Method statements and RAMS, UK wide
Method Statements
A method statement turns a risk assessment into a plan your team can actually follow. AL23 Safety writes clear, task-specific method statements across the UK that set out how a job is done safely, step by step. They satisfy your clients and principal contractors, stand up to scrutiny and keep your people safe on site.
What is a method statement?
How a job gets done safely, in order
A method statement is a written description of how a specific task will be carried out safely, from start to finish. It takes the hazards identified in your risk assessment and turns them into a clear sequence of work, with the right controls built into each step.
It is sometimes called a safe system of work or SSoW. The point is the same: anyone doing the job or supervising it, can read the document and understand exactly what happens, in what order, who is responsible and what keeps everyone safe.
Most often used for high-risk, complex or unusual work, where getting the sequence wrong can cause serious harm:
- Working at height
- Demolition
- Lifting operations
- Confined space entry
- Hazardous substances
Method statements and RAMS
Two documents that work best together
You will often see method statements packaged with risk assessments as RAMS, short for Risk Assessment and Method Statement. The two do different jobs.
Risk assessment
Identifies the hazards, who could be harmed and the controls needed to reduce the risk.
Method statement
Takes those findings and sets out the safe sequence of work, who does what and how the controls are applied in practice.
You complete the risk assessment first, then write the method statement from it. Most clients, principal contractors and tender systems ask for both together so we usually prepare them as a pair.
Is it a legal requirement?
The honest, precise answer
This is where a lot of guidance gets it wrong so it is worth being precise.
Risk assessments are required by law
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must assess the risks to employees and anyone else affected by their work and record the significant findings if they have five or more employees.
Method statements are not named in that law
So they are not a blanket requirement in the same way. But the same regulations require you to plan, organise, control, monitor and review your measures and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires you to provide and maintain a safe system of work. A method statement is the clearest, most widely accepted way to show you have done exactly that.
A hard requirement for some work. The plan of work for licensed asbestos removal under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 is a written plan required by law.
A condition of being on site. In construction, principal contractors and clients will almost always require method statements before you start, whatever the headline law says.
The practical takeaway is simple. If your work carries real risk you need a method statement and it needs to match the actual job.
Why generic is a liability
Two traps and the narrow space between them
The most common method statement problems sit at opposite extremes. A good one lives in the middle: specific enough to be accurate and defensible, clear enough to be used.
Too generic
Copied from a template or a previous job. It does not match the real task, site, equipment or people so it can expose you to enforcement and leaves the real hazards unmanaged.
Specific and clear
Accurate enough to be defensible if an HSE inspector checks it against the real job and clear enough that the people doing the work actually read it and follow it.
Too long and technical
So dense that nobody on site ever reads it. A method statement only protects anyone if the people doing the work understand it and follow it.
What we include
Anatomy of a method statement
Every document is built around your task but the structure is consistent and complete. A typical method statement covers seven parts.
- 01
The project and the task
What the work is, where it is and the date it applies from.
- 02
Responsibilities
Who is in charge, who does what and the competence and training they need.
- 03
The hazards
Drawn from the risk assessment, with a clear reference back to it.
- 04
The safe sequence of workThe heart of it
Step by step, with the controls built into each stage rather than listed off to one side.
- 05
Access, equipment and PPE
How people get to and from the work safely, the plant and tools used and the protective equipment required.
- 06
Protecting others
How the public, other trades and anyone nearby are kept safe.
- 07
Emergency arrangements
What to do if something goes wrong, including first aid and reporting.
Reviewed and reissued whenever the task moves to a new location, uses new equipment or changes in any meaningful way.
Who needs them
Higher-risk work and wherever a client demands them
Method statements matter most in higher-risk sectors and on work where a client or contractor requires them. We regularly produce them for:
Construction and engineering
Where CDM 2015 applies and principal contractors require RAMS before work starts.
Manufacturing and industrial
For machinery, maintenance and work with hazardous substances.
Logistics and warehousing
For manual handling, vehicle movements and storage.
Facilities and property
For repairs, refurbishment, installations and contractor work.
Bidding for work? Credible RAMS are often part of prequalification and a frequent tender requirement. We prepare documents that meet those expectations so you are not held up at the gate.
- CHAS
- SafeContractor
- Constructionline
How we work with you
From the real task to a document people follow
- 1
Understand the task
We look at the job, the site, the equipment and the people so the document reflects reality rather than a template.
- 2
Work from the risk assessment
We base the method statement on the hazards and controls already identified or we produce the risk assessment too if you need it.
- 3
Write it clearly
A logical sequence of work that your team can read, understand and follow on site.
- 4
Match client and tender requirements
Where a principal contractor or PQQ system has a specific format, we write to it.
- 5
Brief and review
We can support toolbox talks to embed the document with your workforce and keep it current as the work changes.
Why AL23 Safety
Documents that are accurate, accepted and actually used
Written by competent professionals
Our in-house consultants prepare your documents, people who understand both the regulations and the realities of the work.
Task-specific, never off-the-shelf
Documents built around your actual job, which is what keeps them legally sound and genuinely useful.
Tender and client ready
RAMS prepared to satisfy principal contractors, PQQ systems and client requirements.
Clear enough to be followed
Plain, practical documents your team will actually read and apply.
Available how you need it
Use us for a one-off document or as part of ongoing health and safety support, whatever fits.
Nationwide
We support businesses across the UK.
Need a method statement that stands up?
A single high-risk task or a full set of RAMS for a tender
Whatever you need, we will produce clear, accurate documents that protect your people and satisfy your clients. Get in touch to talk it through.
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