Method statement template for Ireland

A method statement describes how a defined job will be carried out safely, in order, on the real site. The person preparing it should identify the work sequence, people and plant, hazards at each stage, controls, supervision, emergency arrangements and what changes would require a pause and new approval. This blank Irish template helps structure that decision. It cannot make an unsafe or unassessed method safe merely by being filled in.

In Irish construction, the HSA promotes a combined Risk Assessment Method Statement (RAMS) approach. Its CSPAC RAMS guidance says an employer should select a responsible person to develop and oversee the RAMS and update it as necessary with the PSCS, contractors and site personnel. The HSA also provides an official interactive RAMS template. This is an original method-sequence worksheet intended to sit alongside the task risk assessment and site/project plan, not a copy of the HSA form. It uses Irish PSCS terminology; the UK CDM Construction Phase Plan and UK legal references are not substitutes for Irish duties.

Before using the form

Know the scope and location, employer/contractor details, current site rules and PSCS contact where appointed, relevant design/service/asbestos information, task risk assessment, plant and worker competence, interfaces with other trades, emergency access and any permits or specialist designs. If key information is missing, set a hold point. Check the Irish Construction Regulations 2013 and the HSA's Safe Plan of Action/RAMS guidance for the actual project. A method statement is not an all-purpose statutory certificate, and a generic statement need not be requested for every low-risk job; use a format proportionate to the risks and client/PSCS requirements.

Copyable method statement

A. Document and job control

Scope example: “Remove and replace two light fittings above a closed office corridor using a suitable podium platform after verified electrical isolation” is actionable. “Electrical works as required” is not.

B. People, competence, plant and information

A card or certificate does not replace supervision or an appropriate safe method. Where Schedule 5 of the Irish Construction Regulations requires a specific CSCS card for the task, check its exact category; do not treat Safe Pass as a plant or scaffold qualification. Information should be available to the people doing the work, not just stored in an office.

C. Pre-start hold points

If a hold point fails, stop the affected work, record the action needed and name the competent person who can authorise restart. “Proceed with caution” is not a replacement for missing isolation or engineering information.

D. Work sequence and controls

Replace every bracket with a real instruction. “Wear PPE” alone is not a control for a live service, unstable excavation, fragile roof or lifting operation. Link detailed engineered documents and permits by reference. Where a step needs a different specialist method, add it as a controlled attachment rather than pretending one generic table covers it.

E. Emergency arrangements

Do not rely solely on the public emergency services for a rescue that must be planned by the employer, such as suspended-person or confined-space recovery. A competent specialist must establish the actual method, equipment and capability. Keep emergency instructions concise enough for workers to use under pressure.

F. Change control and sign-off

Worker briefing: [Crew names/roles, date, language/support needs, questions resolved]. Supervisor pre-start acceptance: [Name/time]. PSCS or host coordination acknowledgement where needed: [Person/time]. Completion and handback: [Inspection, residual hazards, documents given, date]. A signature confirms that a briefing or review occurred; it is not evidence that the specified control is physically in place. Verify the workface.

How to complete and use it

1. Walk the site and review the risk assessment. Start with the exact task and design/site information. HSA's RAMS guidance expects employer ownership and consultation with the relevant parties.
2. Choose the actual safe sequence. Make each step observable. If the safest approach is to avoid the hazard by redesigning the work, do that before writing a method for exposure.
3. Resolve technical questions. Temporary works, lifting, energy isolation, asbestos, excavation support or specialist access may need an engineered design, licensed work or competent approval. Mark a stop gate until that evidence exists.
4. Coordinate interfaces. Tell the PSCS, other contractors and people controlling the premises what changes in access, services, traffic or emergency arrangements. Contractors' cooperation duties sit within the Irish Construction Regulations; a method known only to one crew will not manage shared risk.
5. Brief and observe. Explain the sequence at the work area. Check workers can describe the hold points and have the equipment specified. If the actual site differs, revise before starting.
6. Update and hand back. Stop for a material change, issue a new version, tell everyone affected, verify completion and pass residual hazards to the site/project owner.

Worked example: A roofing contractor plans to replace panels from a MEWP. The initial form names the panels, access platform and roof-edge exclusion zone. On arrival, an overhead line is identified close to the planned platform route. The crew must not cross out “overhead line” and continue. The competent lead should stop work, verify line ownership/voltage and safe clearances with the right parties, redesign access or obtain an authorised isolation, update the risk assessment and method, brief the crew and document restart. This illustrates why a method statement is a live decision record, not a one-time file upload.

Distinctions that prevent poor documents

• Risk assessment: identifies hazards, people affected and controls. Method statement: sequences implementation. The combined RAMS should be internally consistent.
• Safety Statement: the employer's wider safety policy/arrangements under the 2005 Act; it is not a job-specific sequence.
• Construction-stage safety and health plan: PSCS project coordination document where required; it does not replace each contractor's safe method.
• Safe Plan of Action: the HSA's short site-ready planning aid alongside RAMS; it does not turn a generic RAMS into a suitable task method.
• Permit to work: limited authorisation for a specified hazardous activity; it does not by itself design the method or transfer legal responsibility.

Avoid UK-only wording such as principal contractor under CDM 2015, or references to UK COSHH, when the job is in Ireland. Match the method to Irish law and the particular project's arrangements.

Complys and next step

The manifest suggests /ie/rams-software as a money page, but the exact live route and Irish product implementation need checking. Do not state that Complys automatically creates a compliant Irish RAMS, applies HSA rules, signs off PSCS coordination or issues permits without direct verification. The observed Irish construction page is a contextual commercial link, subject to product and canonical review. Software can organise versions and evidence, but the employer and competent people own the method and its execution.

Next step: fill the six-part form for one upcoming job, walk the work area with the supervisor and affected contractors, and clear every pre-start hold point. Cross-check with the HSA's RAMS guidance and template before issuing the job document.

Source and claim register — checked 5 October 2026