Ontario site safety inspection report template

Ontario rules for this report

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

• A supervisor, or a competent person the supervisor appoints, inspects all machinery and equipment at the project, including fire extinguishing equipment, magazines, electrical installations, communication systems, sanitation and medical facilities, buildings and other structures, temporary supports and means of access and egress, at least once a week or more often as the supervisor decides, to make sure they do not endanger any workerO. Reg. 213/91, s. 14 (3), (4)
• A constructor appoints a supervisor for every project where five or more workers will work at the same time, and an employer of five or more workers on a project appoints a supervisor for them; the supervisor supervises the work at all times, personally or through a competent assistant; a competent person performs the tests and observations needed to detect hazardous conditionsO. Reg. 213/91, ss. 14 (1), (2), (5), 15
• On a project with a joint health and safety committee (20 or more workers regularly employed, expected to last three months or more) or a health and safety representative (more than five workers and no committee), the designated worker member or the representative inspects the physical condition of the workplace at least once a monthOccupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1, ss. 8 (1), (6), 9 (1) (a), (2) (a), (26) · Guide for health and safety committees and representatives (ontario.ca)
• Where a worker may fall more than 3 metres, more than 1.2 metres on a path used by wheelbarrows or similar equipment, into operating machinery, into water or another liquid, into or onto a hazardous substance or object, or through an opening, the worker is protected by a guardrail system or, if that is not practicable, by the highest ranked practicable method: travel restraint, a fall restricting system, a fall arrest system, or a safety netO. Reg. 213/91, ss. 26, 26.1 (1), (2)
• A guardrail system is used where a worker has access to the perimeter or an open side of a floor (including a mezzanine or balcony), a bridge surface, a roof while formwork is in place, or a scaffold or other work platform, runway or ramp, and may fall 2.4 metres or more; openings in a work surface are guarded by a guardrail or by a covering that is secured, identified as covering an opening and strong enoughO. Reg. 213/91, s. 26.3 (1), (2)
• A worker who may use a fall protection system is adequately trained in its use, with oral and written instructions from a competent person, and meets the working at heights training requirements of O. Reg. 297/13; the trainer prepares and signs a written training record with the worker's name and training dates, available to an inspector on requestO. Reg. 213/91, s. 26.2
• Every worker wears protective headwear and protective footwear at all times when on a projectO. Reg. 213/91, ss. 22 (1), 23 (1)
• All vehicles, machinery, tools and equipment are maintained so they do not endanger a worker, and none is used while it is defective or hazardous, when weather or other conditions make its use likely to endanger a worker, or while being repaired or serviced unless the work requires it to runO. Reg. 213/91, s. 93 (1), (2)
• The walls of an excavation are held up by a support system, except, among others, an excavation less than 1.2 metres deep, one no worker has to enter, one cut in sound and stable rock, and walls sloped as the regulation sets out for the soil typeO. Reg. 213/91, s. 234 (1), (2)

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
• 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, Workers using fall protection have working at heights training and a signed training record
• 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, Protective footwear worn by every worker at all times on the project
• 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 Ontario site safety inspection report requirements.