Method Statements & Risk Assessments
Method statements and risk assessments are the documents that define how work will be done and how its hazards will be controlled. This guide explains what each contains, how they link together, and why they are central to safe, approved MEP execution.
Before a crew lifts a chiller, energises a board or works at height, a UAE project expects two linked documents: a risk assessment (RA) and a method statement (MS), often submitted together as an MSRA. They are the practical core of construction health and safety — the agreed, written answer to two questions: what could go wrong, and how will we do this safely?
These documents are not paperwork for its own sake. They are reviewed and approved before high-risk activities, and they shape how the work is actually carried out on site. This article explains what a risk assessment and a method statement each contain, how they feed into one another, and why an approved MSRA is a precondition for safe, compliant MEP work.
How it works
A risk assessment starts by identifying hazards. For a given activity, the team lists what could cause harm — electrical energy, working at height, lifting operations, hot works, confined spaces, hazardous substances and so on. Naming the hazards specifically, for the actual task, is the foundation; a generic list that ignores the real activity is of little value.
The risk assessment then rates and controls each hazard. Each hazard's risk is judged by combining how likely harm is with how severe it would be, and control measures are defined to reduce that risk — ideally by eliminating or substituting the hazard, then by engineering controls, then by safe systems of work and finally by personal protective equipment. The residual risk after controls is what the work is actually carried out against.
The method statement then sets out how the work will be done safely. It describes the scope and sequence of the task step by step, the roles and competencies required, the equipment and tools, the permits needed, and crucially it embeds the control measures from the risk assessment into each step. A good method statement reads as a safe, ordered plan that a supervisor can follow and check.
This is why the two are linked. The risk assessment finds the danger; the method statement sets the safe way to work around it. An MS without a supporting RA has no basis for its controls, and an RA without an MS never translates into action on site. Submitted together as an MSRA, they give a complete picture: here are the hazards, here is how we control them, and here is exactly how we will execute.
On a project, the MSRA is reviewed and approved before the activity proceeds, and it underpins the permit-to-work system for high-risk tasks. Site supervision then delivers a toolbox talk so the crew understands the plan, and the work is carried out and monitored against it. If conditions change, the MSRA is revisited — it is a living control, not a one-time form, and keeping it accurate is part of safe, approved execution.
Main types
In the UAE
- On UAE construction sites, method statements and risk assessments (often submitted together as an MSRA) are expected for high-risk MEP activities and are reviewed and approved before work proceeds.
- They support the permit-to-work system and align with UAE occupational health and safety expectations, including Abu Dhabi's OSHAD framework for workplace safety management.
- An MSRA is a living control: it is revisited when site conditions change, and keeping it accurate is part of delivering safe, compliant work that withstands client and authority scrutiny.
How GPR applies this
GPR prepares and applies method statements and risk assessments for its MEP activities across Abu Dhabi, submitting MSRAs for review before high-risk works such as lifting, working at height, electrical energisation and hot works. Our site teams embed the assessed controls into each task, run toolbox talks, and operate a permit-to-work discipline aligned with UAE and Abu Dhabi OSHAD expectations, so work is executed safely and stands up to client and authority scrutiny.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a method statement and a risk assessment?
A risk assessment identifies hazards and how to control them; a method statement sets out the step-by-step safe way to do the work, embedding those controls. They are complementary.
What is an MSRA?
It is the combined method statement and risk assessment, submitted together so a reviewer can see the hazards, the controls, and exactly how the work will be executed.
Why are they required before work starts?
High-risk activities must be planned and controlled in advance; an approved MSRA is reviewed before work proceeds and underpins the permit-to-work system.
What is the hierarchy of control?
It is the preferred order for reducing risk: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, apply engineering controls, use safe systems of work, and finally rely on personal protective equipment.
Does an MSRA ever change?
Yes. It is a living control that is revisited when site conditions change, so it continues to reflect the actual hazards and the safe method of working.