Landscaping 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
Landscaping method statement example
Laying a block paved patio in a lived-in garden
Dug out by hand to 250 mm, sub-base compacted, blocks laid on sand and cut wet, family at home.
What to change
- Company, people, site and dates
- What the service plans and locator show
- Depth of the build-up and the falls
- Block cutting and dust
- Moving materials through the property
- Who is at home
- Emergency arrangements
Sources
- HSE HSG47: avoiding danger from underground services
- HSE CIS36: construction dust
- HSE: hand-arm vibration risk assessment
- HSE: kerbs and paving handling
- HSE: cement
- Marshalls: concrete block paving installation guidelines
- HSE GS6: avoiding danger from overhead power lines
- 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.
Laying a block paved patio in a lived-in garden
Job details
- CompanyHollins & Reed Landscapes Ltd
- Site and work area27 Orchard Close, Wilmslow: rear garden
- Planned dates12 to 16 October 2026
- CustomerMr and Mrs Barker
- In charge on siteDan Hollins
- TeamTwo landscapers: Dan Hollins leads, first aider and cuts the blocks; Priya Shah is his deputy and runs the compactor.
- WorkLaying a block paved patio in a lived-in garden
- Risk assessmentLaying a block paved patio in a lived-in garden: worked example RAMS, a separate document
Work and boundaries
- Lay paving. Areas: Rear garden patio, about 20 m²
Working arrangement
- Access: the floor or ground.
- Paving system: Laid on sand, with sand joints.
- Dust control when cutting: Water on the blade.
- Other people will use parts of the area at times.
- Mr and Mrs Barker are at home through the job. The garden is closed to them and their dog while we work, and they use the front door. Build-up for this patio: 150 mm sub-base, 30 mm sand and 60 mm blocks, dug to 250 mm to leave a little to trim, with a fall of 1 in 40 away from the house and the finished level 150 mm below the damp proof course. The gas, electricity and water plans and Dan’s locator sweep show nothing under the patio. The garden light cable runs along the east fence, 2 m clear of the dig, and is marked. No overhead line crosses the garden or the drive. The blocks and sand are dropped on the front drive, and everything comes through the side gate by barrow on boards. Spoil goes to a skip on the drive and leaves with a waste transfer note.
Emergency arrangements
- Priya Shah rings 999 and gives 27 Orchard Close, Wilmslow; Dan Hollins does if Priya is the one hurt. Dan is the first aider and the kit is in the van on the drive. Whichever of us is not hurt stays with the casualty. Mr or Mrs Barker waits on the front drive and brings the crew through the side gate, kept unlocked and clear. Struck cable: keep clear, keep everyone out, ring 105. Struck gas pipe or a smell of gas: stop the engines, no flames or smoking, get everyone out of the garden, and get Mr and Mrs Barker out of the house if it is near the house. Ring 0800 111 999, and 999 if anyone is hurt or there is a fire.
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. Find buried services before diggingGet the service plans, scan and mark the ground before breaking it. Do not dig until an unsafe or unknown service has been dealt with.
- 4. Check the paving deliveryInspect units for damage and confirm this job's product before installation. Hold damaged or unsuitable units out of the work.
- 5. Check the weather before you startStop handling materials and equipment when the wind is strong enough to catch them. Stop in heavy rain, ice or lightning.
- 6. Carry the blocks, sand and stone 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.
- 7. Keep the cutter and compactor away from peopleSet a clear exclusion area before starting the disc cutter or plate compactor. Stop the machine when anyone enters the area.
- 8. Look after the fuelKeep petrol and oil in their own labelled cans, away from drains and hot exhausts. Refuel with the engine off and cool, and keep a spill kit with you.
- 9. Keep people off open pavingSeparate the work from people using the route. Keep unfinished edges and materials controlled until the surface is safe.
- 10. Set the paving build-upBase the paving design on the ground conditions and expected loads. Do not guess the base, bedding or falls.
- 11. Separate and remove the paving wasteKeep broken units, offcuts, spoil and packaging apart as you go. Keep cutting slurry, cement and sand out of gullies and drains; remove the waste before people return.
- 12. Dig out to the depth of the build-upDig to the depth of the sub-base, sand and blocks together, and keep the finished level at least 150 mm below the damp proof course. Dig with an insulated spade or shovel near any marked service, working alongside it and never spiking the ground. Stop if you find a pipe, cable, marker tape or old footing the check did not show.
- 13. Set the edge restraint firstSet the edging before any sub-base goes in, with a firm vertical face down past the sand. Wear waterproof gloves with wet concrete and wash any off your skin straight away.
- 14. Limit noise and vibrationWear ear defenders on the compactor and 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.
- 15. Lay and compact the sub-baseSpread the sub-base in layers of no more than 75 mm and compact each one with the plate compactor before the next. Build the falls into the sub-base, not the sand. Wear ear defenders on the compactor and keep a note of each person's time on the handle for the vibration assessment.
- 16. Screed the sand laying courseSpread the sand to an even depth, compact it, then screed it, 30 mm when compacted. Lay out only what you will cover in this working period, and leave no more than 1 m uncovered at the end of the day. Do not use the sand to level up. Cover any exposed sand overnight and in bad weather.
- 17. Lay the blocks from the laid surfaceDraw blocks from at least three packs and lay the whole blocks first, working off the laid surface. Leave cut blocks to the edges and obstacles, and cut none smaller than a quarter of a block. Kneel on knee pads or a kneeling board, and stand up and change task through the day.
- 18. Control the dust when cuttingSplit blocks with a block splitter where you can, and keep saw cuts to the ones it cannot do. Saw cuts: water or H or M Class extraction, plus an APF 20 mask (FFP3), fit tested and clean-shaven.
- 19. Wet cuttingThis job is wet cutting: keep water on and collect the slurry.
- 20. Use the 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.
- 21. Fill the joints and compact the blocksFit the rubber or neoprene sole plate to the compactor. Brush dry jointing sand into every joint before the final compaction. Run the plate compactor over the blocks, then top up the joints.
- 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 Landscaping 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.