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Method statements are widely used in construction as a means of controlling specific health and
safety risks that have been identified (perhaps following the preparation of a risk assessment), such
as lifting operations, demolition or dismantling, working at height, installing equipment, the use
of plant, and so on.
A method statement helps manage the work and ensures that the necessary precautions have been
communicated to those involved.
Method statements are not a requirement of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations,
however they are identified by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as being one way of satisfying
the requirements of the regulations and as an effective means of assessing risks, managing risks,
collecting workers’ views and briefing workers.
The fact that method statements are not a requirement of the CDM Regulations is evidence of
the HSE's intention that implementation of the requirements of the CDM Regulations should not be
a paper exercise, where the filling out of a standard template is sufficient, but that it should be an
integral and fundamental part of the construction process.
The format in which method statements are prepared, reviewed and used should be set out at the
outset of a project, perhaps within the Project Execution Plan (PEP), ensuring not only that the
method statement is produced by a competent person, but that it is peer-reviewed as part of
the quality assurance (QA) system prior to its use.
Where they are prepared, method statements need be no longer than is necessary for them to be
effective. They are for the benefit of those carrying out the work and so should be clear, not over-
complicated, and illustrated where necessary.
Method statements should be written by a competent person who is familiar with the process being
described and may need to be agreed between the client, principal contractor and contractor.
The HSE suggests that those preparing method statements should consider:
The contents of a method statement will vary with the work process being described, however, it may
contain: