Method Statement for Archaeological Excavation — UK
A free, CIfA and Historic England MoRPHE-aligned method statement for UK archaeological excavation — covering watching brief, evaluation trenches, open-area excavation, finds handling and the WSI hold-point the curator actually signs off.
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
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- Site-specific draft
- Archaeological Excavation hazards baked in
- Ready for competent-person review
Built around recognised UK method statement structure — hazards, controls, sequence, PPE and sign-off. Ready for competent-person review.
Archaeological excavation in the UK is governed by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) standards and the local-authority archaeologist's brief — and a written scheme of investigation (WSI) is the document that ties them together. The most cited recent regulatory issue is the 2023 enforcement notice served on a Hampshire developer after a contractor's machine driver stripped 0.8m of topsoil across a known scheduled monument before the archaeologist arrived (£28,000 fine, scheduled monument consent retroactively required) — the root cause was a missing watching-brief MS that named the archaeologist's hold-point in the dig sequence. This page sets out what a defensible UK archaeological excavation method statement should cover — WSI, watching brief, evaluation, open area, finds — with a free editable template.
When is it required?
Archaeological excavation is required as a planning condition on most UK developments where the site lies within an Area of Archaeological Importance, near a scheduled monument, or in a Greater London Authority archaeology priority area. The local-authority archaeologist sets the brief and the WSI; the project archaeologist (typically MOLA, Wessex Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology, AOC, Headland or PCA) writes the MS and runs the dig. CIfA's Standard and guidance for archaeological excavation (2020) is the trade standard; Historic England's MoRPHE is the project-management framework. Under CDM 2015 the principal contractor remains responsible for safety even when the archaeology team is on site.
What a good one looks like
A defensible archaeology MS runs to 10–25 pages and names every specific. It identifies the WSI (e.g. 'Wessex Archaeology WSI ref 246111.01 rev B, approved by Wiltshire County Archaeologist 12/03/2026'), the site code (e.g. 'BAS26'), the team (e.g. 'PD: Naomi Power MCIfA, SD: Sam Inder ACIfA, 6 site assistants PCIfA'), the equipment (e.g. 'Caterpillar 308 8-tonne 360 excavator with 1.8m toothless ditching bucket for machine strip; Leica TS06 total station; Trimble R10 GNSS to OS GB36'), the recording standard (single-context per MoLAS 1994, finds and environmental sampling per CIfA), the welfare arrangements and the contingency for human remains discovery (Burial Act 1857 licence within 48 hours).
Archaeological Excavation hazards & controls
The site-specific hazards a archaeological excavation MS must address, with the controls that take residual risk to an acceptable level.
| Hazard | Persons at risk | Controls | Residual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trench collapse (especially in archaeological excavations >1.2m) | Excavation team | All excavations >1.2m battered to 1:1 in stiff clay or 1:1.5 in granular; trench box or hydraulic strut for vertical faces; spoil set back >1.5m from edge; daily inspection by competent person; no entry to unsupported >1.2m excavation; rescue plan | Medium |
| Buried services strike during evaluation trenching | Machine driver, archaeologist | CAT4+ scan in 3 directions; PAS 128 GPR for any depth >1.2m; service drawings on site; trial holes by hand for any unknown; permit-to-dig signed by archaeologist and machine driver; machine never within 500mm of marked service without hand-dig confirmation | Medium |
| Plant strike — 360 excavator, dumper, tracking | All on site | Segregated archaeologist and plant routes; banksman on every reverse; reversing alarms; CPCS-certified driver; high-vis class 2; archaeologist NEVER in machine working radius (15m for 8-tonne); machine controls released between archaeologist passes | Medium |
| Manual handling — finds boxes, sample buckets, sondage spoil | Site assistants | Two-person carry for any box >10 kg; finds boxes capped at 12 kg; sample buckets 10L max; carry distances <30m; daily rotation; no single-handed dragging of spoil tarp | Medium |
| Weil's disease in waterlogged contexts and watering holes | Excavation team | Wellingtons + nitrile gloves + Tyvek where standing water; Weil's awareness card on every team member; tetanus current; eye-wash on site; supervisor briefed on 2–30 day incubation; first-aid antiseptic | Low |
| Contamination from human remains, biological hazards, ferrous shrapnel | Excavation team | Risk-assess each context; PPE upgrade (nitrile + FFP3 if osteological); EOD specialist on standby in WW1/WW2 sites; Burial Act 1857 licence application within 48hr of in-situ human remains discovery; police notified if pre-Roman or recent (cessate work and report) | Medium |
| Lone-working on isolated rural sites | Archaeologist | No single-person fieldwork on excavations; 2-person minimum; mobile phone signal verified daily; lone-worker alarm (e.g. PeopleSafe) where signal patchy; emergency rendezvous point briefed; site office contact on every team member | Medium |
| COSHH — preservative chemicals, dust during sieving | Finds team | COSHH sheet for every chemical (silica gel, sodium polytungstate, polyethylene glycol); FFP3 RPE during dry sieving; eye protection during chemical handling; ventilation in finds processing area | Low |
Step-by-step sequence
- 1
1. Pre-mobilisation, WSI sign-off & site induction
WSI approved by curator. Site code allocated by HER. Team briefed on hazards, finds policy, contingencies. CDM site induction by PC. Sign-on register and emergency RV.
- 2
2. Site set-up & welfare
Welfare cabin, drying area, finds processing tent, secure storage container. Heras boundary. CAT scan of working area. Photo and video baseline of site.
- 3
3. Machine strip (watching brief or open area)
Topsoil and modern overburden removed by 360 excavator with toothless ditching bucket under continuous archaeological supervision. 50mm spits to first archaeological horizon. Spoil to one side of trench, away from working face.
- 4
4. Hand excavation & recording
Features hand-excavated in 50% sections (linear), 25% sections (pits/postholes), 100% (graves). Recording per MoLAS 1994 single-context: context sheet, plan at 1:20, section at 1:10, levels to OS GB36, photo (DSLR with scale and north arrow).
- 5
5. Finds & environmental sampling
Finds bagged by context, weighed, washed by category (CIfA). Bulk soil sample (typically 40L) from every feature for environmental processing. Samples to processor (e.g. Wessex Acheology environmental lab) per WSI.
- 6
6. Backfill or preservation in-situ
Where preservation in-situ specified, terram membrane laid over features, backfilled with clean sand and topsoil. Where excavation full, backfilled per engineer's spec to allow construction.
- 7
7. Post-excavation, reporting & archive
Site archive prepared per CIfA. Assessment report within 6 months. Publication-standard report within 24 months. Archive deposited with local-authority museum or ADS. WSI, MS, context register, finds register, environmental register submitted to HER.
Roman ditch evaluation, 14 trenches, M4 J17 services site (Wiltshire)
This is a fictional composite showing the level of task detail a reviewer may expect. It is not a customer case study or an approval claim; the competent person, client and principal contractor must review the real project.
Wessex Archaeology on a strategic service-area scheme produced a 18-page MS for an evaluation phase of 14 trenches across a 12-hectare site adjacent to known Romano-British activity. Key entries: WSI ref 246111.01 rev B approved by Wiltshire County Archaeologist 12/03/2026, site code BAS26; team Project Director Naomi Power MCIfA, Senior Director Sam Inder ACIfA, 6 site assistants (3 PCIfA, 3 graduate); Caterpillar 308 8-tonne 360 with 1.8m toothless bucket from Sunbelt Rentals, CPCS-certified driver from Bradford Construction; Leica TS06 total station, Trimble R10 GNSS; trenches 30m x 1.8m at 50mm spits to first archaeological horizon; CAT4+ scan in 3 directions per trench, PAS 128 GPR pre-strip, 2 unknown ceramic field drains identified; archaeologist NEVER within 15m machine radius; finds boxes capped 12 kg; bulk environmental samples 40L per discrete feature; 6 trenches encountered Romano-British ditches and a single inhumation in trench 9, work paused, Burial Act 1857 licence applied for within 24 hours, inhumation block-lifted to environmental specialist Dr Jacqui McKinley at WA Salisbury, evaluation report to Wiltshire Council 22/05/2026, mitigation strategy agreed for a targeted open-area phase over the inhumation cluster. Zero RIDDOR incidents, zero curator non-conformances. The MS, the WSI, the site notebooks, the finds register and the licence application were the five documents the curator audited.
Or build a site-specific archaeological excavation MS in 5 minutes
The free template is a blank Word document. The Riskora builder ships with the archaeological excavation hazard library baked in — pick the preset, edit the site-specific bits, download a signed PDF.
Common mistakes that get a archaeological excavation MS rejected
- ·Letting the machine driver strip topsoil before the archaeologist arrives — the 2023 Hampshire enforcement was exactly this
- ·Not naming the site code in the MS — the local-authority HER will refuse the archive without it
- ·Treating evaluation trenching as 'pre-construction' and skipping CDM induction — the PC remains responsible for safety throughout
- ·Forgetting the Burial Act 1857 licence on human remains — the licence must be applied for within 48 hours of in-situ remains discovery
- ·No environmental sampling — CIfA standards expect a sample from every feature for charred plant remains, charcoal and faunal recovery
- ·Single-person watching brief in remote rural site — the CIfA H&S guidance and HSE lone-worker advice both rule this out
Frequently asked questions
Is a WSI the same as a method statement?
No. The WSI is the methodology document the local-authority archaeologist (curator) approves before fieldwork starts; the MS is the H&S and operational document the principal contractor and project archaeologist work to on site. They are complementary: the WSI says WHAT and the MS says HOW SAFELY.
Do I need scheduled monument consent for evaluation trenching?
Yes if any trench falls within the boundary of a scheduled monument. Apply to Historic England (England), Cadw (Wales), Historic Environment Scotland (Scotland) or DfC HED (NI). Without consent, evaluation trenching on a scheduled site is a criminal offence under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
What happens if we find human remains?
Stop work immediately. Notify the police if remains could be recent (typically <100 years). For archaeological remains, apply for a Ministry of Justice Burial Act 1857 licence within 48 hours. Block-lift by an osteologist where excavation must continue. Do not remove finds-style.
Who pays for archaeology on a development site?
The developer, under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 211 and the polluter-pays principle. The cost is conditioned into the planning permission and the WSI sets the scope. Budgets typically run £8–60 per m² depending on archaeological potential.
Can a non-archaeologist sign the archaeology MS?
The H&S elements can be signed by the principal contractor's safety manager, but the archaeological methodology must be signed by a MCIfA or ACIfA project director. Local-authority curators reject MSs lacking a CIfA-graded signatory.
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Riskora is an assistive document preparation tool. Every method statement must be reviewed and signed by a competent person before use.