Method Statement Example: A Full Worked Example You Can Copy

Q: What is the difference between a method statement and a risk assessment?

The risk assessment identifies the hazards and the controls. The method statement sets out the step by step sequence of the work using those controls. Together they form the RAMS pack.

Published 2026-10-12 · UK construction

Most guides tell you what a method statement is. Far fewer show you what a good one actually looks like, section by section, with real wording. This page walks through a complete method statement example for a common UK construction task, explains what each section is doing, and gives you the structure to reuse for any trade.

If you want the background first, our guide to method statements in construction covers the what and the why. This page is the how.

The structure every method statement follows

Project and task details: what the work is, where, for whom, dates and document references.
Scope of work: exactly what is and is not covered.
Hazards and controls: drawn from the risk assessment that accompanies it.
Sequence of work: the step by step method, in order. The heart of the document.
Plant, equipment and materials: what will be used, including inspection and certification requirements.
PPE requirements: specific to the task, not a generic list.
Personnel and competence: who does the work and the tickets or training they hold.
Emergency arrangements: first aid, fire, rescue and who to contact.
Monitoring and sign off: who checks the work is following the method, and the briefing record.

Worked example: external blockwork wall, single storey extension

Here is how those sections read for a real task. The wording style matters: plain, specific, and about this site rather than any site.

1. Project and task details

Project: Single storey rear extension, 14 Elm Road, Reading.
Task: Construction of external cavity wall blockwork and brickwork to damp proof course and above, to wall plate level.
Principal contractor: Example Construction Ltd. Subcontractor: ABC Brickwork Ltd.
Programme: Weeks commencing 19 and 26 October 2026. RAMS ref: ABC-RAMS-041 rev A.

2. Scope of work

This method statement covers the laying of blockwork and facing brickwork for the extension external walls, including mixing of mortar, loading out of materials, and installation of wall ties, insulation batts, lintels and weep vents. It does not cover scaffold erection or alteration (by others, see scaffold contractor RAMS), excavation, or roof carpentry.

3. Key hazards and controls

Manual handling of blocks and bricks: blocks over 20kg will not be single person lifted; block grabs and two person lifts used; materials loaded out by telehandler to minimise carry distances.
Work at height above 1.2m: work above shoulder height carried out from the scaffold lift, not from hop ups on the scaffold; scaffold inspected and tagged weekly by the scaffold contractor.
Cement and mortar contact: gauntlets and barrier cream for anyone handling mortar; eye wash station at the mixer.
Silica dust from cutting: blocks cut with a bench saw with water suppression in the designated cutting area; FFP3 masks worn by the operative and anyone within 5 metres.

4. Sequence of work

Site manager confirms scaffold tag is current and foundations have been inspected and signed off.
Materials loaded out by telehandler to agreed loading bays alongside each elevation.
Mortar mixed at the designated mixing station, gauged to the specification in the NBS clause.
Corners set out and built first, lines strung, courses laid to line, wall ties installed at specified centres as courses rise.
Insulation batts fitted as the cavity closes, kept clean of mortar droppings using cavity battens.
Lintels installed with minimum 150mm bearings as openings are reached, with padstones where specified.
Work above 1.2m continues from the first scaffold lift once struck; no work from ladders.
At the end of each day, new work protected from rain and frost with hessian or polythene, and the working area left clear.

5. Plant, equipment and materials

Telehandler (operator holds CPCS A17), bench saw with water suppression (PAT tested, weekly check sheet), cement mixer, block grabs, hand tools. Materials per specification: 100mm dense concrete blocks, facing bricks, M4 mortar, stainless steel wall ties, cavity insulation batts.

6 to 9. PPE, personnel, emergencies, monitoring

PPE: safety boots, hard hat, hi vis, gauntlets for mortar handling, FFP3 at the cutting station.
Personnel: two bricklayers (NVQ level 2, CSCS), one labourer (CSCS), telehandler operator (CPCS). Supervision by ABC working foreman.
Emergency: first aider on site is the PC site manager; nearest A and E is Royal Berkshire Hospital; assembly point at the site entrance.
Monitoring: this method statement briefed to all operatives before the task starts, briefing register signed and held in the site file; site manager monitors compliance daily; any change in method stops work until this document is revised and rebriefed.

What makes this example work

It is specific to one task on one site. Addresses, references, named plant tickets. A method statement that could apply to any site protects nobody, and experienced principal contractors reject them on sight.
The sequence is the star. Someone who has never visited the site could read section 4 and understand how the work proceeds and in what order. That is the test.
Controls appear inside the sequence, not just in a hazards table. "No work from ladders" sits exactly where a ladder would have been tempting.
It states what it does not cover. Scope boundaries prevent two trades each assuming the other owned the risk.
It ends with a briefing record. An unbriefed method statement is paperwork; a briefed one is a safe system of work.

Common mistakes in method statements

Copy and paste genericism. The same document resubmitted for every job with the address changed. Reviewers notice, and in an incident investigation it is indefensible.
Padding. Ten pages of boilerplate around one page of substance. The operatives who need it will not read it.
No connection to the risk assessment. The hazards section lists different risks from the risk assessment it is meant to pair with. They are one pack: see our guide to RAMS documents.
Written after the work started. It happens everywhere and defeats the purpose. The fix is making them faster to produce, not skipping them.

Producing method statements in minutes rather than evenings

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Frequently asked questions

Is a method statement a legal requirement in the UK?

The document itself is not named in law, but the duty to plan, manage and communicate safe systems of work under the Health and Safety at Work Act and CDM 2015 is. A method statement is the accepted way to demonstrate that duty, and principal contractors will almost always require one before you start on site.

What is the difference between a method statement and a risk assessment?

The risk assessment identifies hazards and controls. The method statement sets out the step by step sequence of the work using those controls. Together they form the RAMS pack, which is why they are usually submitted together.

How long should a method statement be?

As long as the task needs and no longer. Two to four pages covers most single trade tasks. A padded document nobody reads is a safety failure dressed as compliance.

Who should write it?

Someone who understands the task, usually the contractor doing the work, reviewed by the site or project manager. It must describe how the work will actually be done on this specific site.