Form library · Health and safety
Excavation inspection checklist
For people recording excavation inspections and follow-up. Record inspection scope, inspection observations and report and action. Try the form below, see every question or download a blank PDF or Word copy.
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When should an excavation be inspected?
HSE describes competent inspections at the start of the working shift and after events that may affect strength or stability or a fall of earth or rock. CDM 2015 sets reporting duties for relevant inspections. Unsafe work must not continue while precautions are inadequate.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 6 October 2026 against HSE excavation inspections and reports and CDM 2015 regulation 24 on inspection reports.
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Want to see one filled in? See a completed excavation inspection report report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
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Your team completes the excavation inspection report on site in the SiteSurvey app on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. The project name and address fill in for them, it works without signal, and it syncs when the device is back online with photos kept against the question they answer.
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Every question in the excavation inspection report template
An excavation inspection record with scope, shift or event trigger, ground and support observations, hazards, actions and competent inspector details. 5 sections and 39 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site or premises address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisation: the project's customer
Record details and scope
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site or premises addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisationShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Record date*Date
- Person completing the record*Short answer
- CheckThis is an inspection record to be completed by a competent person. It is not a support design, permit to dig or authority to enter an unsafe excavation.
- CheckHSE describes competent inspections at the start of the working shift and after events that may affect strength or stability or a fall of earth or rock. CDM 2015 sets reporting duties for relevant inspections. Unsafe work must not continue while precautions are inadequate.
Inspection scope
- Name and address of person the inspection is for*Short answer
- Excavation location and description*Short answer
- Date and time of inspection*Short answer
- Inspection trigger*Choose one
- Start of shift
- After event affecting stability
- After fall of earth or rock
- Other
- Inspector position and competence basis*Short answer
- Support or battering design and permit referencesShort answer
Inspection observations
- Support or battering and exposed ground condition checked*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Adjacent structures, loads and spoil position considered*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Safe access and edge protection in place*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Water, atmosphere and service risks addressed*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Changes since the previous inspection reviewed*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Supporting photosPhotos
Report and action
- Matters identified that could create risk*Notes
Describe the observed condition, its exact location and the evidence. Record the response and communication in their separate fields.
- Action taken immediately*Notes
- Further action considered necessary*Notes
- Person receiving the reportShort answer
- Date and time report suppliedShort answer
- Work restrictions and how they were communicatedNotes
Actions and review
- Are further actions required?*Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Further actionRepeat for each further action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions required?” is “Yes”
- Action and evidence reference*Notes
- Person responsible*Short answer
- Target dateDate
- Action status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Completion evidence*NotesShown when “Action status” is “Completed”
- Outstanding limitations and information to pass onNotes
- Record status*Choose one
- Ready for review
- Further work needed
- Work or use stopped
- Reviewed byShort answer
- Review dateDate
- Author signature*Signature
- CheckSigning records the information entered. It does not itself certify legal compliance, remove a limitation or authorise unsafe work.
Scope and responsibility
This is an inspection record to be completed by a competent person. It is not a support design, permit to dig or authority to enter an unsafe excavation.
What a useful entry looks like
Matters identified that could create risk
Describe the observed condition, its exact location and the evidence. Record the response and communication in their separate fields.
Water accumulation observed beside the north end of excavation E-03. Photograph E03-04 locates the observation for the responsible supervisor.
Fictional example of record wording. Use the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job; this is not a completed report or an instruction to carry out the work.
See it filled in
A completed excavation inspection report report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Excavation Inspection Report FAQs
How should I record “Matters identified that could create risk”?
Describe the observed condition, its exact location and the evidence. Record the response and communication in their separate fields.
Does this replace a permit to dig?
No. The permit controls authorisation and precautions before work. This record captures inspection findings and actions for the excavation.
Who should complete it?
A competent person who understands the excavation hazards and precautions. Record their name, position and basis of competence.
What should a report include?
Record who it is for, the location, date and time, hazards, action already taken, further action and the inspector details. Confirm the applicable CDM reporting and retention requirements.
What are the limits of this template?
This is an inspection record to be completed by a competent person. It is not a support design, permit to dig or authority to enter an unsafe excavation.
Can I complete this form on site and share the record?
In the SiteSurvey app the form works offline, with photos and signatures recorded against the questions. Share the completed record as a PDF or a link. Dates and action owners are recorded fields; this form does not send reminders or update other systems.
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