Demolition method statement template: a site-specific starting form

A demolition method statement must describe the actual structure, a reviewed demolition sequence, how stability will be maintained, the exclusion and debris zones, the people and plant involved, and the controls for services, asbestos and unexpected conditions. A blank form cannot determine those things. Regulation 20 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 requires demolition or dismantling to be planned to prevent danger, or reduce it as low as reasonably practicable, and requires the arrangements to be recorded in writing before work begins. HSE says the method should be written by a competent person and reviewed by a competent demolition engineer before work starts. Use the form below as an information and approval structure; never treat the example headings as permission to demolish a building.

This page serves a different task from the general Complys method statement template: it is a demolition-specific form with structural, survey, exclusion-zone and change-control gates. The general template can explain RAMS principles, while this page helps the competent demolition team assemble evidence and record its particular method. Exact site route and product feature claims need verification before publication.

When this template is appropriate

Use it when a contractor and client are planning the demolition or dismantling of a structure in Great Britain and need a framework for their written arrangements. The competent team must supply and validate the design, calculations, surveys, sequence, plant limits, exclusion zones and emergency plan. The method may form part of a wider construction phase plan and task risk assessment. It does not replace those documents, statutory duties, permits, utility confirmations, structural engineering or specialist asbestos work.

The template is deliberately not a generic step-by-step demolition sequence. Two buildings that look similar can have different load paths, concealed alterations, basements, nearby structures and service connections. HSE warns that the sequence and method must be based on information about the structure and site. A safe sequence cannot be guessed from photographs or filled in by changing only a site name.

Copyable demolition method statement form

Replace every bracketed field with site-specific evidence. Mark a field “not applicable” only with a recorded reason. Attach the relevant plans and engineering documents. Do not release this form for work while a safety-critical field is blank or unresolved.

A. Document control and scope

Define the work boundary precisely. “Demolish outbuilding” is inadequate where a shared wall, underground service or retained element may be affected. List any live occupancies, public routes and adjoining premises. Record which organisation controls each interface. HSE's demolition guidance for clients discusses early information, local-authority and road interfaces; the team must check the particular approvals that apply rather than copy a universal notice line.

B. Pre-construction information and surveys

The client should provide known information before tender and work. HSE says a competent refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey is needed before structural work that could disturb building fabric. A management survey alone is not a substitute for investigating concealed asbestos in areas to be demolished. HSE also highlights stability, historic alterations and live services as pre-construction information. If a relevant area cannot be surveyed safely or a service cannot be confirmed isolated, record a no-work hold point and the competent person who will resolve it.

C. Engineering method and controlled sequence

Selected method and engineering basis: [state the proposed technique and why it is suitable for the structure, neighbouring assets, work space and risks].

Drawings and calculations: [list structural analysis, temporary-works design, load limits, lifting plans or plant-position checks where relevant, with version and sign-off].

Sequence table:

The designer/engineer should explain the structure's load paths and the effect of each removal step, including debris accumulation and temporary states of weakness. CDM regulation 19 addresses structural stability and temporary supports. HSE explains that the method must be fully documented and communicated, and that a change in structural fabric may require a change of method. No generic form can supply the calculations or choose a safe top-down, high-reach or other technique for a specific site.

D. Site layout, zones and public protection

Attach a marked-up plan showing work zone, safe working zone, exclusion zone, predicted debris zone, plant routes, welfare, emergency access, public boundary, retained structures and any temporary works. For each phase, enter the zone boundary, barrier type, signage, access controller, how people are excluded and when the zone may change. Record how the collapse and debris assumptions were determined and reviewed. HSE states that the zone size depends on the method, surrounding space and possible debris travel; a scaffold is not a reason to reduce an exclusion zone. If debris could cross the site boundary, the team must revisit the method and any road or public-interface arrangements before proceeding.

Zone plan reference and revision: [ ] Boundary and access controller: [ ] Public/occupier interface and notifications: [ ] Phase-specific zone change approval: [ ] Stop-work trigger for barrier breach or unexpected debris movement: [ ]

E. Services, materials, plant and environmental controls

Services: Identify gas, electricity, water, telecommunications, drainage and other relevant connections, including buried and shared services. Record the utility owner, isolation method, verification evidence and who can release work. “Services assumed dead” is not acceptable. The site team should resolve any live-service dependency before the affected demolition stage.

Hazardous materials: Record asbestos survey findings and any separate licensed/non-licensed asbestos work plan as applicable; do not fold specialist removal into a generic demolition sequence. Consider lead paint, silica-containing masonry, contaminated land or other materials based on the site evidence. Link relevant COSHH assessments and waste controls. Do not assume that ordinary dust suppression makes asbestos disturbance safe.

Plant and lifting: List each machine, attachment, operating area, ground-bearing assessment, operator competence, inspection status, reach/load constraints and interface with people. Record lifting plans where lifting is part of the method. The engineer and competent plant team must verify that machines, floor slabs and ground can safely carry the loads; the template cannot set those limits.

Health and environment: Identify task-specific dust, noise, vibration, manual handling and falling-object risks, along with controls and monitoring arrangements. Plan waste segregation, movement routes and any local-authority conditions. HSE construction-dust guidance and demolition guidance can support the assessment, but controls must reflect the actual operation and exposure. Avoid treating PPE as the only control.

F. People, communication and supervision

Brief workers on the current approved version, not an outdated printout. Make sure supervisors understand the sequence, stability assumptions and zone boundaries. HSE's construction method-statement guidance says the document should communicate the safe system to those doing the work and should be revised when circumstances change markedly, as can happen in demolition.

G. Emergencies, discoveries and changes

Foreseeable emergencies: [uncontrolled movement, partial collapse, service strike, fire, hazardous-material discovery, injury, plant failure or public-zone breach—select those relevant to the site].

Immediate stop, isolation and evacuation triggers: [ ] Assembly point, emergency access and contact list: [ ] Rescue arrangements and specialist support: [ ] How adjoining occupiers and emergency services will be informed: [ ] Who can approve a revised method after a change: [ ]

If an unknown beam, void, asbestos-containing material or live cable appears, stop the affected work. Secure the area, obtain competent assessment, revise the engineering method and risk controls, rebrief the team, and document approval before restarting. Do not let a supervisor improvise a new structural sequence without the necessary engineering review. CDM regulation 30 requires suitable emergency arrangements where needed.

H. Review and authorisation

Release statement: “The competent reviewers have checked this site-specific method, supporting surveys, engineering and interfaces. Every safety-critical hold point required before the next stage has been closed and the current method has been briefed.” Record exceptions explicitly; never pre-tick this statement.

What a reviewer should challenge

Ask whether the form tells a worker what happens next and why the structure remains stable. Can the exclusion boundary be drawn from the written method? Are the asbestos survey and service isolations actually available? Are temporary works and load limits calculated, rather than asserted? Does the sequence match the drawings and plant on site? Is there a clear person who can stop work and approve changes? If any of these questions cannot be answered, the method is not ready simply because every text box contains words.

A frequent failure is a generic “soft strip, demolish, clear waste” sequence with no structural logic. Another is treating demolition as an ordinary method-statement template where site-specific engineering can be added later. The written arrangements are due before the work begins. A useful document can be concise, but it must include enough detail for the team to work to the approved method and for managers to check it is being followed.

How Complys may support the paperwork

The Complys RAMS page and general method-statement template are potential related links after exact live host, canonical and whole-page claims are checked. Complys must not claim that its generated document determines structural stability, designs temporary works, validates an asbestos survey or gives engineering approval. A verified document/version workflow could help coordinate the approved method and site briefing; that feature must be confirmed against current implementation before a product CTA is used. The next step for this page is to complete the form with a competent demolition engineer and site team, not to download a blank file and start work.

Source, claim, owner, product, links and writer-side QA

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.