Method statement
Plain English. Practical detail. UK context.
A method statement describes how a task will be carried out, including the sequence and relevant safety controls. It turns planning into practical instructions for the people doing the work.
Last reviewed: (editorial review against the public sources listed below).
What it means in practice
Make the sequence realistic for the site and equipment available. Identify prerequisites such as isolation, access, temporary support and exclusion of other people. Link the method to the relevant risk assessment rather than repeating generic safety phrases.
Review the method if the work changes. A different tool, unexpected service or loss of access may require a different sequence or control, even when the job title remains the same.
For homeowners
For disruptive work, ask how the sequence will affect safe access, occupied rooms and temporary loss of services. A clear explanation helps distinguish unavoidable inconvenience from a plan which has not considered how the household will operate during the works.
Practical checks
Make the current method available to the team and confirm they understand it. If the planned method cannot be followed safely, stop and revise it rather than improvising around the written controls.
Describe the points where work must not continue
A useful method identifies prerequisites and hold points: services verified and isolated, support installed, an area excluded, a test completed or a competent person available. It also explains what to do if the expected condition is absent. Simply listing PPE and saying work carefully leaves the team to invent the critical sequence. Include access, materials handling and arrangements for interruption or emergency where relevant. A trainee should be able to relate the written sequence to the equipment and people actually present. If the method requires equipment the contractor has not brought, the answer is not to improvise an unassessed substitute while keeping the original signature sheet.
Using it within the safety system
HSE's construction administration guidance treats method statements as a practical way to communicate the safe sequence, informed by assessment. CDM coordination matters where several contractors can affect one another. A statement for a previous site may provide a starting structure, but its assumptions need checking against the current job. Explain changes to the workforce and remove superseded versions from normal use. Homeowners should be told about the effects on access or services without being asked to approve technical safety controls outside their competence. The document supports safe action; a long document or a customer's signature does not itself discharge the contractor's duties.
Frequently asked questions
Is a method statement the same as a risk assessment?
No. A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls. A method statement explains the practical sequence for carrying out the work using the required arrangements.
Must the method be revised after a change of tool or access?
Review whether the new arrangement changes the risks or sequence. Where it does, revise and communicate the method before continuing rather than assume the original wording still applies.
Sources and further reading
Public sources and further reading. Sources checked: 8 November 2026. Consult the original for details and later changes.