Excavation inspection record
Field recordWhat somebody saw when they looked at an open excavation — depth, protection, access, water, and what was done.
What was seen, when, by whom
Excavations change after rain, after traffic, and after somebody stacks spoil at the edge. The record that matters is a dated one with a name on it saying what the trench looked like that morning, and it is worth more than any form that only records that a box was ticked.
It states no requirement
No regulation, no frequency, no slope, no depth threshold, no soil classification. Soil classification and the choice of protective system are decisions for the competent person your program names, and this tool does not make, check or second-guess them.
Around it
Conditions worth flagging go on the safety observation log. The hazards of the task before it starts are the job hazard analysis, and the talk you gave the crew is the toolbox talk.
A record of what somebody observed. It states no OSHA or code requirement, no inspection frequency, no slope angle and no depth threshold, classifies no soil, and makes no determination that any excavation is safe to enter. Everything runs on your device.
Questions people ask
- Does this tell me the rules for excavations?
- No. It publishes no OSHA or code rule, no inspection frequency, no slope angle, no depth threshold and no soil classification table. Those requirements exist and they matter — they are just not something a free website should be paraphrasing onto a record somebody files.
- Why does it ask for the soil “as described to you”?
- Because soil classification is a determination made by a competent person, and this tool is not one. The field is there so the record says which classification the protective system was chosen against, copied in the words of whoever made it.
- Does completing it mean the excavation is safe to enter?
- No. It makes no determination of any kind. Whether an excavation may be entered is a decision for the competent person your program names, made on the ground. This records that somebody looked and what they saw.
- Can I record several excavations on one sheet?
- Yes — one row each, with its own location, depth and findings. The header carries the date, the time and who inspected, which is usually one person doing a round.