How to Write an Electrical Method Statement (UK Guide)

The two documents are commonly bundled together as "RAMS" but they answer different questions. The risk assessment answers "what could go wrong, how badly, and how likely?" The method statement answers "given those risks, exactly how are we going to do this job safely, step by step?" HSE guidance INDG163 ("Risk assessment: A brief guide to controlling risks in the workplace") sets out the five-step process for the RA. The method statement then translates the controls identified in the RA into a written procedure.

The full pairing is covered separately in our electrical RAMS template guide — start there if you need a complete pack rather than just the method statement.

A method statement that passes principal-contractor review and an HSE site visit contains the following sections, in this order. Missing any one of them is a common reason for a document to be rejected at induction.

1. Cover page — document title, job/site reference, site address, client name, principal contractor, your company, document version, author, date issued, review date.
2. Scope of works — exactly what is being done, the boundary of the work (what is and is not included), location within the site, and the expected duration.
3. References — BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, CDM 2015, HSE INDG163, HSG85 (Electricity at Work — safe working practices), site-specific permit-to-work scheme, and any project-specific construction phase plan.
4. Team and roles — every named operative, their qualification (e.g. JIB Approved Electrician, NVQ Level 3, 18th Edition, 2391), their CSCS card grade, and which task each is responsible for.
5. Equipment and tools — every tool, instrument, test equipment, PPE, lock-off kit and access equipment that will be on site, including calibration status for test equipment.
6. Hazards and control measures — a table mapping each hazard from the risk assessment to the specific control measure (engineering, administrative, PPE) that mitigates it.
7. Sequence of work — the numbered, step-by-step procedure the operatives will follow. This is the heart of the method statement.
8. Emergency procedures — what to do if someone is electrocuted, if a fire starts, if a circuit cannot be isolated, who to call, where the assembly point is.
9. Sign-off and distribution — author signature, reviewer signature, approver signature, and a briefing record showing every operative has read and understood the document.
10. Review history — version number, change log, next scheduled review (typically before each substantial site phase or every 12 months, whichever is sooner).

The scope section is where most authors are too vague. "Rewire of first floor" is not a scope — it is a project title. The scope must let an outside reviewer understand exactly what work will and will not be carried out, where, and how it interfaces with other trades.

The hazards section should list every electrical and non-electrical hazard the operatives will encounter and the control measure that mitigates it. The most common electrical hazards on a typical UK install include:

The sequence of work is the section the operatives actually use on site. It must be numbered, sequential, unambiguous, and specific to the job. A vague sequence ("install cables, terminate, test") is unusable and will not satisfy a principal contractor.

Each step should be a single discrete action. Where a step involves isolation, the safe isolation procedure must be referenced or fully reproduced in line — see our dedicated guide on method statements for safe isolation for the full sequence and the GS38 / lock-off references.

Notice how each step is verifiable. A supervisor walking the job can tick each one off. This is what HSE inspectors and principal-contractor safety advisors look for — and it is the simplest test of whether your method statement is fit for purpose.

Safe isolation is the single most important procedure in any electrical method statement and the most common reason an HSE inspector will pull a document apart. Under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Regulation 14, no person shall work on or near a live conductor unless it is unreasonable in all the circumstances for the conductor to be dead. The method statement must demonstrate that the default position is to work dead.

1. Identify the correct point of isolation from the design / as-fitted drawings.
2. Switch off the relevant circuit / distribution board / main switch.
3. Lock off the isolator using a personal padlock and the appropriate lock-off device. Each operative working on the dead circuit applies their own lock.
4. Post a warning notice stating "DANGER — DO NOT SWITCH ON — ELECTRICIANS WORKING".
5. Prove the voltage indicator on a known live source (e.g. proving unit or live socket on an adjacent circuit).
6. Test the conductors that should be dead — line-to-neutral, line-to-earth, neutral-to-earth, and between each phase on three-phase systems.
7. Re-prove the voltage indicator on the known live source to confirm the instrument is still working.
8. Begin work only once isolation is fully proven.
9. On completion, remove personal locks (each operative removes their own) and re-energise per the agreed procedure.

Two areas where method statements routinely fall short: emergency procedures and the sign-off chain. Both are mandatory for a CDM 2015 compliant document.

The emergency procedures section must cover at minimum:

The sign-off chain must show three distinct roles: the author (the person who wrote the document, usually the project supervisor or competent person), the reviewer (a second competent person who has checked it — often the QS, project manager or qualified supervisor), and the approver (the principal contractor or client representative who accepts it as part of the construction phase plan). The briefing record must show every operative's name, signature and date — proving they have read and understood the document before starting work.

A method statement is not a polite suggestion — it sits inside a statutory framework that imposes duties on the electrician, the employer, the principal contractor and the client.

For higher-risk activities — a live EICR inspection, lone working, or work under a permit-to-work scheme — the method statement should be paired with the appropriate task-specific document. See our guides on RAMS for EICR inspection, lone working for electricians and the permit to work for electrical isolation.