What must an electrical method statement include?

The scope, who does the work and their competence, the safe isolation procedure written step by step, how cables and equipment are installed, testing and certification, the PPE and test equipment used, any permits, and what happens in an emergency. It should cross reference the risk assessment for the job.

Who can carry out electrical work on site?

Someone competent for that work under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: trained, with the knowledge and experience to avoid danger. In practice a qualified electrician working to BS 7671, with an apprentice supervised. The method statement names the qualifications.

Is a method statement a legal requirement?

Not by name. The law requires the risks to be assessed and controlled, and CDM 2015 requires a construction phase plan and arrangements for managing the work. A method statement is the standard way to show how a task will be done safely, and most principal contractors will not let work start without one.

Electrical installation method statement

Electrical work is where a method statement earns its keep, because the order matters: isolate, lock off, prove dead, then work. This example covers a rewire of ground floor offices by a small electrical contractor working for a principal contractor.

Last reviewed 17 September 2026

Edit this method statement for your job

Opens in the generator with every field filled. Change the site, the people and the steps to match your job. Draft, not yet reviewed.

Sequence of work · Electrical installation works

1Arrive, sign in and inductSlips and trips; unfamiliar site
2Isolate and prove deadElectric shock and burns from live conductors
3Strip out existing circuitsElectric shock from circuits assumed dead; cuts from cable and fittings
4Install containmentWorking at height; dust from drilling
and 4 more

Next review17 September 2027

OutputPDF, numbered and dated

Controls

across 5 hazards, ticked into the steps where they apply

The completed method statement

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Method statement

Safe system of work: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2

Document numberMS-014

Revision1

Date17 September 2026

Last reviewed17 September 2026

Next review17 September 2027

Job	Electrical installation works
Contractor	Kestrel Electrical Services Ltd
Client or principal contractor	Marlow Construction Ltd, principal contractor
Location	Riverside House, ground floor, all offices and the corridor. Distribution board in the ground floor plant cupboard
Dates and duration	Eight working days from 5 October 2026
Prepared by	Ade Bankole
Reviewed by	Ade Bankole
Approved by	—

1. Scope of work

Rewire of the ground floor offices at Riverside House: strip out of the existing lighting and small power circuits, installation of new containment, cabling, accessories and a replacement distribution board, followed by inspection, testing and certification to BS 7671.

2. People, plant and materials

Who does the work	Two electricians (City and Guilds 2365 and 2391, 18th Edition) and one third year apprentice. The apprentice works under direct supervision and does not isolate, prove dead or test.
Supervision	Ade Bankole, contracts manager, on site daily
Plant and equipment	110 V transformer and tools, SDS drill with dust extraction, podium steps, two stepladders, cable rods, hand tools, voltage indicator and proving unit, insulation resistance and loop tester, calibration certificates on the van
Materials	Steel trunking and conduit, LSF twin and earth cable, metal clad accessories, 12 way three phase distribution board, fixings
PPE	Safety boots, hi vis, hard hat on site, safety glasses when drilling, gloves for handling containment, FFP3 mask when drilling into blockwork
Permits and access	Permit to isolate from the principal contractor for the supply to the existing board. Hot work permit not required. Access to the plant cupboard signed out from the site office

3. Hazards and controls

1. Electric shock and burns from live conductors

Safe isolation procedure followed before any work on a circuit
Personal locks and tags on isolators, keys held by the electrician working
Voltage indicator proved on a proving unit before and after each test
No live working; faults that cannot be found dead stop the job

2. Working at height from podium steps and stepladders

Podium steps for containment above 2 metres; stepladders for short tasks only
Ladders checked before use and tagged
Three points of contact, no overreaching

3. Dust from drilling into blockwork and plasterboard

On tool extraction on the SDS drill
FFP3 mask, face fit tested, when drilling
Area cleaned with an M class vacuum, not swept

4. Fire from hot cutting and from faults on energised circuits

No hot cutting; containment cut with hand tools or a cordless bandsaw
Extinguisher at the board when energising
Site fire procedure followed

5. Slips and trips from cable offcuts and tools

Work area cordoned with barriers and signed
Offcuts cleared as the work goes, tools kept in bags

4. Sequence of work

1. Arrive, sign in and induct
Sign in at the site office, attend the site induction, collect the permit to isolate and the plant cupboard key. Walk the work area with the site manager and agree the barriers and the route to the plant cupboard.
HazardsSlips and trips; unfamiliar site
Controls
- Site induction attended
- Work area cordoned and signed
2. Isolate and prove dead
Identify the circuits to be worked on from the existing board schedule. Switch off, lock off with a personal lock and tag, and test the voltage indicator on the proving unit. Test each circuit dead at the point of work, phase to earth, phase to neutral and neutral to earth. Re-prove the indicator on the proving unit. Record the isolation on the permit.
HazardsElectric shock and burns from live conductors
Controls
- Safe isolation procedure followed before any work on a circuit
- Personal locks and tags on isolators, keys held by the electrician working
- Voltage indicator proved on a proving unit before and after each test
3. Strip out existing circuits
Remove old accessories and cable from the isolated circuits back to the board. Cap and label any cable left in place. Bag cable for recycling.
HazardsElectric shock from circuits assumed dead; cuts from cable and fittings
Controls
- Every circuit tested dead before touching, not assumed from the schedule
- Gloves for handling containment
4. Install containment
Mark out and fix trunking and conduit runs from the podium steps. Drill fixings with on tool extraction. Keep the corridor route clear at all times.
HazardsWorking at height; dust from drilling
Controls
- Podium steps for containment above 2 metres; stepladders for short tasks only
- On tool extraction on the SDS drill
- FFP3 mask, face fit tested, when drilling
5. Pull and terminate cables
Rod and pull new cables through the containment, label both ends, and terminate at accessories and at the new board with the board still isolated from the supply.
HazardsCuts; manual handling of cable drums
Controls
- Cable drums moved on a trolley, two people to lift onto the stand
- Gloves for handling containment
6. Replace the distribution board
Under the permit to isolate, with the supply isolated and proved dead by the principal contractor's electrician, remove the old board and fit and connect the new one. Do not energise until inspection and testing are complete.
HazardsElectric shock and burns from live conductors
Controls
- Safe isolation procedure followed before any work on a circuit
- No live working; faults that cannot be found dead stop the job
- Extinguisher at the board when energising
7. Inspect, test and energise
Carry out the dead tests (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity) with the supply off, then energise under the permit and complete the live tests (earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation) with the test equipment alone connected. Record results on the schedule of test results.
HazardsElectric shock during live testing
Controls
- Live testing by the qualified electrician only, with the apprentice clear of the board
- Test leads to GS38, checked before use
8. Clear up and hand over
Clear the work area, vacuum the dust, remove barriers, return the permit and the key, and hand the Electrical Installation Certificate and board schedule to the site manager.
HazardsSlips and trips
Controls
- Offcuts cleared as the work goes, tools kept in bags
- Area cleaned with an M class vacuum, not swept

5. Emergency arrangements

In an emergency stop work and call 999. The site first aider is in the site office (extension 201) and the first aid kit is at the site office and in the van. Fire: raise the alarm at the nearest call point, leave by the nearest exit, assemble in the front car park. Electric shock: do not touch the casualty until the supply is isolated; the main switch is in the plant cupboard. Report every accident and near miss to the site manager and to Kestrel's office on the day.

6. Notes and attachments

Risk assessment RA-012, electrical installation works, is attached and forms part of this method statement. Both documents are briefed to the team before work starts and signed on the briefing record.

A method statement is a safe system of work: how the job will be done, in order, with the controls from the risk assessment built into each step. It is a starting point; the contractor must check it against the actual site and the actual job before work starts, and stop and revise it if the work changes.

Why it is written this way

The sequence is built around the safe isolation procedure. Nothing is touched until the circuit is isolated, locked off with a personal lock, and proved dead with a proving unit tested before and after. That step is written out in full because it is the one that kills people when it is skipped.

Live work is excluded. If a fault cannot be found dead, the work stops and the supervisor decides how to proceed under a separate permit. Writing that down is what stops it being decided on the day by whoever is holding the tester.

The method statement points at the risk assessment for the same job rather than repeating its hazard list. The two documents travel together as RAMS; the client's site manager reads the risk assessment for what could go wrong and the method statement for how the work will be done.

Controls follow HSE guidance: HSE, Electrical safety at work; HSE HSG85, Electricity at work: safe working practices; HSE L153, Managing health and safety in construction (CDM 2015). Checked 17 September 2026.

This document is a starting point. The employer must check it against the actual workplace, the product safety data sheet and current HSE guidance before relying on it. It is not an HSE approved document.

Common questions

What must an electrical method statement include?: The scope, who does the work and their competence, the safe isolation procedure written step by step, how cables and equipment are installed, testing and certification, the PPE and test equipment used, any permits, and what happens in an emergency. It should cross reference the risk assessment for the job.
Who can carry out electrical work on site?: Someone competent for that work under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: trained, with the knowledge and experience to avoid danger. In practice a qualified electrician working to BS 7671, with an apprentice supervised. The method statement names the qualifications.
Is a method statement a legal requirement?: Not by name. The law requires the risks to be assessed and controlled, and CDM 2015 requires a construction phase plan and arrangements for managing the work. A method statement is the standard way to show how a task will be done safely, and most principal contractors will not let work start without one.

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