The weekly record of a construction site: the week's weather, trades and events, last week's open actions, then first aid and welfare, fire, security, PPE, housekeeping, falls, scaffolds, manual handling, tools, plant, ladders, electrical, hazardous substances, confined spaces and incident reporting. Skip what your site does not have — it will not count against your score.
Inspection Details
The site, the week, and who walked it.
Inspection Title
Reference
Client, site or project
Site address
Your company
Inspected by
Your role
Who was running the site while you walked?
Date
Time
What has the weather done since the last inspection? — Dry and settled, Overcast, Rain, Heavy rain or flooding, Strong wind or gusts, Fog or haze, Snow, sleet or ice, Heat, Other
Describe the weather
Temperature range on site today
Which trades or activities are working this week? — Demolition or strip-out, Asbestos or hazardous material removal, Groundworks and excavation, Piling, Concrete and formwork, Rebar fixing, Steel erection, Scaffolding, Roofing, Brickwork and blockwork, Carpentry and framing, Mechanical services, Electrical services, Plumbing, Glazing and cladding, Stairs and balustrades, Drylining and plastering, Painting and finishes, External works and landscaping, Cleaning and handover, Other
Which other trades or activities?
Roughly how many people are on site today?
Since Last Week
Read the last one before you walk.
Did you read last week's inspection before starting this one? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every action from last week closed? — Yes, No, N/A
Which are still open, and what is holding them up?
Any injuries, near misses or dangerous occurrences this week?
Briefly, what happened, and is it being investigated?
Has the site changed in a way that matters — new phase, new trade, new crane, a gate or route moved?
What changed, and were the plan and the briefings updated to match?
Has a regulator, insurer or client adviser visited this week?
Who came, and did they leave anything to act on?
First Aid and Welfare
The first ten minutes after somebody is hurt, and the basics every day.
Is first aid and welfare being checked on this inspection?
Are the first aid kits stocked, tidy, and is nothing past its use-by? — Yes, No, N/A
Can you reach a kit within a minute or so of the furthest workface? — Yes, No, N/A
Is each kit marked with the standard green-and-white sign? — Yes, No, N/A
Are trained first aiders on site today, and can the crews tell you who they are? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a notice with the emergency numbers, the site address and the gate an ambulance should use? — Yes, No, N/A
Where eye injuries are possible, is eyewash to hand and in date? — Yes, No, N/A
Are toilets and hand-washing with hot water available and kept clean? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a warm place to eat, take a break and dry wet clothing? — Yes, No, N/A
Is drinking water available? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on first aid and welfare
Fire and Emergency
Raising the alarm, getting out, and putting it out.
Is fire and emergency being checked on this inspection?
Is the fire and emergency plan posted, and does it match the site as it stands this week? — Yes, No, N/A
Has a practice evacuation or alarm test been held when the plan says it should? — Yes, No, N/A
Are escape routes and stair cores kept free of stored materials? — Yes, No, N/A
Can every exit be opened from the inside without a key? — Yes, No, N/A
Do the running-man signs point the right way along today's routes? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the temporary emergency lighting come on when tested? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a fire point at each stair or floor, with the right types of extinguisher? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the service label on each extinguisher in date? — Yes, No, N/A
Can you get to every extinguisher without moving anything? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the alarm or sounder work, and can it be heard over the noisiest trade? — Yes, No, N/A
Is hot work done under permit, with a fire watch kept afterwards? — Yes, No, N/A
Are gas cylinders and flammable products kept in a cage or store well away from escape routes? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on fire and emergency
Photographs — fire and emergency
Site Security and Public Protection
Keeping out those who should not be in, and keeping the public safe outside.
Is site security being checked on this inspection?
Is the hoarding or fencing continuous, with no gaps or panels down? — Yes, No, N/A
Are the statutory notices and "no unauthorised entry" signs displayed at every gate? — Yes, No, N/A
Are the pedestrian and vehicle gates separate and plainly marked? — Yes, No, N/A
Does everyone sign in, and does today's list match who is actually here? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the site locked out of hours, with plant keys removed and ladders taken down or boarded? — Yes, No, N/A
Where there is an alarm, cameras or a patrol, is it working as agreed? — Yes, No, N/A
Are footpaths and roads beside the site protected from falling material and from site vehicles? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on security
Photographs — perimeter and gates
Protective Equipment
What people are wearing today, counted rather than described.
Is PPE being checked on this inspection?
Are hard hats on, undamaged and within their service life? — Yes, No, N/A
Are glasses or goggles on wherever anyone is cutting, grinding, drilling or mixing? — Yes, No, N/A
Are ear defenders or plugs in where the noise calls for them? — Yes, No, N/A
Are gloves matched to the job — cut-resistant for sheet and glass, chemical-resistant for mixing? — Yes, No, N/A
Is dusty or fume-producing work done in a mask that has been face-fit tested? — Yes, No, N/A
Are boots protective and in a serviceable state? — Yes, No, N/A
Is high-visibility clothing worn everywhere outside the cabins? — Yes, No, N/A
Where a harness is required, is it worn and clipped on? — Yes, No, N/A
Are spares kept on site, so nobody works without because theirs broke? — Yes, No, N/A
Can the people you ask say what their own task needs, and why? — Yes, No, N/A
How many people did you check?
How many had everything their task needs?
Notes on PPE
Housekeeping, Storage and Waste
The quickest read on how a site is being run.
Is housekeeping being checked on this inspection?
Are cutting stations and benches clear of offcuts and dust? — Yes, No, N/A
Are materials kept in lay-down areas on bearers, not on walkways or near edges? — Yes, No, N/A
Is stored material placed so heavy items are not lifted off the ground or down from overhead? — Yes, No, N/A
Are racks, stillages and pallets sound? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the floor around stores and racking clear? — Yes, No, N/A
Are skips and bins near where waste is made, and emptied before they overflow? — Yes, No, N/A
Is waste separated the way the site waste plan asks? — Yes, No, N/A
Do greasy cloths and burnable waste go into a metal bin with a lid? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the unloading area organised and clear? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there enough light on stairs, corridors and inside the shell? — Yes, No, N/A
Are cabins and site furniture sound and kept clean? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on housekeeping
Photographs — housekeeping
Access Routes, Edges and Openings
Trips on the level, and falls from edges and holes.
Is access routes and fall prevention being checked on this inspection?
Are walkways firm and level, and free of trailing cables and debris? — Yes, No, N/A
Are pedestrian routes marked and kept apart from plant? — Yes, No, N/A
Can people see what is coming at corners and crossing points? — Yes, No, N/A
Are stairs clear and lit, with a handrail on each open side? — Yes, No, N/A
Are routes free of mud, ice, standing water and spills? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the route from the gate to the welfare cabins in decent order? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every open edge protected — top rail, intermediate rail and toe board? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every floor opening covered with a fixed, labelled cover or guarded? — Yes, No, N/A
Where a rail has come out for loading, is there a gate or another control in its place? — Yes, No, N/A
Are rails and platforms used first, with harnesses only where those cannot go? — Yes, No, N/A
Does every job beside an unguarded edge have a method statement or permit behind it? — Yes, No, N/A
Are people below shielded from dropped tools and materials — toe boards, netting or exclusion zones? — Yes, No, N/A
Do harness users look over their own kit before they put it on? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on access and edges
Photographs — edges and openings
Scaffolds
One entry per scaffold. The tag date is what gets missed.
Is scaffolding being checked on this inspection?
Is every scaffold put up and altered by a competent scaffolding contractor, not by the trades using it? — Yes, No, N/A
Where a scaffold is non-standard, is there a design or drawing, and has it been signed off? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a scaffold register or file on site with every inspection report in it? — Yes, No, N/A
Scaffolds on site
Where is it — elevation, block or gridline?
Type — Independent tied, Putlog, System scaffold, Birdcage, Loading bay, Mobile tower, Other
Date on the tag or last inspection report
Is that inside seven days, and since any storm or alteration? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a safe way up — stair tower or tied ladder — and a clear step onto the lift? — Yes, No, N/A
Are working lifts fully boarded, with no gaps, trip hazards or stacked material? — Yes, No, N/A
Are guardrails, mid rails and toe boards complete on every working lift? — Yes, No, N/A
Are all ties in place and untouched? — Yes, No, N/A
Are standards on base plates and sole boards on firm ground, with no bricks or offcuts as packing? — Yes, No, N/A
Is it loaded within what it was built for? — Yes, No, N/A
Photo — get the tag close enough to read
Anything else about this scaffold
Notes on scaffolding
Manual Handling
Heavy, awkward and repetitive work — where most lost days come from.
Is manual handling being checked on this inspection?
Have the heavy, awkward or repetitive tasks on this job been listed? — Yes, No, N/A
Does each of them have a manual handling assessment? — Yes, No, N/A
Were the controls chosen by trying to remove the lift first — machine, smaller packs, delivery to where it is fitted — before training? — Yes, No, N/A
Are the planned lifting aids on site and in use? — Yes, No, N/A
Is kneeling, stooping and overhead work kept down with pads, platforms or rotation? — Yes, No, N/A
Is repetitive work broken up with breaks or a change of task? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the agreed method written into the task's method statement? — Yes, No, N/A
Are people working the way that method says? — Yes, No, N/A
Have the people doing these tasks been shown the method? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a record of that briefing? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on manual handling
Hand and Power Tools
The right tool, in one piece, with its guard on.
Is hand and power tools being checked on this inspection?
Are guards fitted and working on grinders, saws and cutters? — Yes, No, N/A
Are tool cables and plugs free of cuts and taped joints? — Yes, No, N/A
Are site tools battery or reduced-voltage, or else protected by a residual current device? — Yes, No, N/A
Are casings, triggers and chucks sound? — Yes, No, N/A
Is broken kit tagged and taken out of use, not left on the bench for the next person? — Yes, No, N/A
Are tools put away in a store or gang box when nobody is using them? — Yes, No, N/A
Is each tool suited to the task, rather than something improvised? — Yes, No, N/A
Are tools bought from a reputable supplier and marked to a recognised standard? — Yes, No, N/A
Are tools built for two-handed use being held with both hands? — Yes, No, N/A
Do dust-producing tools have extraction or water suppression, fitted and working? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on tools
Photographs — tools
Plant and Machinery
Anything that can crush, cut or run someone over.
Is plant and machinery being checked on this inspection?
Is each machine in use covered by a risk assessment or lift plan? — Yes, No, N/A
Is each machine on a service schedule? — Yes, No, N/A
Do the service records show that schedule is being kept? — Yes, No, N/A
Have today's pre-use checks been done and signed? — Yes, No, N/A
Do cranes, hoists and lifting gear have current thorough examination certificates? — Yes, No, N/A
Are machines, and the ground around them, free of oil, debris and offcuts? — Yes, No, N/A
Are guards and covers intact and fixed in place? — Yes, No, N/A
Where a machine has an emergency stop, does it work, and can you reach it? — Yes, No, N/A
Is leaking plant on a drip tray, and has the leak been reported for repair? — Yes, No, N/A
Is plant noise kept down — doors shut, silencers fitted, idle machines switched off? — Yes, No, N/A
Can each machine work without anyone standing in its swing or path? — Yes, No, N/A
Does every operator hold the card or certificate for the machine they are on? — Yes, No, N/A
Could you show those cards or certificates today? — Yes, No, N/A
Where the operator cannot see, are reversing and slewing controlled by a trained signaller? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on plant
Photographs — plant
Ladders and Stepladders
The most common single defect on any site.
Is ladders being checked on this inspection?
Is each ladder rated for professional use, going by its marking? — Yes, No, N/A
Are stiles straight, rungs and feet intact, with nothing held together by tape or wire? — Yes, No, N/A
Near live conductors, are the ladders non-metallic? — Yes, No, N/A
On extending ladders, do the latches, rope and pulley still work? — Yes, No, N/A
Are ladders at a safe angle on firm ground, and tied or footed? — Yes, No, N/A
Are ladders kept to short, light jobs where a platform would not be reasonable? — Yes, No, N/A
Are ladders numbered and on a register, with damaged ones taken off site? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on ladders
Electrical and Temporary Power
Temporary supplies, leads and isolation.
Is electrical safety being checked on this inspection?
Are temporary supplies protected by residual current devices? — Yes, No, N/A
Are those devices tested on schedule, with the results written down? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the supply free of overloaded outlets and leads plugged into other leads? — Yes, No, N/A
Is portable electrical equipment inspected and labelled to your local testing regime? — Yes, No, N/A
Are plug tops, outlets and switchgear in one piece? — Yes, No, N/A
Are cables run overhead, or protected where they cross a route? — Yes, No, N/A
Are cables free of cuts, crushed sections and taped joints? — Yes, No, N/A
Are leads free of strain at the plug and not stretched across gaps? — Yes, No, N/A
Are distribution boards locked, labelled and weatherproof? — Yes, No, N/A
Does everyone know where to cut the power in an emergency, and is it written down? — Yes, No, N/A
Are buried and overhead services marked, with goalposts or barriers where plant works near overhead lines? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on electrical
Photographs — electrical
Hazardous Substances
What is here, what it does, and who knows.
Is hazardous substances being checked on this inspection?
Is there an up-to-date list of the hazardous products on site? — Yes, No, N/A
Has each one been assessed for how it is actually used on this job? — Yes, No, N/A
Are the safety data sheets on site and easy to get at? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every container labelled with what is in it, decanted ones included? — Yes, No, N/A
Are empty and unwanted products taken away properly, not thrown in the general skip? — Yes, No, N/A
Are products kept the way their data sheets say — locked, ventilated, separated? — Yes, No, N/A
Do the people using them know the risks and the controls? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there enough ventilation or extraction where solvents or fumes are given off? — Yes, No, N/A
Is silica and wood dust controlled at source — water or extraction — and not only with masks? — Yes, No, N/A
Before anyone disturbs the existing building, has the asbestos survey been checked? — Yes, No, N/A
Is eyewash or a shower close to where corrosive products are used? — Yes, No, N/A
Is a spill kit to hand for the products and quantities on site? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on hazardous substances
Confined Spaces
Rare on most sites, and fatal when it goes wrong — often to the rescuer.
Is confined space work being checked on this inspection?
Are the confined spaces on site identified and marked — chambers, tanks, voids, manholes? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every entry made under a written permit? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the air tested before entry and monitored the whole time someone is inside? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a rescue plan, with the equipment and people on site, before anyone goes in? — Yes, No, N/A
Have the entrants and the person at the top been trained for this work? — Yes, No, N/A
Is somebody stationed at the entry for as long as anyone is inside? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on confined spaces
Incident Reporting
Whether the site learns from what goes wrong.
Is incident reporting being checked on this inspection?
Is there a written procedure for reporting injuries, near misses and dangerous occurrences? — Yes, No, N/A
Is it easy for anyone on site to make a report — forms at the cabin, or a number everyone knows? — Yes, No, N/A
Were this week's reports looked into, not just filed? — Yes, No, N/A
Have the fixes from earlier investigations actually been made? — Yes, No, N/A
Were any reportable events notified to the regulator on time? — Yes, No, N/A
Are there arrangements for injury claims and for helping people back to work? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a notice telling people what to do if they are hurt? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on incident reporting
Findings, Actions and Sign-Off
What has to change, who is doing it, and by when.
Did you stop any work or take anything out of use today?
What, where, and who did you tell?
Corrective actions
The problem, in one sentence
Where exactly
How urgent — Stop now, Before end of today, This week, By next inspection
Who will fix it — a named person
Fix by
Photo
What is being done well this week?
General comments
Any other photographs
How is the site overall this week? — Good, Acceptable, Needs attention, Poor
Next weekly inspection
Inspector — signature
Site manager or foreman — name
Site manager or foreman — signature
Construction
Weekly Site Safety Inspection
The weekly record of a construction site: the week's weather, trades and events, last week's open actions, then first aid and welfare, fire, security, PPE, housekeeping, falls, scaffolds, manual handling, tools, plant, ladders, electrical, hazardous substances, confined spaces and incident reporting. Skip what your site does not have — it will not count against your score.
✓Free — no account, no trial, no card.
Fill this in and download the finished PDF. Your answers stay on this device as you type. We ask for an email address once, at the download.
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A weekly site safety inspection is the documented look at the whole construction site that sits between the daily pre-start checks and the monthly audit. It records what the week involved, confirms last week's actions were closed, and works through fifteen topics — from first aid and site security to scaffolds, confined spaces and incident reporting — skipping any your site does not have. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Why weekly
Daily checks catch today's problems: the plant that fails its pre-start, the crew without eye protection. They are poor at catching drift — the guardrail taken out on Tuesday to land a pallet and never refitted, the fire point that has not moved since the frame went up three floors, the welfare cabin that ran out of hot water on Wednesday.
Seven days is also the rhythm several statutory inspections already keep. In the UK a scaffold used for work at height has to be inspected at least every seven days and after anything that could have affected it, such as a storm. The weekly inspection is not that inspection, but it is where you confirm those reports exist and are in date.
Look back before you walk
The first two sections are about the week, not the site in front of you: the weather since the last inspection, which trades are working, what happened, what changed, and whether last week's actions are closed.
That order is deliberate. A high wind on Thursday is the reason to look harder at scaffold ties and sheeting. A new trade on site is the reason to check its briefing happened. And an action that has now been open for three inspections running is the most important finding in this report, whatever else you find on the walk.
One entry per scaffold
Most weekly checklists ask whether scaffolds are inspected and let you answer once for the whole site. On a job with four scaffolds, a single Yes cannot tell anybody which one is out of date.
Here each scaffold is its own entry: where it is, what type it is, the date on its tag or report, and the handful of checks that actually find problems — boards, guardrails, ties, base and load. A failed entry is findable by the person who has to fix it.
Ties — trades take them out to get at the wall. Look wherever windows or cladding are going in.
Base — scaffold standards on bricks, blocks or offcuts instead of base plates and sole boards.
Boards — the gap left after someone borrowed a board for another lift.
Tag — read the date. A tag that is present but three weeks old is a No.
Skip what is not there
A fit-out in an existing building has no excavations and maybe no scaffold; a groundworks package has no drylining dust. Every topic after the first two starts with one routing question, and No hides it.
The routing question is never scored, and neither is anything behind it. Only the checks you actually answer count, so the percentage compares like with like from one week to the next.
What a finding needs
Something marked No only helps if somebody else can fix it without ringing you. That takes four things: what the defect is, exactly where it is, a named person, and a date. "Level 3, gridline C–D, toe board missing on the full bay, Dave (scaffold foreman), by Friday" is a finding. "Scaffold — No" is not.
Speak the finding as you stand in front of it, and the record writes itself. An hour later, back in the cabin, the gridline has already gone.
Common questions
How often should a construction site safety inspection be done?
Weekly is the common documented cycle for a whole-site inspection, alongside daily pre-use checks on plant and the statutory inspections that run on their own schedules — scaffolds, excavations, lifting equipment. Inspect again after anything that could have changed the site: a storm, an incident, a new phase of work.
Who should carry out the weekly inspection?
The site manager or another competent person with the authority to stop work. Rotating it with a safety representative or a trade supervisor now and then is worth doing — a fresh pair of eyes finds what the regular inspector has stopped seeing.
Does this replace the scaffold and excavation inspection reports?
No. Those are statutory inspections with their own forms, intervals and competence requirements. The weekly inspection checks that they happened, are in date, and match what is on site.
What should happen to items marked No?
Each one becomes an action with an owner and a date, in the findings list at the end. Next week's inspection starts by checking whether they were closed, which is why the form asks that question first.
How long should the records be kept?
At least for the life of the project, and longer where your contract, insurer or local rules require it. They are the evidence that the site was being looked at, and the closed actions are the half that protects you.
Is it too much for a small site?
Answer No to the topics a small job does not have and they disappear. A single-house extension might end up with eight topics, which is about right for a fifteen-minute weekly walk.