A method statement is a plan for how a particular job will be carried out. It sets out the work in order, the equipment and people needed, and the precautions for each stage. For a tradesperson moving between small jobs, the useful version is clear enough to discuss with the team on site—not a long document copied from another project.
Our free Method Statement Builder helps you organise a draft, edit each step and print or save a PDF. It cannot inspect your site or approve your method. A competent person must check the actual job, its risk assessment, and any client or principal contractor requirements before work starts.
What belongs in a useful method statement?
Start with the job you are really doing. “Decorating” says little. “Prepare and repaint the occupied ground-floor meeting room” makes you think about access, occupants, furniture, ventilation, materials and handover. Record the site, work area, date or revision, supervisor and who will do the work. Add permit and coordination arrangements where relevant.
Write the work in the order it will happen: arrival and briefing, setting up the area, main operations, checks or hold points, clearing the area and handover. For each step, ask: What happens next? What could go wrong here? What will we actually do about it? Name equipment and materials where they affect the method. “Use appropriate PPE” is too vague if nobody has identified what is appropriate for the product and task.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) explains that a method statement describes a job in a logical sequence and brings together controls from the risk assessment. HSE notes that method statements are not a blanket legal requirement for every construction activity. Arrangements for demolition, dismantling or structural alteration must be recorded in writing before work begins. Check the rules and contract requirements that apply to your job.
A small-job example: repainting an occupied room
Imagine repainting a meeting room while the rest of an office remains open. This is an illustrative outline, not a ready-to-use safe method. The actual site, products and access equipment may change it substantially.
- Confirm the room and boundaries. Agree the area, hours, access route and whether others may enter. Check existing conditions and nearby work.
- Review hazards and product information. Check the job-specific risk assessment and manufacturer instructions. If preparation may disturb an unknown coating or material, stop and establish what it is before choosing a method.
- Set up the area. Record how furniture, walkways and adjoining spaces will be protected or kept clear. Identify material and waste storage without obstructing escape routes.
- Prepare and paint. Describe the preparation, access equipment and application sequence. Link meaningful steps to controls and checks. A generic ladder or ventilation statement may not suit the room.
- Inspect, clear and hand over. Check for spills, tools, waste and restrictions before returning the area to use.
That outline becomes useful only when someone fills in the real site facts. Work above head height may need a different access plan; an occupied building may need an agreed route for people; the chosen coating may have handling instructions. HSE’s work-at-height guidance says a method statement should be clear, no longer than necessary, and explicit about equipment and what to do if the method changes.
Using the free builder
Open the Method Statement Builder and enter a specific project name, work location and activity. Start blank or load editable prompts for a type of job. The prompts are reminders, not approved controls. Delete what does not apply and add what the site inspection and risk assessment reveal.
Edit the steps in the order the crew will do them. A control should be a checkable action linked to its step. Add the people, materials, equipment, access, emergency and handover arrangements that matter. If an unexpected substrate, blocked route or different piece of equipment could change the method, say who stops work and who agrees the revision.
Review the live preview and reorder steps until the sequence makes sense. Download the project JSON to keep an editable copy for later. Use your browser’s Print command to print or save a PDF. Before sharing the PDF, read it from beginning to end and have the responsible competent person check it against the site.
Lay out the steps, edit controls and arrangements, then print or save a clean PDF. Free to use; no account required.
Method statement versus risk assessment
A risk assessment identifies hazards, who may be harmed and the measures needed to control the risks. The method statement turns the chosen method and controls into a sequence people can follow and discuss. Neither replaces the other. If you need to organise hazards and controls first, use our free Risk Assessment Generator, then bring its job-specific findings into the method statement draft.
A repeat job may have a familiar starting sequence, but access, occupants, materials and emergency arrangements can change. Give the draft a revision date, explain important changes to the people doing the work, and keep the version they are actually using. HSE advises revising the method where circumstances change markedly.
Common mistakes
- Copying another site’s text. It may carry over the wrong address, equipment, hazards or emergency plan.
- Listing hazards without a sequence. That resembles an incomplete risk assessment rather than a method.
- Using vague controls. “Take care” does not tell anyone what to set up, check or stop for.
- Leaving out interfaces. Other people, vehicles and trades near the work may affect the sequence.
- Never revisiting the plan. An unexpected condition should trigger a review, not a silent workaround.
Frequently asked questions
Do I legally need one for every small job?
No general rule makes a separate method statement mandatory for every construction activity. HSE identifies specific written arrangements for demolition, dismantling and structural alteration; clients or principal contractors may also require one. You still need to manage the risks and comply with the duties relevant to the work. Check current HSE guidance and project requirements.
How long should it be?
Long enough to communicate the work and precautions clearly. A short, specific document the crew understands is more useful than pages of generic text. Higher-risk work may need more detail, diagrams and review.
Can I use the same document for every customer?
Use an earlier document only as a starting point. Confirm the site, scope, materials, access, other people affected, emergency arrangements and current risk assessment each time.
Does the builder check whether my method is safe?
No. It organises what you enter and offers editable prompts. It cannot check competence, equipment or the site, and it cannot approve a safe system of work.
Can I return to the draft later?
Yes. Download the project JSON and import it later to keep editing. The PDF is for sharing the reviewed document; the JSON is the editable copy. Name versions clearly so nobody uses an earlier draft by mistake.
Next step: Draft the sequence with the free builder, then walk the real work area with the people doing the job and revise it before sign-off.
