British Columbia site safety inspection report template

British Columbia rules for this report

These rules are about how and when you report, not the template's fields. Check them before you deliver.

• Every employer ensures regular inspections of all workplaces, including buildings, structures, grounds, excavations, tools, equipment, machinery and work methods and practices, at intervals that will prevent the development of unsafe working conditionsOHS Regulation (B.C. Reg. 296/97), s. 3.5 · B.C. Reg. 296/97, s. 3.5 (BC Laws, official consolidation)
• Unsafe or harmful conditions found in the course of an inspection must be remedied without delayOHS Regulation, s. 3.9 · B.C. Reg. 296/97, s. 3.9 (BC Laws, official consolidation)
• On a construction project with more than one employer, each employer tells the owner or prime contractor in advance of work likely to create a hazard for another employer's workers; where overlapping or adjoining work creates a hazard and the combined workforce is more than 5, the owner or prime contractor appoints a qualified coordinator and keeps on site the coordinator's name, a posted site drawing showing the project layout, first aid location, emergency transportation and evacuation marshalling station, and the construction safety proceduresOHS Regulation, s. 20.3
• A fall protection system is used where work is done at a place from which a fall of 3 m or more may occur, or where a lower fall carries a risk of injury greater than impact on a flat surface; guardrails or similar fall restraint are used when practicable, otherwise another fall restraint system, then fall arrest or rope access, and only then work procedures acceptable to WorkSafeBC; workers are instructed in the area's fall protection system before enteringOHS Regulation, s. 11.2
• The employer has a written fall protection plan where workers are not protected by permanent guardrails and a fall of 7.5 m or more may occur, or where work procedures replace fall protection equipment; the plan is available at the workplace before work with a risk of falling beginsOHS Regulation, s. 11.3
• Equipment used in a fall protection system is inspected by a qualified person before use on each workshift, kept free from substances and conditions that could make it deteriorate, and maintained in good working orderOHS Regulation, s. 11.9
• A stairway made of at least framing, treads and a handrail is provided to each floor level before construction of the next floor or deck begins, and its treads must not create a tripping or slipping hazardOHS Regulation, s. 20.5 (5)
• Before a worker enters an excavation over 1.2 m deep, or comes closer to its side than the excavation's depth, the sides are sloped, benched or supported (as a qualified registered professional or engineer specifies, by the regulation's tables, or by trench boxes, shoring cages or other effective means)OHS Regulation, s. 20.81 (1)
• Before excavating or drilling with powered equipment, the location of all underground utility services is accurately determined; where workers enter a trench over 1.2 m deep, a safe entry and exit point is within 8 m of them; excavated material is kept at least 60 cm back from the edge of a trench and 1.2 m from any other excavationOHS Regulation, s. 20.79 (1) · OHS Regulation, ss. 20.87 (2), 20.90 (1)
• Excavation work follows the written, certified instructions of a qualified registered professional, kept at the site, when the excavation is more than 6 m deep, is next to an improvement or structure, is subject to vibration or hydrostatic pressure, or the ground slopes away from the edge steeper than 3 horizontal to 1 vertical; a professional engineer's instructions where it uses support structuresOHS Regulation, s. 20.78

What is in it

• Site access, housekeeping and storageDebris, scrap lumber with nails and combustible scrap cleared from work areas and stairs, Access routes, walkways and stairways clear and safe, Site perimeter, fencing, gates and warning signs, Materials stacked stable and kept back from edges and openings, Protruding rebar capped or guarded against impalement, Site drawing posted: layout, first aid, emergency transport and evacuation marshalling station, Stairway with treads and a handrail to each floor before the next floor is built
• Fall protection and openingsOpen sides and edges protected by guardrails, nets or fall arrest, Floor holes, openings and skylights covered or guarded and marked, Harnesses, lanyards and anchors inspected before use and worn where needed, Roof work: guardrails, warning lines, nets or fall arrest in use, Written fall protection plan at the site where falls of 7.5 m or more exist without permanent guardrails
• Scaffolds and aerial liftsScaffolds inspected by a competent person before the shift (tag or record), Scaffold fully planked, with guardrails, base plates or mudsills, ties and safe access, Aerial and scissor lifts: pre-use check, gates closed, operators tied off in boom lifts
• LaddersLadders free of damage; defective ladders tagged Do Not Use and removed, Ladders set up correctly: extended above the landing or secured, on firm footing
• Excavations and trenchesExcavations inspected daily by a competent person, and after rain, Cave-in protection (sloping, shoring or a trench box) in place where needed, Spoils and equipment kept back from the edge; a ladder or ramp close by to get out, Underground utilities located and marked before digging
• Electrical and temporary powerGround fault protection (GFCI) or an assured grounding program on temporary power, Cords and plugs undamaged, ground pins present, kept out of water and traffic, Panels covered and labelled; no exposed live parts, Overhead power lines identified and kept clear of equipment and ladders
• Cranes, heavy equipment and vehiclesCranes inspected each shift by a competent person; rigging and slings in good condition, Swing radius barricaded; backup alarms working or a spotter used, Equipment run only by trained, authorized operators; seat belts used
• Tools and machine guardsGuards on saws and grinders in place and working, Damaged or noncompliant tools tagged out or removed, Powder-actuated tools and nail guns used by trained workers
• Fire prevention and hazardous materialsFire extinguishers on site, charged and within reach, Fuel, propane and flammables stored and labelled safely, Hot work: area cleared of combustibles, extinguisher and fire watch where needed, Chemical containers labelled; safety data sheets available; dust controlled when cutting
• Personal protective equipmentHard hats worn where there is a risk of falling or flying objects, Eye and face protection worn for cutting, grinding, nailing and chemicals, High-visibility vests, hearing protection, gloves and footwear suited to the work
• First aid, emergency and site facilitiesFirst aid kit stocked and a trained first aider on site when no clinic is close by, Emergency numbers, site address and plan posted; everyone knows the muster point, Toilets, drinking water and hand washing available
• Corrective actionsHazard and location, Corrective action, Responsible, Due, Status
• Items from earlier inspectionsItems from earlier inspections or reports, and whether each has been fixed.

Rules last reviewed October 12, 2026. Read the full British Columbia site safety inspection report requirements.