Bricklaying method statement example
Finished method statements for common jobs: the steps in order, who does each, and the emergency arrangements. Read one, download it, or build your own.
Build your ownChoose a job
- Electrical second fix and testing in a house refurbishmentLived-in 1970s house, accessories and consumer unit fitted, one circuit dead at a time, tested dead then live before handover.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Hot works: cutting and welding in an occupied warehouseSteel brackets cut out and replaced on a live bay, with a permit for each shift and a separate fire watcher.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Erecting an independent tied scaffold on a two-storey houseIndependent tube and fitting scaffold to a TG20 compliance sheet, family at home, rescue kit on the wagon.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Stripping and re-tiling a pitched roof from a scaffoldLived-in house, tiles, battens and underlay off, one section made weathertight each day.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Digging a 1.2 m trench for strip footings and a drainBeside a lived-in house, services located first, excavator then hand tools, trench sheets and props before anyone goes in.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Repainting occupied officesWater-based paint from a podium, walls filled and sanded first, one bay screened off at a time while staff work on.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Bathroom first and second fix in a lived-in houseOnly bathroom replaced, press-fit pipework under the floor and in a duct, tested before anyone closes it up, suite fitted after tiling.5 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Tarmac resurfacing on a car park that stays partly openOld surface tested and planed off, private retail car park, laid bay block by bay block with shoppers around.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Unloading a builders’ merchant delivery with a lorry loaderPacks of blocks and plasterboard landed on a small building site, on a standing lift plan reviewed for this site.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Cleaning the outside of a two-storey office with a water-fed poleAll from the ground, in an open office set back behind its own car park, on cold November mornings.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- MIG welding a pump frame in a plant roomMIG welding bare mild steel at floor level in a closed plant room, with on-torch extraction, while the retail park keeps trading.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Stripping out a vacant single-storey workshopOffice ceiling, partitions, carpet and benches out by hand, building empty, every service including the fire alarm disconnected on a certificate, lit by roof lights and a 110 V string.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Skimming and patching walls in an occupied houseGround floor living room of a 2006 house, family at home, plaster mixed in the room with the door shut, from a hop-up.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Building a garden wall in blockwork and facing brickA 5 m long, 1 m high wall, one brick thick, on a foundation already in, laid from the ground.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Core drilling a flue hole through a cavity blockwork wallOne 125 mm wet core, rig fixed to the inner leaf, through an external wall of a single-storey extension, with the core caught outside.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Replacing damaged ceiling tiles and grid in an occupied office, out of hoursLike-for-like tiles and tees on the existing hangers, from a podium, with the offices empty and the fire alarm left live.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Clearing gutters on a bungalow from a ladderEight ladder positions of under 15 minutes each, one hand on the ladder, with a stand-off keeping it clear of the gutter.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Laying a block paved patio in a lived-in gardenDug out by hand to 250 mm, sub-base compacted, blocks laid on sand and cut wet, family at home.4 pages, checked 2 November 2026
- Hanging office doors in existing linings, out of hours in a working buildingSix heavy non-fire meeting room doors, trimmed and routed on trestles after the staff have gone.3 pages, checked 2 November 2026
Bricklaying method statement example
Building a garden wall in blockwork and facing brick
A 5 m long, 1 m high wall, one brick thick, on a foundation already in, laid from the ground.
What to change
- Company, people, site and dates
- Wall height and thickness against your area
- Foundation depth and who poured it
- Mortar class and bag
- Block and brick weights
- Who is at home
- Emergency arrangements
Sources
- Brick Development Association: freestanding brick walls
- Welsh Government: fences, gates and garden walls
- HSE: blocks and masonry units
- HSE HSG150: health and safety in construction
- HSE CIS36: construction dust
- HSE: cement
- HSE HSG141: electrical safety on construction sites
- COSHH example: wet cement, mortar and concrete
- H+H: Celcon blocks data sheet
- Cemex: bagged mortars
- HSE: domestic clients under CDM
- CDM 2015, regulation 30: emergency procedures
Checked
The same sheet as text
Worked example of a method statement. Change it to fit your job before you use it.
Building a garden wall in blockwork and facing brick
Job details
- CompanyHollins & Reed Brickwork Ltd
- Site and work area31 Ash Grove, Altrincham WA14 2RL: rear garden
- Planned dates12 to 15 October 2026
- CustomerMr and Mrs Grant
- In charge on siteDan Hollins
- TeamThree people: Dan Hollins leads, lays and is the first aider; Priya Shah lays and is his deputy; Tom Reed mixes, cuts and barrows.
- WorkBuilding a garden wall in blockwork and facing brick
- Risk assessmentBuilding a garden wall in blockwork and facing brick: worked example RAMS, a separate document
Work and boundaries
- Build a blockwork and facing brick garden wall from the ground. Areas: Rear garden wall between the patio and the lawn
- Not our work: The foundation, the patio, the lawn and the boundary fences. Nothing is dug and nothing is built off the house.
Working arrangement
- Access: the floor or ground.
- Dust control when cutting: Water on the blade.
- The work area will be kept clear of other people.
- The Grants are at home. The back garden is closed to them and their dog while we work, and they use the front door. We use their cloakroom toilet and basin. The wall runs across the garden between the patio and the lawn, on their land and away from every boundary. The drawing shows it 5 m long, 215 mm thick and 1 m high above the lawn including the coping, under the 1,075 mm limit for a one-brick wall in the most exposed zone, so no piers and no engineer. It tops out at 1 m, so it is laid from the ground with no trestle or hop-up. It is English garden wall bond in F2 facing bricks with a brick-on-edge coping on a damp proof course and one movement joint in the coping at the middle. The customer’s groundworker poured the foundation on 5 October 2026, 650 mm wide and down to 650 mm, with its top 225 mm below the lawn. The customer’s groundworker fills both sides once the wall has set. Until then the slots stay boarded. No pipe or cable crossed the open trench. The packs come on to the drive, and everything goes through the side gate by barrow on boards. Materials: 12 aircrete blocks at 16 kg, about 600 facing bricks at about 2.3 kg and 36 bags of Cemex M12 mortar at 25 kg, each mix used within 120 minutes. The mixer stands on the patio and it and the cutter run from a 110 V transformer in the garage. Washings go into a tub beside the mixer, and the settled solids, offcuts and packaging leave in our van.
Emergency arrangements
- Priya Shah rings 999 and gives 31 Ash Grove, WA14 2RL; Dan Hollins does if Priya is the one hurt. Dan is the first aider and the kit is in the van on the drive, and an eyewash bottle stands by the mixer. Whoever is nearest stays with the casualty, and Tom Reed goes to the front and brings the crew through the side gate, kept unlocked and clear. Mortar in the eye: wash it out with clean water straight away, keep washing, and get to A&E. Wet mortar trapped on the skin: wash it off at once.
Planned method
- 1. Set up the work areaConfirm the work area and scope before starting. Keep other people outside the active work area. Keep entrances and escape routes clear.
- 2. Check the foundation and the wall sizeCheck the concrete has set and matches the drawing for line, width and depth. Check the wall height against the published limit for its thickness in your area. Too tall means piers, a thicker wall or an engineer.
- 3. Check the mix before tippingRead the bag, specification or delivery docket before adding anything. Mix only the material and amount approved for the receiving work.
- 4. Carry the materials safelyPlan the route, clear it, and get help with anything long or heavy. Store materials close to the work so nobody carries further than they need to.
- 5. Set down units close to the wallPut packs on firm level ground near the point of use. Keep the route and working area clear before moving the next pack.
- 6. Keep the work face tidyKeep mortar, tools and units within easy reach without blocking the access route. Clear broken units and mortar before they become trip hazards.
- 7. Set up a firm mixing pointPut the board, tub or mixer on firm level ground with a clear route around it. Keep bags and water where they can be reached without twisting or stepping over leads.
- 8. Use premix where the job allowsUse pre-mixed mortar when it is approved for the work. Keep bags dry and use them before the shelf date.
- 9. Control the cement powderTip bags low and steadily into the mixer, standing upwind.
- 10. Keep hands out of a mixerSet the mixer on firm level ground and check its guard, lead and plug. Switch off and unplug before clearing a jam or cleaning.
- 11. Keep wet mortar off your skinWear long-cuffed waterproof gloves and eye protection for all mixing and laying. Trousers go over boots, and kneeling boards stay dry. Wash off any mortar straight away, and wash at the basin at breaks. The COSHH assessment for cement and mortar goes with this method.
- 12. Control the dust when cuttingNever cut dry in the open. Wear an APF 20 mask (FFP3 or P3) when you cut: fit tested and clean-shaven. Keep other people out of the dust.
- 13. Wet cuttingThis job is wet cutting: keep water on and collect the slurry.
- 14. Use the grinder or disc cutter safelyCheck the disc is the right type and speed for the tool and the material. Keep the guard on and both hands on the tool. Wear impact-rated eye protection.
- 15. Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders when cutting. Note how long each person's hands are on each tool while it runs. Take the tool's vibration figure from the maker or HSE's table and check it fits how you use it. Points per hour times hours on the trigger, added up for the day, gives the exposure: 100 points is the action value, 400 is the limit. HSE's vibration calculator does the sum. Over 100, cut it with lower-vibration kit or less time, and never pass 400. Write the result down. Sharing the work does not replace this. Keep the tools maintained.
- 16. Use the specified amount of waterMeasure water and add it as the product instructions say. Do not add water later to revive mortar that has started to set.
- 17. Lay the block course from the trench edgeOne course of 215 mm aircrete blocks brings the wall up to lawn level. At 16 kg each they are under the 20 kg line, and there are only 12. Kneel on a board at the edge. Nobody stands in the trench. Cut a block by hand with a masonry saw.
- 18. Build the wall to the drawingBuild the bond, line and level the drawing shows, and finish with the coping on its damp proof course. Keep any movement joint the drawing shows open and clear of mortar.
- 19. Keep the fresh wall safeDo not lean boards, sheets or materials against fresh masonry. Cover the top at the end of each day and whenever rain is due. Stop building if wind makes the wall unsafe.
- 20. Check the wall before leaving itCheck the last course for line and level and that the cover is tied down. Leave materials where they cannot strike or load the fresh wall. Leave the area taped off until the wall has set, and tell the customer what must stay clear and until when.
- 21. Wash out at the agreed pointClean boards, tubs and mixers at the site washout point. Keep cement washings out of drains and clear settled solids as waste.
- 22. Clear and hand back the areaRemove tools, waste and unused materials. Check the area is clean and ready to use. Tell the customer or whoever runs the site when the work is complete.
What a finished method statement says
- The job and its boundariesWhat is being done, where, and what is not your work.
- How the work area is set upAccess, shared spaces and who else is around.
- The steps, in the order they happenOne action to a step, from arrival to sign-off.
- Who does each stepThe people in charge and the skills each step needs.
- What happens if something goes wrongWho to call, where to go and how help gets in.
Method statement or risk assessment: which one is this?
This is the method statement: how the job is done, step by step. The risk assessment says what could go wrong and what controls it.
Method statement example questions
Are these real jobs?
No. Every job, company, person and address here is made up, and every page says so.
Can I send one as it is?
No. Your site, your people and your emergency arrangements will be different. Change it to fit your job first.
Where is the risk assessment that goes with it?
In the Bricklaying RAMS example. The method statement names it on page one.
Word or PDF?
Both. Word if you will change the wording yourself, PDF to read or print. Or press Use this and edit it in the builder.
Does a method statement need a risk assessment?
A method statement names the risk assessment it rests on. CDM 2015 does not set a form for either document.
Where is the blank?
On the method statement template page. These examples are all filled in.