Method statement
Also known as: Safe system of work
A method statement sets out, step by step, how a task will be carried out safely, using the controls identified in the risk assessment.
- The step by step description of how a task will actually be done.
- It turns the controls from a risk assessment into instructions a crew can follow.
- Usually issued with the risk assessment as RAMS.
A method statement describes how a task will be carried out safely. It takes the controls identified in a risk assessment and turns them into a sequence: what happens first, who does it, what plant and equipment is involved, and what is checked before the next step begins.
It is the second half of RAMS, and the half that reaches the people doing the work. A risk assessment is an analysis written for the person planning the job. A method statement is an instruction written for the crew.
What a good one contains
The sequence of work, in the order it will happen. The plant, tools and materials needed at each stage. The controls that apply, drawn from the hierarchy of control rather than defaulting to PPE. Who is responsible for each step, and what competence or cards they need to hold.
It should also say what stops the work. Wind speed for a lift, a permit that has not been issued, a service that has not been proven dead. Naming the stop conditions in advance is what allows an operative to halt a job without it becoming an argument.
Where a task needs formal authorisation before it starts, the method statement should reference the permit to work rather than duplicating it. Where a hazardous substance is involved, it should reference the COSHH assessment.
Where it goes wrong
The most common problem is a method statement written to be accepted rather than to be followed. It reads as a policy document, covers every eventuality in general terms, and tells nobody what to do on Tuesday morning. It gets signed, filed, and has no effect on how the work happens.
The second problem is drift. The programme moves, the sequence changes, a different piece of plant arrives, and the document stays as it was. By the time anyone looks at it during an investigation, it describes a job that was never done that way.
Briefing is what closes the gap. A toolbox talk recorded against the job shows the method reached the crew, and a fresh briefing after a change shows the revision did too. Keeping the current version against the project, with the acceptance and the briefing record beside it, is what makes the document defensible. That is what Sync’s risk management is built to hold.
Common questions
Is a method statement a legal requirement?
Not by name. What the law requires is a safe system of work, and for the significant findings of a risk assessment to be recorded if you employ five or more people. A method statement is the usual way of showing that a safe system exists and has been communicated, and it is very often a contractual condition of going on site.
How long should a method statement be?
Long enough that the crew can follow it and short enough that they will. One that runs to twenty pages of boilerplate is not read on site, which defeats its purpose. Describe the sequence, the plant, the controls at each step, and the point at which work stops.
Who signs it?
The person who wrote it, the person accepting it for the principal contractor, and the operatives who have been briefed on it. That last signature is the one auditors look for, because it shows the document reached the people doing the work.
Can I reuse one from a previous job?
As a starting point, yes. As a finished document, no. The hazards on the new site, the access, the sequence and the people are different, and an unchanged method statement is quickly obvious to anyone reviewing it.
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