Method statements are the how of a task: the sequence of the work, step by step, with the control from the risk assessment placed at the step where it applies, and the plant, the permits, the PPE and the emergency arrangements around it. A method statement is read by the crew at the briefing and by the site manager at approval, so it is written as steps a crew can follow rather than paragraphs a manager can admire. The risk assessment and method statement tool on this site builds it from the assessment, free and without an account.
Steps, in order, one action each
Set up the exclusion zone. Isolate and prove dead. Erect the edge protection. Then the work, then the making safe, then the clearing. Each step names the people, the plant and the control it applies. A method statement that starts at the work and forgets the setting-up is one whose controls are done from memory.
The control at the step
The assessment found that the fall is controlled by edge protection; the method says at which step the edge protection goes up and that no work within reach of the edge happens before it. Placing the control at its step is the whole difference between a method statement and a description. 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.
Plant, permits, PPE, emergency
The plant listed with its inspection status, the permits the task needs, the PPE per step where it changes, and what happens if it goes wrong: first aid, hospital, the rescue plan where there is height. The tool on this site prints these blocks from the task's figures.
The briefing and the sign-on
The method statement is briefed to the crew and signed by them before the task starts; the signed version is the record. A method statement filed unsigned shows a plan, not a briefing. DailyLogDesk Pro keeps the signed statement against the job with the RAMS it belongs to.
Questions people ask about method statements
Is a method statement a legal requirement?
Not by name; the risk assessment is. The method statement is how the controls are shown to be applied, and managed sites require it.
How detailed should the steps be?
Detailed enough that a competent operative new to this site can follow them. The tool prints the reading time as the check.
Is the tool free?
Yes, without an account.