Jobsite Safety Checklists for Construction – Examples & Templates

Worker safety is a top priority for everyone in the construction industry. It’s in the best interest of workers and employers to comply with all regulations set by OSHA and to follow all of the best practices for safety in the workplace. 

Having a robust safety program is good for workers, helping to limit accidents and incidents, and strengthening employee trust in the company. Companies with robust safety management programs benefit from satisfied workers, lowered costs, and greater productivity and efficiency.

Construction project management software is widely used in the construction industry as a way to collect important information about different components of the job and tasks at hand. A simple inspection formcan be used by workers on the job to determine potential hazards and mitigate risks. 

3 Types of Jobsite Safety Inspection Forms in Construction

A jobsite safety inspection form is an essential tool used in safety management programs and there is a wide range of use cases for safety forms. This article reviews some of the most commonly used safety forms and templates that construction firms and contractors can use to get started for free. 

Construction Safety Inspection Forms – The 10 Most Common OSHA Hazards

OSHA shares data with companies that details the top 10 OSHA violations each year.  This data is shared to create awareness around the top preventable hazards in the workplace, so employers know where to focus their efforts to address the most common health and safety issues. 

In 2020, the top violations included:

• Fall Protection
• Hazard Communication
• Respiratory Protection
• Scaffolding, Ladders
• Lockout/Tagout
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Eye and Face
• Machine Guarding

Construction companies routinely use safety inspection forms to monitor these problem areas, with a safety inspection form designed specifically for each type of hazard. These types of safety forms are designed around one specific hazard and the corresponding list of items to review.

In general, safety inspection forms are meant as a way to evaluate tools, personal protective equipment, fire extinguishers, forklifts, work areas, and other elements for potential hazards or mitigators for hazards. These can be checked as frequently as deemed necessary, whether it be on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis.

Examples and Templates for Safety Inspection Checklists:

• Fall Protection
• Hazard Communication
• Respiratory Protection
• Scaffolding
• Ladders
• Lockout/Tagout 
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Eye and Face
• Machine Guarding

Safety Audit Form

A safety audit form is similar to the safety inspection form listed in the previous section, but instead of examining one component of safety, the safety audit form typically examines the entire Jobsite, looking holistically for hazards in the workplace. This type of inspection form is used to understand all of the safety and health hazards so that they can be addressed before an accident or incident happens. Construction firms should update their safety audit forms regularly to ensure that they are keeping up with changing OSHA standards in the workplace. This type of safety audit or Jobsite inspection checklist may only be used on occasion in the workplace, in order to assess the overall safety of a work zone. 

Example and Template:

Typically the safety audit checklist will include examine safety threats across the entire Jobsite, including: 

• PPE
• Housekeeping and Sanitation
• Trenching & Excavations
• Electrical Installations
• Tools, Ladders, Scaffolding
• Fall Protection
• Steel Erection
• Precast Concrete Erection
• Roofing Work
• Aerial Lifts / Scissor Lifts
• Cranes, hoists, and derricks
• Rigging, Heavy Equipment
• Fire Prevention
• Flammable Gases
• Welding and Cutting
• Spray Painting / Fire Proofing Operations
• Air Compressors
• Confined Space
• Lockout / Tagout
• Concrete, Masonry
• Fueling Area
• And More

COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Health Inspection Forms

Many workplaces have started to use the COVID-19 workplace safety and health checklist to ensure measures are in place to protect workers from exposure to and infection with COVID-19. 

In the construction industry, workers have had to continue working as an essential business and this means that workplaces need to take the appropriate precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. 

The workplace safety and health inspection form is designed to help job sites stay in compliance with new safety regulations and restrictions that stemmed from the pandemic. 

Example and Template:

Health screening forms and workplace safety forms will continue to be needed on job sites in the near term to keep workers safe and productive.

Going Digital With Safety Inspection Form

There are many digital tools and forms that can help to formalize your safety program, rather than managing this process on paper forms. The common challenges with paper forms include missing or lost papers, illegible writing, and time-consuming data entry. Using a digital platform like GoCanvas for managing your safety programs will enable your business to gain greater visibility into safety across job sites and make the process seamless for workers to access information from anywhere. The rise of mobile devices has given construction companies the opportunity to leverage apps and forms in the field to both collect and share key safety information with workers. 

You can learn more about the benefits of a safety management program managed with mobile apps and forms in a recent article published here. You can also search the GoCanvas Form Template Library for more examples and resources to use for all your safety forms and safety inspection forms. Sign up for a free trial and see how easy it can be to use our no-code platform for mobile apps and forms for construction.

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