Method Statement for Steel Erection — UK
A free, BCSA-aligned method statement for UK structural steel erection — covering lift plans, temporary stability, the bolt-up sequence and the exclusion zones a principal contractor will check first.
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.
Full version
Preview first. No card needed. Download when you're happy.
- Site-specific draft
- Steel Erection 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.
Steel erection is one of the few trades where a single missing line in the method statement can cause a multi-fatality collapse. The HSE's review of structural collapses (most recently the Didcot A boiler-house collapse in 2016 that killed four demolition workers and was investigated alongside parallel erection-phase guidance) keeps returning to the same root cause: the temporary condition. A frame is stable when complete and stable when on the lorry, but for hours or days in between it depends entirely on the bracing scheme written into the method statement. This page sets out what a defensible UK steel erection method statement looks like in 2026 — sequence, lift plan inputs, stability, bolt-up and sign-off — and gives you a free editable template to start from.
When is it required?
Under CDM 2015 reg. 15 the steelwork contractor must produce a written method statement before erection mobilises, with the lift plan (LOLER 1998 reg. 8) separately signed by an appointed person. The principal contractor will typically demand it 10 working days before steel arrives on site, alongside the BS EN 1090 execution-class certificate for the fabricator, the connection design (PD 6695-1-9), the crane's current thorough examination (LOLER reg. 9) and the slinger/signaller CPCS or NPORS cards. For domestic single-storey frames the regulatory bar is lower but insurance still turns on whether the document existed and was followed.
What a good one looks like
A defensible steel erection MS runs to 10–15 pages and is unmistakably for this frame. It names the BCSA member fabricator and execution class (typically EXC2 for single-storey portal, EXC3 for multi-storey or fatigue-critical), the appointed person under BS 7121-1, the crane model (e.g. Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2), the ground bearing pressure assumed under the outriggers (kN/m²), the bracing scheme by gridline, and the moment at which each frame becomes self-stable. It cross-references the BCSA 'Code of Practice for Erection of Low Rise Buildings' (or BCSA 'Multi-Storey' guide), the lift plan, and a one-page exclusion-zone drawing. It is signed by a competent erection supervisor who has worked on the same class of frame.
Steel Erection hazards & controls
The site-specific hazards a steel erection MS must address, with the controls that take residual risk to an acceptable level.
| Hazard | Persons at risk | Controls | Residual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame collapse before stability is achieved (temporary condition) | Erectors, slingers, anyone in collapse zone | Bracing scheme drawn gridline-by-gridline by the temporary works designer; no release of crane until permanent or designed temporary bracing is bolted; daily check of bolt-up status before each shift; engineer sign-off before any rafter lift on portal frames | Low |
| Crane overload, outrigger punch-through or overturn (LOLER) | Crane crew, erectors, public | Lift plan by appointed person to BS 7121-1; ground bearing assessment with mats sized to GBP; thorough examination cert (12-month) on site; load-radius chart laminated in cab; tagline on every blind lift | Low |
| Falls from height during connection / decking | Erectors | Inertia-reel harness clipped to engineered anchor or pre-installed safety net at first-floor level; MEWP for high-level bolt-up where possible; no walking the top flange of a beam <305mm wide without netting beneath | Medium |
| Dropped objects (spanners, drift pins, bolts) onto people below | Other trades, public | Tool tethers mandatory above 2m; bolt buckets with lids; 6m exclusion zone around the slewing radius with hard barriers and signage; banksman at every access point | Low |
| Wind loading on partially erected frame | Erectors, occupants of adjacent buildings | Stop work at 38 mph (Beaufort 8) gusts unless temporary works designer has signed for higher; anemometer at the working level; daily Met Office forecast logged; no rafter lifts in winds >25 mph | Medium |
| Manual handling — bolt bags, decking sheets, purlins | Erectors, slingers | Mechanical aids for decking >15 kg; two-person lift on purlins >6m; bolt bags split at 12 kg max; rotation between bolting and slinging duties | Medium |
| Hot works during site welding / cropping | Erectors, fire safety | Hot works permit issued daily; fire watch for 60 minutes after last weld; CO2 + foam extinguishers within 5m; combustibles removed within 11m radius (FM Global) | Low |
| Plant–pedestrian interface during steel deliveries | Other trades, drivers | Segregated offload zone with one-way traffic plan; pedestrian exclusion during slewing; trained signaller; reversing alarms and CCTV on the MEWP | Low |
Step-by-step sequence
- 1
1. Pre-erection survey & briefing
Walk the foundations with the GA drawing. Check holding-down bolt projection and grout pockets against the fabricator's setting-out. Brief the erection crew on this MS, the lift plan and the exclusion zone drawing. All cards photographed to site file.
- 2
2. First columns & temporary bracing
Set first two columns to grid, plumb with theodolite, bolt to HD bolts with column-base shims, then install the first temporary bracing tube before the crane is released. No exception.
- 3
3. Frame infill in the agreed sequence
Erect frame in the sequence shown on the bracing drawing — not crew preference. Each beam landed, end-bolted finger-tight, plumbed, then full bolt-up only after the bay is stable. Crane released only after the stability check by the supervisor.
- 4
4. Rafter & roof bracing (portal) or floor decking (multi-storey)
Rafters lifted in matched pairs where the design requires (typical for clear-span >25m). Wind girder bolted before next bay starts. On multi-storey, decking laid and edge-protected within the same shift as the steel below.
- 5
5. Bolt torque and inspection
All preloaded HSFG bolts torqued in two passes per BS EN 1090-2 and marked with paint dot. Torque wrench calibration certificate on site. Inspection record signed off bay-by-bay by the supervisor.
- 6
6. Edge protection & handover to follower trades
Permanent edge protection or scaffold handrail installed before MEWP is removed. Frame handed over with as-erected drawings, bolt-up record and the temporary works completion certificate.
- 7
7. Demobilisation
Crane mat removal, ground reinstatement, all swarf and off-cuts swept. Documentation packed to O&M file: lift plan, thorough exam cert, bolt-up record, weld inspection (where applicable), MS sign-off.
Single-storey portal frame, light-industrial unit, 32m × 18m × 7m eaves
A West Midlands steelwork sub-contractor erecting a single-storey portal frame for a new distribution warehouse documented a 14-page method statement built around a Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 lifting matched-pair rafters to a 16m radius. Key entries: an appointed person under BS 7121-1 signed the lift plan with a ground bearing pressure of 12.4 kN/m² calling for 1.2m × 1.2m × 75mm mats under each outrigger. The bracing scheme — drawn by the fabricator's temporary works engineer — required the wind girder in bay 3 to be bolted before bays 4–6 were lifted. The exclusion zone (a 6m radius around the slewing crane plus the rafter lift footprint) was painted on the slab and policed by a dedicated banksman. The MS named a 38 mph stop-work threshold (Beaufort 8) and an anemometer mounted on the erected steel at eaves height, logged hourly. Frame complete on day 4, cladding follower on day 5, zero RIDDOR incidents, zero rework. The principal contractor's safety advisor accepted the MS first time — the lift plan, the temporary works certificate and the bolt-up sign-off sheet were the three documents that closed it out.
Or build a site-specific steel erection MS in 5 minutes
The free template is a blank Word document. The Riskora builder ships with the steel erection hazard library baked in — pick the preset, edit the site-specific bits, download a signed PDF.
Common mistakes that get a steel erection MS rejected
- ·Reusing a previous frame's bracing scheme without the temporary works designer re-signing it for this geometry
- ·Treating the lift plan as a separate document the erectors don't need to read — it must be briefed alongside the MS
- ·Releasing the crane before the first bay is fully self-stable (the single most common collapse trigger)
- ·Omitting wind stop-work criteria, or quoting Beaufort numbers without the equivalent mph
- ·Not naming the appointed person under BS 7121-1 — principal contractors will reject on this alone
- ·Allowing untethered hand tools above 2m on a live site (a £180,000 HSE fine in 2023 turned on exactly this)
Frequently asked questions
Who has to sign the steel erection method statement?
It must be authored by a competent erection supervisor (typically with at least the BCSA Erector card and equivalent experience), reviewed by a structural engineer for the temporary stability scheme, and accepted by the principal contractor. The lift plan is a separate document signed by the appointed person under BS 7121-1.
Do I need a separate lift plan?
Yes. The method statement covers the erection sequence and worker safety; the lift plan covers crane configuration, load radius, ground bearing pressure and slinger duties under LOLER 1998. They must be cross-referenced but are different documents and signed by different competent persons.
What's the BCSA execution class and why does it matter for the MS?
BS EN 1090 defines execution classes EXC1–EXC4. EXC2 covers most single-storey portal frames; EXC3 is required for multi-storey, fatigue-critical or seismic structures. The MS should name the class because it drives the bolt-up inspection regime and weld traceability requirements.
Can MEWPs replace harness-and-net for connection work?
Where the geometry allows, yes — and the hierarchy of control under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 prefers it. The MS must justify the choice: if a MEWP cannot reach the connection, then nets first, then harness-and-anchor as the last resort. Document the assessment.
What stop-work wind speed should I use?
Industry default is 38 mph (Beaufort 8) gusts for lifting and bracing operations, with a 25 mph limit on rafter or long-element lifts. The temporary works designer can sign for higher if the bracing has been checked at the design wind speed for the partial frame, but this must be documented in the MS.
Related method statements & RAMS
Download the template, or build it in 5 minutes
Riskora is an assistive document preparation tool. Every method statement must be reviewed and signed by a competent person before use.