Method statement for asbestos awareness and stop work
This method statement supports asbestos awareness and a stop-work response; it does not authorise work on asbestos-containing material. It should require the asbestos register or suitable survey to be checked before intrusive work and explain how suspicious insulation, boards, coatings or cement products are recognised without sampling. Fibre release can cause fatal disease many years later. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require identification of asbestos before maintenance and suitable training for anyone liable to disturb it. Awareness training does not make a worker competent for asbestos work. If suspect material is discovered or damaged, stop immediately, prevent access and spread, avoid sweeping or vacuuming, and obtain advice from a competent asbestos professional; licensed work needs an HSE-licensed contractor.
- ✓5 steps from preparation to completion
- ✓Covers: 3 key hazards and their controls
- ✓Permits: asbestos permit or authorisation where site rules require
In short
A method statement sets out how a task will be carried out safely, step by step: preparation, set-up, the work itself and completion, with the plant, permits, competence and supervision needed. It puts the controls identified in the risk assessment into a safe system of work.
What it must include
- ✓Task description, location and duration
- ✓Step-by-step sequence of works
- ✓Plant, equipment and materials
- ✓Permits and isolations required
- ✓Competence, training and supervision
- ✓PPE and emergency arrangements
You stay the duty holder: review the document for your site before work starts. SitePaper is a drafting tool, not a consultancy.