Excavation Method Statement: What It Is and How to Write One
Excavation is one of the highest-risk activities on any construction site. Trench collapses, contact with underground services, and falls into open ground cause serious injuries and fatalities every year — often because the work wasn’t properly planned. An excavation method statement is the document that closes that gap: it sets out, step by step, how the work will be carried out safely.
This guide explains what an excavation method statement covers, why it matters, and how to put one together for your site.
What Is an Excavation Method Statement?
A method statement is a written document that describes, in a logical sequence, exactly how a work activity will be carried out safely and without risk to health. For excavation work specifically, it translates the findings of your risk assessment into a practical, on-site procedure that the workforce can follow.
It isn’t a generic template filled in once and forgotten. A good excavation method statement is specific to the site: the ground conditions, the depth and type of excavation, the plant being used, and the hazards identified during the survey stage.
Why Excavation Needs Its Own Method Statement
Ground conditions can vary widely, sometimes over very short distances, and no soil can be relied upon to support its own weight indefinitely. Loads from nearby plant, stored materials, or vehicles increase the risk of collapse, and even a small fall of earth can weigh well over a tonne. Because of this, excavation is treated as a distinct, high-risk activity requiring its own dedicated planning rather than being folded into a general site method statement.
The main hazards a method statement needs to address include:
- Collapse of the excavation sides, burying or striking workers inside
- Falling materials from spoil heaps or the excavation face
- Contact with buried services — gas, electricity, water, telecoms
- Falls of people or plant into the open excavation
- Overloading of the edges by plant, vehicles, or stored spoil
- Water ingress, which can rapidly destabilise excavation sides
- Undermining of nearby structures, walls, or scaffold footings
What to Include in an Excavation Method Statement
While every site is different, most excavation method statements follow a similar structure:
1. Project and Scope Details
Basic project information, the location and extent of the excavation, and a summary of what the work involves — footings, trenches for services, pits, or larger open excavations.
2. Roles and Responsibilities
Who is in control of the site, who holds the competent-person role for inspecting the excavation, and who is responsible for permits, supervision, and sign-off before work starts and at each shift.
3. Pre-Start Checks
Before any digging begins, this section confirms:
- Underground services have been identified using drawings and cable-detection equipment, and marked on the surface
- A site investigation has established ground conditions and any contamination
- The excavation area is marked out and physical barriers are in place
- Plant, equipment, and welfare facilities are available and checked
4. Excavation Sequence and Method
The practical, step-by-step description of how the excavation will actually be dug — by hand or machine, in what sequence, to what depth and width, and how spoil will be handled and stored away from the excavation edge so it doesn’t surcharge the sides.
5. Support and Ground Stability
Any excavation with sides that could collapse needs a plan for keeping them stable — sloping, benching, or shoring/sheeting, selected according to ground type and depth. As a general rule, unsupported excavations deeper than about 1.2–1.5 m require formal support or benching, and this should never be assumed safe without assessment by a competent person.
6. Access, Egress, and Edge Protection
Safe means of getting in and out of the excavation (typically secured ladders extending above the landing point), barriers or guard rails to stop people or plant approaching the edge, and toe boards or sheeting to stop materials falling in.
7. Plant and Vehicle Controls
Rules for keeping plant and vehicles away from excavation edges, banksman/signaller arrangements, and safe tipping procedures for spoil removal.
8. Emergency Procedures
Arrangements for rescue in the event of a collapse or entrapment, first aid provision, and communication in an emergency.
9. Inspection and Monitoring
A record of who inspects the excavation and its supports, and how often — typically at the start of each shift and after any event that could affect stability, such as heavy rain.
Getting the Method Statement Right
An excavation method statement is only useful if it’s built around a genuine risk assessment of the specific site — not copied wholesale from a previous job. Ground conditions, service locations, and site constraints change from one project to the next, and the method statement needs to reflect that.
It also needs to be a working document: communicated clearly to the team carrying out the work, checked against what’s actually happening on site, and reviewed if conditions or the scope of work change.
Putting one together from scratch for every project is time-consuming, which is why many site teams start from a structured template and adapt it to the job in hand. If you want a starting point that already covers the sections above, this excavation method statement template is built around the same structure and can be edited to match your site’s specific conditions.
Key Takeaways
- Excavation is a high-risk activity that needs its own dedicated method statement, not a generic one
- The method statement should be based on a specific risk assessment for the site, covering ground conditions, services, and access
- Support systems, edge protection, and inspection routines are core to keeping the excavation safe throughout the works
- A method statement is a live document — communicate it to the team, check it’s being followed, and update it if conditions change
Please read our article on Deep Excavations HERE
