Method statement examples UK 2026: real-world examples and what they must include

A method statement is the half of a RAMS that explains exactly how a job will be done safely. Risk assessments identify what could go wrong; method statements describe what you will actually do. Without a clear, step-by-step method statement, even the best risk assessment is just paperwork. This guide walks through method statement examples for several UK trades, the structure that works, and what main contractors look for in 2026.

What a method statement actually is

A method statement is a written document that describes the sequence of operations for a specific construction activity, the equipment involved, the personnel required, and the safety controls in place at each step. It answers the question: "show me, step-by-step, exactly how you will do this work safely." A risk assessment by itself does not do this; it identifies hazards but does not describe the actions taken.

UK construction practice almost always combines risk assessment and method statement into a single document called RAMS. Main contractors typically reject documents that have a risk assessment but no method statement, because the practical question - "how, exactly, are you going to do this?" - has not been answered.

The structure of a method statement

A complete UK method statement in 2026 has these sections:

1. Scope of works. What activity does this method statement cover? Be specific. "Erect a 3-lift access scaffold to the rear elevation of a 2-storey commercial building" is specific. "Scaffolding works" is not.
2. Site information. Address, principal contractor, site supervisor, access arrangements, working hours, any restrictions.
3. Sequence of operations. Step-by-step list of every action, in order, with the safety considerations at each step.
4. Plant and equipment. Every tool, piece of plant, and piece of equipment used. With inspection regime and competency requirements.
5. Materials. What materials will be on site, how they will be stored, and any COSHH considerations.
6. Personnel. Roles required, qualifications needed for each role, and the supervisor responsible for the work.
7. PPE. Required PPE per task, with British Standard references where applicable.
8. Emergency procedures. Site-specific arrangements for first aid, fire, evacuation, and accident reporting.
9. Sign-off. Who wrote the method statement, who reviewed it, when it expires, version number.

Method statement example: scaffolding

Scope: Erection of a 4-lift independent scaffold to the front elevation of a domestic property for re-roofing work. Working height: 6 metres. Public footpath protection required.

Sequence of operations:

1. Site arrival and induction with main contractor.
2. Walk-around to identify final hazards: overhead lines, ground conditions, access routes.
3. Vehicle parked in designated area; cones and signage erected for public safety.
4. Ground sole boards laid and standards positioned per design drawings.
5. Standards checked plumb and connected with ledger transoms at first lift level.
6. Boards laid and toe boards fitted at first lift before access permitted.
7. Subsequent lifts erected following SG4:22 sequence: standards, ledgers, transoms, decking, edge protection.
8. Public footpath protection (debris netting and brick guards) installed at each lift.
9. Top guardrail (910mm) and intermediate guardrail (470mm) fitted; toe boards 150mm minimum height.
10. Independent scaffold inspector to scope-test on completion before handover to client.
11. Scafftag fitted with inspection date, inspector name, and weekly inspection schedule.

Plant and equipment: tube and fitting components per TG20:21, hop-up boards, scaffold spanners (PUWER inspected), proprietary fittings (LOLER inspection where applicable), debris netting (BS EN 1263-1).

Personnel: One CISRS card-holder Advanced Scaffolder as supervisor, two CISRS Trainee/Part 1 holders for assembly. All holders' card numbers verified.

PPE: Hard hats (BS EN 397), safety boots (BS EN ISO 20345), high-visibility clothing (BS EN ISO 20471), gloves (BS EN 388), full body harness (BS EN 361) when working without leading edge protection.

Method statement example: electrical rewire

Scope: Full rewire of a 3-bedroom domestic property including new consumer unit, replacement lighting circuits, and Part P notification.

Sequence of operations:

1. Site arrival, customer briefing, and verification of property occupation status.
2. Initial dead-test of existing installation per BS 7671 to confirm dead conditions.
3. Lock-off and tag-out of the supply at the meter cabinet.
4. Verification of dead-condition with a known voltage indicator (approved test instrument, calibration in date).
5. Removal of existing wiring section by section, ensuring conductors are pulled back through containment systems.
6. Installation of new cable tray and trunking systems where specified.
7. Installation of new ring final, lighting, and dedicated circuits per BS 7671.
8. Installation of new consumer unit (current standard: type-A RCBO consumer unit).
9. Initial verification (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance).
10. Energise on completion of verification under controlled conditions.
11. Final testing per BS 7671 17th Edition / 18th Edition Amendment 2.
12. Issue of Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) to customer.
13. Part P notification submitted to building control.

Plant and equipment: Approved test instrument (multifunction tester, calibration in date), insulated tools (BS EN 60900), cable cutters, cable strippers, lock-off kit.

Personnel: NICEIC or NAPIT registered supervisor; ECS card-holder operatives. Card numbers verified.

PPE: Safety glasses (BS EN 166), insulated gloves (BS EN 60903) when handling potentially live conductors, hard hat where overhead hazards exist.

Method statement example: roofing strip and re-tile

Scope: Strip and re-tile a 2-storey domestic roof. Existing concrete tiles to be replaced with new clay plain tiles. New lead flashings to chimneys and abutments.

Sequence of operations:

1. Site arrival; confirm scaffold inspected and in date (Scafftag).
2. Scaffold platform check by lead roofer before any work commences.
3. Lay protective ground sheets to capture falling debris; cone off public area beneath.
4. Strip existing tiles in sequence: ridge, top course down to eaves. Tiles passed down via scaffold not thrown.
5. Inspect roof timbers and underlay; report any defects to client before continuing.
6. Replace defective timbers; install new breathable underlay per manufacturer guidance.
7. Counter-batten and batten per BS 5534 spacing for chosen tile size.
8. Lay tiles bottom-up, working in sequence per NFRC technical bulletin guidance.
9. Lead flashing works: hot works permit checked. Fire watch nominated. Oxy/acetylene per INDG327.
10. Lead worker wears appropriate PPE per CLAW 2002. Personal exposure monitoring as required.
11. Final ridge tiles bedded and pointed; verge cement work completed.
12. Self-test by foreman; client inspection and sign-off.

Plant and equipment: Tile lift hoist (LOLER inspected), oxy/acetylene set (in date), fire extinguisher present during hot works, tile cutters (PUWER inspected).

Personnel: NFRC card-holding lead worker for lead flashings (or appropriate trained equivalent). CSCS card-holders for general roofing operatives.

PPE: Safety helmet, safety boots, high-visibility, gloves. Respiratory protection (FFP3) for cement and underlay dust. Lead worker: full RPE per personal exposure assessment.

Common mistakes in UK method statements

Top mistakes that get method statements rejected by main contractors:

• Generic boilerplate. "Workers will follow safe practices throughout the works" tells the contractor nothing.
• Missing sequence. A list of activities without their actual order is a checklist, not a method statement.
• No competency requirements. Saying "trained personnel" without specifying which cards or qualifications fails on competence.
• Plant without inspection records. If you reference plant, you need the inspection regime.
• No emergency arrangements. Site-specific procedures, not generic "call 999".
• Outdated legislation. Using CDM 2007 references in 2026 is an instant fail.
• Wrong British Standards. BS EN 12811 for scaffolding, not the old BS 5973 (which was withdrawn).

Generating method statements in 2026

Writing method statements from scratch for every job is one of the most time-consuming admin activities for UK trade businesses. The Complys AI RAMS builder generates the method statement section as part of every RAMS, with trade-specific sequences, plant lists, competency requirements, and emergency procedures. See the RAMS builder or start the 90-day free trial.

More worked examples: groundworks, plumbing and decorating

Because the best way to understand a method statement is to read real ones, here are three more, kept deliberately brief. For a groundworks dig — say a foundation trench on a housing plot — the sequence would set out locating and marking underground services with plans and a cable avoidance tool, excavating with the sides battered or supported to prevent collapse, keeping people clear of the working excavator, placing spoil away from the trench edge, and providing safe access in and out, with the trench guarded or covered when left. The controls name the shoring or battering angle for the ground, the exclusion zone around the machine, and what happens if a service is found.

For a plumbing and heating job — replacing a boiler in an occupied home — the method would cover isolating the gas, water and electrical supplies, confirming the operative's Gas Safe registration for the appliance, safe removal of the old unit, installation and testing to the manufacturer's instructions, and a tightness test and commissioning before handover, with protection of the customer's property throughout. For a decorating job in an occupied period property, the statement would address testing suspect old paint for lead before disturbing it, controlling dust when sanding, safe use of steps or a tower for high work, ventilation when using solvent-based products, and keeping the occupied areas clean and separated from the work.

The pattern across all of them is the same: a clear, ordered sequence of how the work is actually done, with the specific hazards and their controls named at each step. That is what a method statement is, and why a generic one that could describe any job is worth so little.

What separates a strong method statement from a weak one

The difference between a method statement that gets accepted and one that gets sent back is almost always specificity. A weak statement is written to cover every eventuality and therefore describes none of them — it lists generic hazards, generic controls and generic PPE that could be pasted into any trade's document. A strong one is written for this task on this site: it names the actual sequence, the real hazards of the work, the specific controls and the equipment and competence that will be used, and it reads as though the person who wrote it has done the job. An assessor can tell the two apart in seconds.

The other mark of a strong statement is that it is usable. A method statement is not just a document to get you through the gate; it is meant to be briefed to the people doing the work, so it should be written in plain, ordered language they can actually follow, not dense legal boilerplate. If the crew could read it and know exactly how the job is to be done and what to watch for, it is doing its job.

How the method statement fits with the risk assessment

A method statement rarely travels alone — it is the "how" that sits alongside the "what if" of a risk assessment, and together they form the RAMS that UK construction has standardised on. The risk assessment identifies the hazards of the work and evaluates who might be harmed and how, and sets the control measures needed. The method statement then describes, step by step, how the work will be carried out with those controls built in. Read together, they show both that you have thought about what could go wrong and that your working method addresses it.

This is why a method statement written in isolation, without the risk assessment behind it, often falls short: the controls in the method have nothing to anchor them. When you produce the two as a single, consistent RAMS — the hazards identified in the assessment flowing directly into the controls in the method — the document is both more credible and more useful, and it is exactly what a main contractor expects to receive.

Two more examples: working at height and a concrete pour

For steelwork or any significant work at height — say erecting a steel frame — the method statement would set out the lift plan for the steel members, the use of a mobile crane or telehandler within its rated capacity and with a current thorough examination, the exclusion zone kept below the lift, and the fall-protection system for the operatives connecting the steel, whether that is a MEWP, a safety net or a harness with a suitable anchor. It would name the appointed person for the lift, the wind limits at which lifting stops, and the sequence of connection so the frame is stable at each stage. The controls are specific to the hazards that define the task: falling people, falling loads and structural stability.

For a concrete pour — a ground-bearing slab, for instance — the statement would cover the delivery and movement of the ready-mix wagon and pump on site, the manual handling and vibration exposure of the operatives placing and finishing the concrete, the skin hazard of wet cement with the gloves and washing arrangements to manage it, and the safe management of the pump lines and any pour into formwork or an excavation. Again, the method reads as the real sequence of a real task, with the hazards named where they actually occur. Reading several examples side by side, the lesson is consistent: the trade and the task change, but a good method statement is always the specific, ordered story of how that job is done safely.

Turning an example into your own method statement

Examples are useful to learn from, but the moment you copy one wholesale you are back to the generic-template problem. The way to use them is as a model of the shape and the level of detail, then to write your own for your actual task. Walk through the job in your head from arrival to completion, write the steps in order, and at each step ask what could hurt someone and what you will do about it. Add the equipment, the competence and the PPE that step needs, and reference the legislation and standards relevant to your trade. What you end up with will be specific to your job in a way no example ever can be — which is exactly what makes it acceptable to a contractor and useful to your team.

How long should a method statement be?

A frequent question, especially after reading a few examples, is how long a method statement should be, and the honest answer is: exactly as long as the job needs and no longer. A short, simple, low-risk task might be covered properly in a page; a complex, multi-stage, high-risk job might reasonably run to several. The mistake in both directions is common — a one-line statement that skips the real hazards, or a bloated document padded with generic boilerplate that buries the actual method. Neither serves the people doing the work, who need to be able to read it and know how the job is to be done safely.

The test is not word count but usefulness: does the statement describe the real sequence, name the genuine hazards and their controls, and could the crew follow it? A method statement that passes that test is the right length, whether that is one page or five. Length is a symptom of specificity done properly, not a target to hit — which is the same principle that separates every good example in this guide from the generic templates they are so often mistaken for.

Related guides

• What is a RAMS document and do you need one? - the plain-English explainer
• RAMS template free UK 2026 - what makes a good template and what to avoid
• How to write a RAMS for scaffolding - 12-minute step-by-step
• Roofing RAMS template UK 2026 - HSG33, fragile roofs, lead works