A method statement example is more useful than a template because it shows where the controls go. This one is a hand-dug trench for a new service in a footpath: eleven steps from the service scan to the backfill, each naming the role and the control from the assessment it applies, with the plant, the permit, the PPE and the emergency arrangements. The HSE's guidance, cited below, gives risk assessment as five steps: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, review the controls, and says that if you employ 5 or more people you must record your significant findings. The risk assessment and method statement tool on this site prints the same shape from your task's figures, free and without an account.
Setting up: steps one to four
One: obtain the street works permit and confirm the service drawings. Two: set the barriers and signage, closing the footpath section, controls hazard four, the public. Three: scan the line with the locator and mark the services, controls hazard one, the services. Four: brief the crew and sign the RAMS. Each step names the role and the control.
Doing: steps five to eight
Five: hand dig to expose marked services with insulated tools, no machine within the marked zone, controls hazard one. Six: support the trench sides as the assessment requires beyond the stated depth, controls hazard two, collapse. Seven: install the new duct and record the depth and route for the drawing. Eight: keep the spoil back from the edge, controls hazard three, the edge load.
Making safe: steps nine to eleven
Nine: backfill in layers and compact. Ten: reinstate the surface to the authority's specification. Eleven: remove barriers and signage last and close the permit. The controls come down in reverse, with the public's barrier last.
Around the steps
Plant: locator, hand tools, trench sheets, compactor, each with its inspection. Permit: street works. PPE: gloves, eye protection, boots, hi-vis. Emergency: first aider, nearest A&E, the utility's emergency number for a strike. Sign-on: the two operatives. DailyLogDesk Pro keeps the signed statement against the job. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: SafetyCulture lists its Premium plan at $29 per seat per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with a free plan for small teams; Contractor Foreman lists its Basic plan at $49 per month for one user. DailyLogDesk Pro is $29 per month for the whole site team.
Questions people ask about method statement example
Can I use this example for my trench?
The shape, yes; the hazards, the depth rule and the permit are your site's, and the tool prints them from your figures.
Why is the service scan a step?
Because the control for the worst hazard is done before the dig, and a method that assumes it happened is one where it did not.
Is the tool free?
Yes, without an account.