by Daniel
Method statements provide lots of positives for you as a business owner, and they can help save lots of time and money when used correctly. After all, they aren’t a legal requirement, so what is the purpose of a method statement? Well, we’re going to explore all the perks for your business here in this blog. So, let’s get into it.
Why is a method statement important?
Method statements detail exactly how to implement safety measures and they’ll help your team eliminate the risks that come along with jobs. They’re especially important in industries like construction – where there’s a risk such as equipment, heights or hazardous materials around every corner. So, to protect site visitors, construction workers and project managers, having method statements that say how you’re going to mitigate risks is vital.
What are the benefits of a method statement?
Method statements offer a lot of benefits for your business, and when it comes to safety and compliance, we understand you want to have everything in order to achieve this. Here’s a list of benefits for your business:
- Help your business stay compliant
- Upholding Health and Safety
- Improved decision making
- Clear instructions for everyone to follow
- Easier to implement controls
- Provides evidence of your safety measures
Keeps your business compliant
Method statements make it easier to stay compliant – you’ve got a lot of legal responsibilities to keep track of which can be hard, and it’s easy to let your compliance slip. Having everything laid out clearly is the best way to see exactly where you’re up to, where everyone should be and where your compliance is up to.
Upholding Health and Safety
On any construction site, Health and Safety should be at the top of your priority list – because if it isn’t, you could be dealing with much more than you originally signed up for. Having a detailed method statement in place means everyone knows exactly what is required, and that Health and Safety is prioritised across your business.
Improved decision-making across the business
In the (hopefully unlikely) event that something does go wrong on your site, this is exactly where a method statement will come in handy. It should detail exactly what to do should things go wrong, how to identify exactly what went wrong and how to make sure things don’t go wrong again. With a robust method statement, everyone and anyone can make the right decisions and the right time.
Clear instructions
A method statement can be thought of as instructions for your employees to carry out their work safely. Good method statements list all the precautions that need to be taken, but it’s also important to decide the type of tasks a method statement is needed for. This will save time, resources and money, so you shouldn’t need to adopt a method statement for every single task. A good benchmark to follow is any tasks that involve higher risks or complex activities should always have a method statement.
Easier implementation of controls
Method statements should always contain a good level of information to help communicate any difficult tasks to your employees. The format should be simple, and easy to follow so that anyone who potentially has little knowledge of the industry can understand the logical order and follow the content. knows exactly what’s going on where, when, how and why, control measures will be far easier to put in place, and they’ll be far easier for everyone to follow.
Providing recorded evidence
Record keeping is non-negotiable. If you get a surprise inspection, you’ll need to be able to provide proof that you’re keeping everyone on your site safe, and making sure it’s safe for other construction workers, visitors and project managers. So, having clear records (like a method statement) is an absolute must for when the inspectors come knocking.
Method statement resources to help you
So, now you know what method statements can do for your business, it’s time to find out what we can do for you too! With our huge library of method statement templates, you’ll be able to draft up a statement to suit your business needs in no time. So, why not check out our full range here?
We’re also here to provide expert guidance and support. Our Health and Safety experts offer 24/7 advice, and we can help you achieve a range of industry-recognised accreditations from a range of leading certification bodies.
Contact us to find out more about our range of products and support, and let us help your business meet Health and Safety compliance.
We also have some other handy blog articles on method statements, so if you want more information, check them out below.
