Method Statement for Piling Works — UK
A free, FPS-aligned method statement for UK piling works — CFA, driven and bored — covering rig stability, service avoidance, spoil handling and the noise/vibration limits residents and inspectors will measure.
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
- Piling Works 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.
Piling rigs are among the heaviest plant on UK sites — a Bauer BG28 weighs 110 tonnes — and they operate within metres of trafficked excavations, live services and (increasingly) occupied buildings. The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) audits its members on the quality of the piling method statement first, because rig overturns, service strikes and concrete blow-outs all trace back to gaps in the written sequence. The HSE prosecution of a Greater Manchester piling contractor in 2023 (£420,000 fine after a CFA rig fractured a 6-bar gas main) turned on the absence of a CAT-and-Genny survey record in the MS. This page shows what a defensible piling MS looks like in 2026 — service avoidance, rig set-up, the pour sequence and noise/vibration controls — and gives you a free editable template.
When is it required?
Piling on any UK site under CDM 2015 needs a written MS before the rig mobilises, typically demanded by the principal contractor 10–15 working days before the rig arrives. The package includes the piling design (engineer-signed), the rig's current thorough examination (LOLER 1998), the service drawings and CAT-and-Genny survey, the spoil disposal route (Duty of Care notes), the noise and vibration assessment under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and BS 5228-1/2, and CPCS card numbers for the rig operator and banksman. For urban or near-rail sites the Network Rail or LU asset-protection agreement may add weeks to the approval cycle.
What a good one looks like
A defensible piling MS runs to 12–18 pages and names every specific. It identifies the pile type and design (e.g. '450mm CFA, 15m, 25/30 concrete with 60kg/m³ retarder'), the rig (Soilmec SR-65 or Bauer BG28), the concrete supplier and slump retention, the temporary casing strategy, the obstruction protocol, and the noise/vibration limits at the nearest sensitive receptor in dB(A) and mm/s PPV. It cross-references the FPS audit checklist, the piling design report, the asset-protection agreement (where applicable) and a one-page rig walking-route drawing. It is signed by a competent piling supervisor and the engineer who designed the piles.
Piling Works hazards & controls
The site-specific hazards a piling MS must address, with the controls that take residual risk to an acceptable level.
| Hazard | Persons at risk | Controls | Residual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service strike (gas, electric, water, telecoms) | Rig crew, public, utility workers | Statutory utility plans <6 months old; CAT-and-Genny survey by trained operative; hand-dug trial holes within 500mm of any indicated service; permit-to-dig for every new pile location; mandatory stop on any unidentified service | Low |
| Rig overturn (soft ground, slope, undermining) | Rig crew, anyone in overturn arc | Engineer-signed working platform certificate (FPS WPP) for the entire rig path; piling mats sized to the rig's manufacturer-specified bearing pressure; daily walk-over inspection; no piling within 1.5× pile depth of an unsupported excavation | Medium |
| Concrete blow-out / collapse of unsupported bore (bored piling) | Rig crew, banksman | Temporary casing through made ground and any granular layer to design depth; bentonite or polymer support fluid where the design requires; concrete pour rate matched to extraction rate; nobody within the 1.5m exclusion zone during pour | Low |
| Noise at nearest sensitive receptor (residential, school, hospital) | Residents, occupants | BS 5228-1 prediction at nearest receptor; LAeq,12h limit per Local Authority s.61 consent (typical 70 dB); acoustic screens to 3m where prediction exceeds; complaint hotline staffed; hours restriction (typical 0800–1800 weekdays) | Medium |
| Vibration at adjacent structures (driven piling) | Adjacent property owners | BS 5228-2 prediction; PPV monitoring at nearest building (transducer); 10 mm/s PPV limit for sensitive structures (per BS 7385-2 and the Eurocode); pre-condition survey of every property within 25m; stop-work trigger at 75% of limit | Medium |
| Falling materials from rig (reinforcement cages, augers) | Banksman, ground crew | 10m exclusion zone during cage handling; tagline on every blind lift; tool tethers on hand tools at height; no one beneath suspended auger; banksman with continuous radio contact | Low |
| COSHH — cementitious dust, bentonite, polymer, hydraulic oils | Rig crew, banksman | COSHH sheet on site for every product; FFP3 RPE when handling dry powders; nitrile gloves and barrier cream; eye-wash within 25m; spill kit on rig; AdBlue and hydraulic spill response procedure | Low |
| Contaminated arisings (made ground, brownfield) | Spoil handlers, downstream public | Site investigation report consulted before mobilisation; suspect arisings sampled and quarantined; WAC-tested before disposal; tracked under Duty of Care notes; PPE per the geotechnical assessment | Low |
Step-by-step sequence
- 1
1. Pre-mobilisation & briefing
Review piling design, FPS working platform certificate, utility plans and asset-protection agreements. Brief rig crew on this MS plus the s.61 consent. CPCS cards photographed to site file. CAT-and-Genny survey closes out before first pile.
- 2
2. Rig walk to first pile
Banksman walks the route ahead of the rig with the platform certificate. Tracked rigs cross any haul road only at designated crossing points with road plates. Tail-swing exclusion zone enforced.
- 3
3. Set-up at pile position
Rig positioned to setting-out peg with surveyor-checked plumb. Hand-dug trial hole to 1.2m to clear shallow services. Pre-pile check confirms no obstruction, no service, mat intact.
- 4
4. Bore / drive sequence
For CFA: continuous auger to design depth with continuous torque and depth monitoring (instrumentation log retained). For driven: lead extraction to design set with blow-count log. Banksman maintains exclusion zone throughout.
- 5
5. Cage placement and concrete pour
Reinforcement cage lifted with tagline and lowered without striking sides. Concrete pour at design slump (typically 200mm ±30mm) at extraction rate per design — over-pour at the head to ensure cut-off is in sound concrete.
- 6
6. Pile records & integrity check
Pile log signed at the rig: depth, concrete volume, cage length, time-of-pour. Sonic integrity test (or low-strain dynamic) per the design schedule. Out-of-spec piles flagged immediately, never quietly proceeded past.
- 7
7. Pile cut-down & site cleanup
Cut-down to design level with rotary breaker (silica controls per HSG305 — water suppression + FFP3). Arisings to designated stockpile pending WAC results. Mats washed down, ramps reinstated, MS documentation closed out to the O&M file.
CFA piling, residential development, brownfield site adjacent to live gas main
A South Yorkshire piling contractor working on a 48-pile residential foundation adjacent to a 6-bar gas main produced a 16-page MS that the National Grid asset-protection team accepted first time. Key entries: a CAT-and-Genny survey by a trained operative (City & Guilds 6160-04), trial holes hand-dug to 1.2m at every pile within 5m of the main, a temporary casing strategy through 3m of made ground (rig: Soilmec SR-65, 450mm CFA, 12m), and a working platform certificate signed by a CEng under FPS WPP for the full rig path. Noise prediction under BS 5228-1 at the nearest dwelling (28m) was 67 dB(A) — under the 70 dB s.61 limit — with a 3m acoustic screen between rig and dwelling for the four pile rows nearest the boundary. PPV monitoring on the nearest unoccupied bungalow recorded a peak of 4.1 mm/s, well within the 10 mm/s BS 7385-2 limit. 48 piles in 6 days, zero service strikes, zero noise complaints, all integrity tests passed. The principal contractor and the gas main owner both signed off without revision request — the MS, the working platform certificate and the s.61 consent were the three documents that closed it out.
Or build a site-specific piling MS in 5 minutes
The free template is a blank Word document. The Riskora builder ships with the piling hazard library baked in — pick the preset, edit the site-specific bits, download a signed PDF.
Common mistakes that get a piling MS rejected
- ·Treating the working platform certificate as a one-off — it must be re-signed if the rig changes weight class or after wet weather
- ·Omitting the s.61 noise consent and assuming 'normal site hours' will be accepted — councils are increasingly issuing abatement notices
- ·Specifying a generic 'CAT-and-Genny used' control without naming the operator's qualification and the survey date
- ·Not naming the temporary casing strategy on bored piles in granular ground — a frequent cause of bore collapse
- ·Ignoring nearby cast-iron mains — even low-vibration CFA can fracture a brittle main at 10 mm/s PPV (BS 7385-2 protective limit)
- ·Sending arisings off-site under the wrong EWC code without WAC testing on brownfield ground
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a CFA and a driven piling MS?
Both share the service avoidance, rig stability and exclusion-zone controls. CFA adds concrete pour rate, cage placement and bore-collapse controls. Driven adds blow-count and dynamic monitoring, ground vibration prediction under BS 5228-2, and a tighter set of pre-condition surveys on adjacent structures.
Do I need a working platform certificate?
Yes, for any rig over 20 tonnes. The FPS working platform design and certification process is a baseline for principal contractor acceptance. The certificate must be signed by a competent geotechnical engineer and re-validated after significant weather or any change of rig.
What noise and vibration limits should I write in?
Use the limits from the s.61 consent (if obtained) or the predicted values under BS 5228-1 (noise) and BS 5228-2 (vibration) at the nearest sensitive receptor. Default limits without consent: 70 dB(A) LAeq,12h for noise, 10 mm/s PPV for vibration at sensitive structures per BS 7385-2.
How do I handle obstructions in the pile bore?
The MS must include an obstruction protocol: stop work, log the depth and indication, consult the engineer, agree the chiselling or relocation strategy in writing. Quiet relocations to a new pile centre are not acceptable — the design must be re-checked.
Is sonic integrity testing required?
It is best practice on all CFA and bored piles, and is contractually required on most principal contractor schedules. The MS should name the test method (sonic echo, low-strain dynamic, or cross-hole sonic logging for high-importance piles) and the acceptance criteria.
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