Form · MHSWR regulation 3
RAMS template
Risk assessment and method statement for one activity: the sequence of work, a five by five risk matrix, PPE, permits, rescue, and a briefing record signed against the revision.
Free download · Editable PDF
Free method statement template
A method statement sets out how one activity on one site will be carried out, stage by stage, with the controls built into each stage. This one comes as an editable PDF and a Word document, free to use and reuse.
- Format
- Editable PDF
- Pages
- 7
- Built on
- CDM 2015, regulation 15
- Cost
- Free, always
What is in the method statement template
7 pagesThe activity, the place and the people
Scope, location and access, the programme, interfaces with other trades, the risk assessment it relies on, and the team with their cards and tickets.
The sequence of work
Two pages of stages, from setting up to leaving the area safe, each with what is done, the controls at that stage and the person responsible.
Plant, equipment and PPE
Each item of plant with its checks, certificates and operator competence, and the PPE by type rather than by name.
Substances, permits and emergencies
COSHH references, the permits and plans the work needs, the rescue plan, and dust, noise and waste.
Briefing record
Twenty signatures against the revision, taken on the day and before the work starts.
When a method statement is required
Checked against the sourceContractors must plan their work
Every contractor must plan, manage and monitor the construction work under their control, so that it is carried out without risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable.
CDM 2015, regulation 15(2)Demolition needs it in writing
For demolition or dismantling, the arrangements must be recorded in writing before the work begins, usually as a method statement.
CDM 2015, regulation 20(2)Otherwise, good practice
For other work a method statement is not required by law. HSE describes it as an effective and practical way to plan, manage and monitor the work, and principal contractors usually ask for one.
HSE construction guidanceThe risk assessment behind it
The hazards and controls come from the risk assessment, which is a legal duty. With five or more employees, its significant findings must be recorded.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3How to use it
Write it for this job
One activity on one site: this sequence, this access, these people. A method statement that describes the trade rather than the job is the one sent back.
Put the controls in the stages
Each stage says what is done and the controls that apply at that moment, so the team meets the control at the point it matters.
Brief it and record the briefing
Everyone signs against the revision before they start. When the sequence, the team or the conditions change, revise it and brief it again.
Asked most often
Questions about
Questions about
this template.
What is a method statement?
A document that sets out how a piece of work will be carried out safely: the sequence of stages, the controls at each stage, the plant and PPE, the permits, and what happens in an emergency. It is written for one activity on one site.
Is this method statement template free?
Yes. It is free to download, use and reuse, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.
Is there a Word version of the method statement template?
Yes. Download it as a Word document to add your own letterhead and rows, or as an editable PDF to type into in any PDF reader or print and fill in by hand.
How do I write a method statement?
Describe the scope and the site, then list the stages in the order the team will work, from setting up to leaving the area safe. Put the controls from the risk assessment into the stage where they apply, name who does each stage, and add the plant, PPE, permits and rescue arrangements.
Is a method statement a legal requirement?
Only for demolition or dismantling, where CDM 2015 regulation 20(2) requires the arrangements in writing. For other work it is good practice rather than law, but the work still has to be planned under regulation 15, and principal contractors usually ask for one.
What is the difference between a method statement and a risk assessment?
The risk assessment identifies the hazards and decides the controls. The method statement sets out the order the work follows, with those controls built into each stage. Together they are a RAMS, and the RAMS template has both in one document.
Is there an example of a method statement for my trade?
Yes. The RAMS guides have pre-filled method statements and risk assessments by trade and hazard, each with a worked sequence of work, as PDF and Word.
Can AI write a method statement?
In Unibuild, yes. Choose a template, describe the job in a prompt, and the AI builds the RAMS, method statement included. Your competent person reviews it, edits it by hand and finalises it.
More free downloads
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Assessment · COSHH 2002 regulation 6
COSHH assessment
One hazardous substance: its hazards from the data sheet, who is exposed and how, controls in regulation 7 order, PPE and RPE, storage, spills, first aid, monitoring and review.
Register · COSHH 2002
COSHH register
Every hazardous substance held, with its data sheet date, main hazard, WEL, storage, COSHH assessment and review date, plus update and review logs.
Next step
The same records,
The same records,
without the paper.
On the platform these stop being sheets. The check, the person, the date, the signature and the action that followed are recorded as the work runs and retrieved by site.