not expect, including asbestos. The people doing the work sign to say they have been briefed, and they stop if the site does not match the sheet.

The blank

METHOD STATEMENT

Trading name: [trading name]
Your name: [your name]
Job: [one line]
Site address: [address]
Date: [date]
Written by: [name]
Risk assessment this method uses: [title, date, and where it is kept]
Construction phase plan: [held by the principal contractor / I am the only contractor and the plan is at [where] / not this sheet]

SCOPE
Work included: [what you will do, and where]
Work not included: [what this method does not cover]
Who else is affected: [other trades, the occupier, the public]

SEQUENCE OF WORKS
Write the order you will actually use. If the order changes on site, stop and revise this sheet before you carry on.
1. [step, and the control that has to be in place before it starts]
2. [step]
3. [step]
4. [what you do if you have to stop]

PEOPLE AND COMPETENCE
Who does the work: [names or roles]
What they are competent to do on this job: [the tasks, not a general claim]
Supervision: [who checks the method is the one in use, or "I am doing the work and checking it"]
Briefing: [when they will be told the sequence and the precautions]

PLANT AND TOOLS
[List what you will bring. Do not list a tower, a hoist, or extraction you will not have on site.]
Checks before use: [visual check, and any examination record the equipment needs]

PPE
[What is worn, who it fits, and which hazard is left after the other controls. PPE is not the first control.]

HAZARDS AND CONTROLS
Cross-refer the risk assessment. Do not invent a new control here that the assessment does not have.
Ref: [RA-1]
Hazard: [same hazard as the assessment]
Control from the assessment: [the control you will use during the steps above]
Where in the sequence: [step number]

EMERGENCY ARRANGEMENTS
How to stop the work: [who says stop, and how everyone hears it]
First aid and how to get help: [where, who, and the call you will make]
Asbestos, if you were not expecting it: [stop, keep people out, and who you tell]
Way out: [the route off the site or out of the house]

SIGN-OFF
I have been briefed on this method and on the risk assessment it refers to. I will stop if the site does not match this sheet.
Name: [name]
Role: [role]
Signature: [signature]
Date: [date]

A short example of one cross-reference

This is one step, so you can see how the sequence points at the risk assessment. The full worked example for a bedroom boarding and skimming job is on its own page. Do not paste either one onto a job you have not walked.

Step: sand the joints on a plasterboard ceiling.
Risk assessment ref: RA-1, dust.
Control from the assessment: extraction on the tool for the whole time it runs, people who are not doing the work kept out, no dry sweeping. If the tool starts cutting masonry, stop. Silica is a different control.
PPE: RPE that fits, used with the extraction.
Sign-off: the person sanding has been told to stop if the extraction is off or the air still looks dusty.

Need one written for this job?

The template is free. If you want a RAMS written for your exact job, and checked before it comes to you, that is £79. Tell me about the job.

HSE pages

These are the pages I used for the points above. None of them are affiliate links. Read on 20 October 2026.

Common questions

Is a method statement a legal requirement?

HSE says method statements are not required by law for every construction task. The arrangements for demolition, dismantling, or structural alteration must be recorded in writing before that work begins, and HSE says that record is usually a method statement from the risk assessment. For other higher-risk, complex, or unusual work, HSE describes a method statement as a practical way to plan the job and tell people the precautions.

How long should it be?

Long enough to tell the people doing this job what happens, in order, and which control applies at each step. HSE says the most effective method statements often include a diagram. A copied paragraph that does not mention this site is too long and still useless.

Can I reuse last week's method statement?

HSE says if a similar operation is repeated, the statement will be similar, but if circumstances change it should be revised. A different landing, a different family in the house, or different access is a change. Walk it again.

Where does the risk assessment fit?

Fill the risk assessment first, or at the same time, from the same visit. The method statement cross-refers those controls. It does not invent new ones. The blank risk assessment is the other template.

Wording checked against the HSE pages above on 20 October 2026.

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