Roofing Method Statement Template: What UK Contractors Need to Know

If you've searched for a roofing method statement template, you're already thinking in the right direction. A written method statement is a core part of safe roofing work — but a downloaded template is only the starting point. Here's what the document actually needs to contain, how it fits with your risk assessment, and where contractors commonly go wrong.

What Is a Method Statement in Roofing?

A method statement is a document that describes, step by step, how a roofing task will be carried out safely. It sits alongside a risk assessment to form a RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) — a combined document that first identifies the hazards and then explains the controls and sequence of work.

For roofing work, RAMS are routinely required by principal contractors, clients, and site rules. They are also good practice regardless of whether anyone asks for them, because they force you to think the job through before workers are at height.

Important distinction: A RAMS applies to work activities. A Fire Risk Assessment is a separate statutory document under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and does not include a method statement.

The Legal Basis for Roofing RAMS

There is no single regulation that says "you must produce a method statement" for every job, but the duty to control risks is clear:

• Risk assessment — Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Regulation 3 requires every employer and self-employed person to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
• Work at height — Work at Height Regulations 2005 require work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner. Falls from roofs remain one of the most common causes of fatal injury in UK construction.
• Hazardous substances — If the work involves bitumen, solvents, adhesives, or other chemicals, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require a separate substance assessment.
• CDM 2015 — For notifiable construction projects, the principal contractor must ensure a Construction Phase Plan is in place. Method statements produced by subcontractors feed into that plan.

What a Roofing Method Statement Template Must Cover

A template is only useful if it prompts you to fill in job-specific information. The sections below are what any competent roofing method statement should address.

1. Project and Scope Details

• Site address, client name, principal contractor (if applicable)
• Description of the specific roofing task (e.g. flat roof overlay, pitched roof re-tiling, GRP installation, lead flashing)
• Planned start date and expected duration

2. Sequence of Work

Describe the actual steps in order — setting up access equipment, stripping materials, laying new substrate, finishing, and clearing away. Vague wording like "work will be carried out safely" is not useful. Be specific.

3. Access and Fall Prevention

This is the highest-risk element for roofing. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, you must apply the hierarchy:

1. Eliminate the need to work at height where possible
2. Collective fall prevention — scaffolding, edge protection, safety nets, airbags
3. Work restraint — preventing a worker reaching an unprotected edge
4. Fall arrest — harnesses and anchor points (used when prevention isn't practicable)
5. PPE as a last resort only

State exactly what access equipment and fall protection will be used, who is responsible for inspecting it, and how the inspection will be recorded.

4. Fragile Surfaces and Roof Lights

Many roofing fatalities involve workers falling through fragile surfaces, including older roof lights, asbestos cement sheets, and delaminated panels. Your method statement must address whether fragile surfaces are present and how they will be covered, avoided, or supported.

5. Plant and Equipment

List any equipment in use — mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), hoists, gas torches, nail guns. Include inspection requirements, operator competency, and safe exclusion zones below the work area.

6. Hazardous Substances

Reference your COSHH assessments for any products being used. Note ventilation requirements, required PPE, and disposal arrangements for waste materials.

7. Supervision and Competence

Name the supervisor on site. Note relevant qualifications or training (e.g. PASMA for mobile towers, IPAF for MEWPs, NVQ or industry card schemes). If asbestos-containing materials may be present, a separate asbestos survey and plan is required before work begins — do not include it as a line in a roofing method statement.

8. Emergency Arrangements

Nearest hospital with A&E, first aider on site, what happens if someone falls or is injured, and how to raise the alarm.

Why a Generic Template Isn't Enough

A blank roofing method statement template gives you structure. It does not give you a compliant document. The HSE is clear that a risk assessment and method statement must be suitable and sufficient for the specific task and specific site conditions.

A method statement written for a pitched re-tiling job in Surrey does not adequately cover a flat roof GRP installation in Manchester — different surfaces, different access arrangements, different materials, different risks.

Fill in every section with real, site-specific information. If a section doesn't apply to your job, say so and explain why. Reviewers — whether principal contractors or HSE inspectors — will be looking for evidence that someone actually thought this through.

Practical Tips

A well-written roofing RAMS takes time. That time is far less costly than an accident — or an enforcement notice.