Electrical 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
Electrical method statement example
Electrical second fix and testing in a house refurbishment
Lived-in 1970s house, accessories and consumer unit fitted, one circuit dead at a time, tested dead then live before handover.
What to change
- Company, people, site and dates
- Whether power must stay on for anyone
- The supply and earthing arrangement
- Bathrooms and other special locations
- How it is notified where you are
- The BS 7671 edition on the certificate
- Emergency arrangements
Sources
- HSE: domestic clients under CDM
- HSE GS38: test equipment for electricians
- HSE: electrical systems in construction
- 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.
Electrical second fix and testing in a house refurbishment
Job details
- CompanyHollins & Reed Electrical Ltd
- Site and work area14 Elm Road, M21
- Planned dates12 to 14 October 2026
- CustomerMr and Mrs Shaw
- In charge on siteDan Hollins
- TeamTwo people: Dan Hollins, electrician, leads and tests; Priya Shah, electrician, stays with him for every live test.
- WorkElectrical second fix and testing in a house refurbishment
- Risk assessmentElectrical second fix and testing in a house refurbishment: worked example RAMS, a separate document
Work and boundaries
- Alter or replace electrical equipment, replace a consumer unit, inspect or test a fixed installation. Areas: Kitchen, hall and lounge circuits; Hall cupboard: consumer unit and meter tails
Working arrangement
- Access: steps or a ladder.
- Working height: ceiling lights at about 2.4 m.
- Ground or floor: level timber floors under dust sheets.
- Other people will be using the area.
- Mr and Mrs Shaw stay at home; we agree what goes off and when, each morning. Other trades stay off a circuit while it is under test. Tools run on 110 V or battery. Labels are not trusted: each circuit is identified before it is isolated. The asbestos survey covers the old board and the textured ceilings. Records: Electrical Installation Certificate with the schedule of test results, and notification through our competent person scheme.
Emergency arrangements
- There is no site alarm and the smoke alarms may be off while we work, so shout “fire”. Get out by the front door and meet at the gate of No. 14. Count Mr and Mrs Shaw and the dog. Electric shock: do not touch the person until the supply is off; main switch at the consumer unit in the hall cupboard. First aider: Priya Shah, kit in the van. Check you have a mobile signal on day one. Priya Shah rings 999, gives 14 Elm Road, M21, and meets the crew at the gate; if she is the one hurt, Dan Hollins does. Problem at the cut-out: ring the network operator on the number on the job sheet.
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. Keep people clear of the workAgree how people get past or around the work while it is going on. Put barriers or signs where a route crosses the work. Do not leave open work unattended.
- 3. List the rooms and circuits to finishList the rooms and circuits you are finishing, on the cables run at first fix. Check the design or product instructions for what you are fitting.
- 4. Assess the existing installationCheck the existing equipment, circuits, earthing and bonding before fitting the new unit. Record any defects, and anything you could not check.
- 5. Agree the test boundaryWrite down the circuits to be tested and who tests them. Keep other trades off a circuit while it is under test.
- 6. Check for asbestos before you disturb anythingCheck the asbestos survey covers exactly what you will disturb, to the full depth. Register only, or nothing: get a refurbishment survey or a sample first. Read what it says about walls, ceilings, boards and service routes. No survey, or a material you do not recognise: stop and get it checked.
- 7. Use the ladder or stepsCheck the ladder or steps before use. Place them on firm, level ground. Keep three points of contact while climbing. Reposition them instead of overreaching. Do not carry loose tools or tins up; hand them up or use a belt.
- 8. Arrange supply-side isolationConfirm who can isolate the incoming supply before removing the old unit. Treat supply-side conductors as live until that isolation is complete.
- 9. Isolate and prove deadFind every supply that feeds the work, switch it off and lock it off before you open or touch anything. Prove your tester on a known live supply, test every conductor at the work point, then prove the tester again.
- 10. Keep it locked off while it is openKeep the supply locked off while the item is open, so nobody can put it back on. Test at the work point again before you touch it.
- 11. Keep dangerous circuits offReview each affected circuit before reconnection. Keep a circuit safely out of service if its defect creates danger.
- 12. Use suitable test equipmentCheck the instrument, leads, probes, ratings and settings before connecting. Keep tips and connections controlled at the test points.
- 13. Label and replace the unitIdentify every circuit before disconnection. Install the agreed assembly and reconnect only the circuits in scope.
- 14. Fix and terminate the sockets, switches and lightsFix the accessories and light fittings, and terminate each one on the cables run at first fix. Check every terminal, protect the cable where it enters each box, and close every enclosure.
- 15. Inspect the change before it goes liveInspect the completed work and arrange the testing it needs before it goes back on. Record anything left disconnected or out of service.
- 16. Do dead tests firstApply safe isolation to the agreed circuit boundary and prove it dead before dead tests. Test in this order: continuity of protective conductors and ring finals, insulation resistance, polarity. If one fails, correct it and repeat the tests before it. Protect or disconnect sensitive equipment and record temporary disconnections.
- 17. Control a justified energised testComplete dead checks first and define the test boundary and precautions. Test live only as far as you need to: Ze, polarity at the origin and RCD operation. Do not work alone. Keep people out while the test is energised, then re-isolate before adjustment.
- 18. Inspect and test the new unitComplete the inspection and testing the unit needs before it goes back into service. Update the circuit schedule.
- 19. Record actual results and limitsRecord readings, defects, tests not completed, temporary disconnections and actions required. The tester decides from the actual results whether it can go back into service.
- 20. Finish the tests and functional checksComplete the required tests and functional checks. Check covers, guards, labels, fire stopping and connections. Give actual results, defects and restrictions to the customer or site contact. Do not certify unchecked work.
- 21. Issue the certificateIssue the Electrical Installation Certificate and its schedules from the actual results, and give them to the customer with the labels. Notify the work through the scheme or building control where it needs it.
- 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 Electrical 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.