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Free method statement template

Free method statement template (PDF). Set out scope, sequence of work, hazards and controls, plant, PPE and emergency response. Download free.

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FreePDFUpdated Oct 2026

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These templates are free general guides provided as-is. They do not constitute legal, safety or compliance advice. You are responsible for ensuring any form meets your specific workplace obligations, industry standards and applicable regulations.

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Updated 26 Oct 2026

How to use: download the PDF, print or complete digitally on any device.

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Don't just download it - use it live. Start a free workspace, upload this method statement template and MapTrack drafts it as a form your crew can run from a phone.

Jarrod Milford

Jarrod Milford

Co-Founder & Commercial Director

Updated 26 October 2026
Also see:Compliance and inspections →Best inspection software →MapTrack vs SafetyCulture →

Short answer

A method statement template sets out how a task will be done safely, step by step: scope, sequence, hazards and controls at each stage, plant, PPE, competencies and emergency arrangements. Prepare it before risky work and review it when the task, plant, site or crew changes. Regulation 299 of the model WHS Regulations requires a SWMS, a defined form of method statement, before high risk construction work starts.

Checked against Model WHS Act (Model WHS Bill as at 5 December 2025 (includes the Model WHS Legislation Amendment (Incident Notification) 2025)) on by the MapTrack templates team. How we check templates

Key takeaways

  • The MapTrack method statement template has 4 columns and room for 14 entries. Columns: Step, Activity / sequence of work, Hazards, Controls (hierarchy of control).
  • A method statement sets out how a task is done safely: scope, the step-by-step sequence of work, and the controls for each stage.
  • It is the method half of RAMS; pair it with a risk assessment that scores each hazard so the two documents reference one another.
  • For the 18 high-risk construction activities, the WHS Regulations 2011 require a SWMS specifically, which is a stricter, defined form of method statement.
  • Brief the crew on the method statement before work starts and re-issue it whenever the task, plant, site or people change.

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Used by construction, mining and field service teams

Saunders InternationalMineral ResourcesSupagasHacer GroupMetro TunnelUltrabuilt

What is a method statement template?

A method statement is a document that sets out how a particular task or work activity will be carried out safely, step by step. It describes the scope of the works, the sequence of operations from set-up to clean-up, the hazards expected at each stage and the controls that manage them, plus the plant, equipment, PPE and competencies required and what to do in an emergency. It is the practical instruction a crew follows on site, written so the people doing the work understand the safe way to do it before they start.

Method statements are used across construction, civil, mining, facilities and trades, usually as the method half of a RAMS pack (risk assessment and method statement). The risk assessment identifies and scores each hazard; the method statement explains how the work is sequenced and controlled. In MapTrack you can attach the signed method statement to the job and to the plant it references, so the current version is on the phone in the field rather than in a folder in the site office. In Australia, the WHS Act 2011 places a primary duty on a PCBU to ensure work is carried out safely so far as is reasonably practicable, and for the 18 categories of high-risk construction work the WHS Regulations 2011 require a Safe Work Method Statement, which is a defined and stricter form of method statement.

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Benefits of using this method statement template

  • Clear safe sequence: the crew gets a step-by-step method for the task rather than working it out as they go on site.
  • Hazards controlled at each step: linking controls to specific stages of the work catches risks a general risk register misses.
  • Briefing evidence: a signed method statement records that workers were taken through the method before starting the task.
  • Pairs with the risk assessment: the method statement and risk assessment cross-reference, giving a complete RAMS pack for the activity.
  • Plant and PPE defined upfront: stating the equipment, PPE and competencies needed avoids the wrong gear or unlicensed operators on the job.
  • Consistency across crews: a reusable method statement means the same task is done the same safe way regardless of who is on shift.
  • Audit and client ready: principal contractors and auditors routinely ask for method statements, so a complete one keeps you on site.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your ramss from paper to MapTrack, you get:

  • Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
  • Email the right people when a form is submitted, with an automation you set up.
  • File every completed form against the asset, location or person it covers.
  • Download any completed form as a PDF, with failed answers listed at the top.
  • Fill in forms offline; they upload when the device is back online.
  • Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
  • Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
  • Electronic signatures.
  • Edit forms later without reprinting.
  • Set who can view, fill in or edit forms with user roles.
  • Upload a paper form (PDF, Word, Excel or a photo) and MapTrack's AI builds a digital version for you to check.
  • Email safety managers when a hazard report is submitted, with an automation you set up.
  • Keep every hazard and incident report against the site it came from, with photos.
  • Turn a hazard report into a corrective-action work order with its own review step.

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Steve McAllister

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What to include in a method statement template

This method statement template covers 11 key areas:

  • Document details: project, location, activity, prepared by, reviewed by, date and revision number.
  • Scope of works: a clear description of the task the method statement covers and any explicit exclusions.
  • Sequence of operations: the work broken into ordered steps from set-up through execution to clean-up.
  • Hazards and controls: the hazards expected at each step and the control measures applied, following the hierarchy of control.
  • Plant and equipment: the machinery, tools and access equipment to be used, with any inspection or registration requirements.
  • Materials and substances: products used and a reference to relevant safety data sheets where applicable.
  • PPE: the personal protective equipment required for the task.
  • Competencies and licences: the training, tickets or high-risk work licences workers must hold for the activity.
  • Permits and isolations: any permits to work, isolation or lockout required before the task can start.
  • Emergency response: first-aid, spill, rescue and evacuation arrangements specific to the works.
  • Sign-off and briefing record: approver authorisation and a record that the crew was briefed on the method.

How to use this method statement template

  1. Define the scope of the works and break the task into a logical sequence.: State exactly what the method statement covers, then split the activity into ordered steps from set-up to clean-up. Keep each step a single clear action so hazards and controls can be tied to the right point in the work, not to the job as a whole.
  2. Identify the hazards at each step and assign controls using the hierarchy of control.: Work through every step and list what could cause harm, then choose controls in order of effectiveness: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineer, administrative, then PPE. Record the control against the step so the crew sees exactly when and how each risk is managed.
  3. Specify the plant, materials, PPE and competencies the task requires.: List the machinery, tools and access equipment with their inspection or registration needs, the materials and any safety data sheets, the PPE to be worn, and the licences, tickets or training workers must hold to carry out the activity safely.
  4. Set out permits, isolations and the emergency response for the works.: Record any permit to work, isolation or lockout required before the task starts, then describe the emergency arrangements: first-aid, spill response, rescue plan and evacuation. These are easy to forget on a method statement but matter most when something goes wrong.
  5. Cross-reference the matching risk assessment and have the method statement approved.: Link the method statement to the risk assessment that scores each hazard so the RAMS pack is complete, then have a competent person review and authorise it. The two documents should agree on the hazards and controls for the activity.
  6. Brief the crew, record their sign-on, and re-issue when anything changes.: Take the workers through the method before the task starts and record that they have read and understood it. Review and re-issue the method statement whenever the task, plant, site conditions or people involved change, and keep the current version on site.

In MapTrack, you can digitise safety inspections and compliance forms. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.

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How often should you complete this RAMS?

Prepare a method statement before any task that carries meaningful risk, and brief the crew on it before work starts. Review it whenever the task, the plant, the site conditions or the people doing the work change, and at least once per project for ongoing activities. For the 18 high-risk construction work categories a SWMS is required and must be reviewed if the work changes. In MapTrack you can attach the current method statement to the job and the plant it references, so the right version is on the phone in the field rather than a printout that goes out of date in the ute.

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Frequently asked questions

A method statement is a document that explains how a work task will be carried out safely, step by step. It sets out the scope, the sequence of operations, the hazards at each step and the controls for them, plus the plant, PPE, competencies and emergency arrangements. It is the practical instruction a crew follows on site, and it is usually paired with a risk assessment as the method half of a RAMS pack for the activity.

A method statement explains how any work task is sequenced and controlled and can be used for any activity. A Safe Work Method Statement, or SWMS, is a stricter, legally defined form of method statement that the WHS Regulations 2011 require for the 18 categories of high-risk construction work, such as work at heights or near energised services. A SWMS must address those high-risk activities specifically. For high-risk construction work use a compliant SWMS; for other tasks a general method statement is appropriate.

There is no single law that names a generic method statement, but the WHS Act 2011 places a primary duty on a PCBU to ensure work is carried out safely so far as is reasonably practicable, and a method statement is a recognised way to plan and show that. For the 18 categories of high-risk construction work, the WHS Regulations 2011 do require a Safe Work Method Statement before the work starts. Principal contractors and clients also commonly require method statements as a condition of being on site.

Review a method statement before the task starts and whenever something material changes: the work method, the plant used, the site conditions or the people doing the job. For ongoing activities, review it at least once during the project and after any incident or near miss involving the task. A SWMS for high-risk construction work must be reviewed if the high-risk work changes. Keeping the current version on site, rather than an out-of-date printout, is part of using it properly.

Yes. Download and use this method statement template for free: it downloads as a PDF you can print to complete by hand. No MapTrack account is required. If you would rather attach the signed method statement to the job and the plant it references, so the current version is on the phone in the field, MapTrack can do that. Book a demo to see how it works.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The template alone does not establish compliance.

  • Model Work Health and Safety Act (Model Work Health and Safety Bill)

    Edition: Model WHS Bill as at 5 December 2025 (includes the Model WHS Legislation Amendment (Incident Notification) 2025)

    Primary duty of care, so far as is reasonably practicable, including safe systems of work. No law names a generic method statement.

    • s 19: Primary duty of care: a PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others, including safe plant, systems, training and supervision.

    Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee)

  • Model Work Health and Safety Regulations

    Edition: Model WHS Regulations as at 5 December 2025 (cited within as the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011)

    Defines the 18 types of high risk construction work and requires a SWMS before that work starts, with review and keeping rules.

    • reg 291: Lists 18 kinds of high risk construction work, such as falls over 2 metres, work on or beside a traffic corridor in use, and areas with moving powered mobile plant.
    • reg 299: A SWMS must be prepared before high risk construction work starts, identifying hazards, risks and control measures.
    • Part 6.3 Division 2: Safe work method statements for high risk construction work: preparation, compliance, review and keeping (regs 299 to 303).

    Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee)

  • Model Code of Practice: Construction work

    Edition: November 2024 version (first published November 2013)

    Model Code guidance on preparing, implementing and reviewing SWMS.

    • Section 4: Safe work method statements: what they are, preparing, implementing and reviewing them.

    Safe Work Australia

  • Risk management - Guidelines

    Edition: AS ISO 31000:2018

    Risk management guidelines behind the hazard and control analysis. AS ISO 31000:2018 superseded AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009.

    Standards AustraliaSold by the publisher

Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.

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Method statement template preview

Method statement template template preview showing fields and layout

The numbers behind this method statement template

The pages below gather the figures behind this kind of check. Each figure on them carries its source and date, so you can quote it in a toolbox talk, a budget case or a board paper without chasing the original report.

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Run an industry blog, trade association site, or training resource? Drop a preview of this free method statement template straight into your page. The snippet is self-contained, needs no scripts, and links readers back to the full free template.

<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
  <p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
  <p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Method statement template</p>
  <ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Document details: project, location, activity, prepared by, reviewed by, date and revision number.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Scope of works: a clear description of the task the method statement covers and any explicit exclusions.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Sequence of operations: the work broken into ordered steps from set-up through execution to clean-up.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Hazards and controls: the hazards expected at each step and the control measures applied, following the hierarchy of control.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Plant and equipment: the machinery, tools and access equipment to be used, with any inspection or registration requirements.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Materials and substances: products used and a reference to relevant safety data sheets where applicable.</li>
  </ul>
  <p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/method-statement-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Method statement template</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>

Free to reuse, including commercially. This template is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Copy it, adapt it, put it on your own site or in your own docs. All we ask is that you credit MapTrack with a link back to this page. The snippet above already includes that credit, so if you use it as-is you’re covered.

Cite this template

Writing about this topic? You’re welcome to quote this checklist. Here’s the wording to use so your readers can find the original.

The MapTrack method statement template has 4 columns and room for 14 entries.

Short attribution
MapTrack Method statement template, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/method-statement-template
Reference list
MapTrack. (2026). Method statement template [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/method-statement-template

Free to reuse with credit under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. If you’d rather link straight to it, the page is https://www.maptrack.com/templates/method-statement-template.

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