Free Method Statement Template

Method Statement template FAQs

• Is this Method Statement template free?

  Yes. It is free to download, with no sign-up and no email address needed. Select Download the Word template and the file downloads straight away.

• What format is the template?

  A Microsoft Word document (.docx) of 11 A4 pages, with no macros. It contains a cover, document control and ten numbered sections, from task and scope to a practical final review.

• Can I edit the Method Statement in Microsoft Word?

  Yes. Each prompt sits in a Word content control: click it and type to replace it. Dates use date pickers and the final review uses tick boxes. You can add rows to the tables, and the sequence of work renumbers its steps automatically. Other software that opens .docx files should work, although formatting may vary.

• What is a Method Statement?

  A document that describes, in a logical sequence, how a particular task will be carried out safely. It draws on the controls identified by the risk assessment and is used to communicate the safe system of work to the people doing the job.

• Is a Method Statement required by law?

  There is no general legal requirement for a document specifically called a Method Statement, and CDM 2015 does not prescribe one. Method Statements are widely used as a practical way to set out a safe system of work, particularly for higher-risk, complex or unusual work, as HSE’s HSG150 (opens in a new tab) explains. The underlying legal duties to assess and manage health and safety risks still apply.

• What should a Method Statement include?

  What the task is and where it takes place, who is involved and the competence needed, what must be in place before work starts, the resources required, the sequence of work with its controls and checks, welfare and emergency arrangements, what happens if conditions change, and how the method is communicated. Keep it proportionate to the task.

• What is the difference between a Method Statement and a risk assessment?

  A risk assessment identifies the hazards, who may be harmed and the controls needed. A Method Statement explains how the work will be carried out safely, in sequence, using those controls. They are often used together, but they are different documents. See Method Statements and RAMS explained and risk assessments and RAMS.

• Is a Method Statement the same as RAMS?

  No. RAMS usually means a risk assessment and method statement presented together. This template is a standalone Method Statement: it records the associated risk assessment reference rather than including a risk assessment. Need both documents together? Download the combined RAMS template.

• Who should prepare a Method Statement?

  Someone with sufficient understanding of the task, its risks and controls, and the work arrangements on site, often the contractor carrying out or supervising the work. They should draw on relevant input where needed, such as from the people doing the work, specialists and others whose work interfaces with the task.

• When should a Method Statement be reviewed?

  When something changes that could affect health and safety: the scope, the site conditions, the sequence, the equipment or materials, the people, or the controls. Review it too after an incident or near miss, or if a control proves ineffective. The template’s change, stop-work and review section records these triggers.