Commercial – Construction site observation report
Construction site observation report: What's required (and a sample)
What is a site observation report used for in construction?
A site observation report is the report which documents the general and detailed observations a worker or inspector makes on site - on a particular day and at a particular time.
The idea behind conducting observations and creating observation reports is to step back and make a conscious and objective assessment of project progress, as well as general site activity, safety or environmental findings and evidence of anything out of the ordinary.
The 'reporting' part of the report is obviously the first step, with the point of reporting being that the findings will be made actionable, either by the observing party or other workers and teams.
A sample construction site observation report
The observing part of the observation is done by a human; either an inspector or select employee, while the reporting part is conduced with a site observation report template - which can be created with efficient commercial management software, word, excel or other paper and doc builders.
The site observation report template should serve as the observation framework, and should guide but not constrain the observers movements and actions.
Depending on the level of detail and purpose of the observation, the person conducting the report may document more or less findings. If your daily reporting processes and records are strong, the inspector may be looking for outlying details. If you daily reporting is hit and miss or non-existent, then the report should cover more of the general progress as well as those outlying details.
As you can see in the sample report below, there are a few requisite details which need to be on every report, as well as some template sections for unique findings. The necessary reporting fields include:
- The observation date and time
- The project or job being inspeted
- The conditions (weather etc.)
- Inspector signoff once the report is completed
Outside of these details, the report will cover any new or observed findings:
- Site activities
- Party, description of work completed and supporting photos
- Checkbox safety questions which will focus on the unique elements of your site and safety efforts
- Discussion notes from site which provide more context around what was found as well as what was already partially covered and known about on site
Obviously the more detail provided in the site activity table the better, with detailed descriptions and detailed photos providing a heap of value for other parties who did not do the walkaround, as well as context for looking back at the records later on down the road.
Use and customise this site observation report template for free.
Why are site observation reports important?
The site report serves as an important project document which helps companies and workers understand:
- What were the activities which took place on day 'X', and were these activities expected and in accordance with good work practices
- How things are going overall (are we on track, behind schedule etc.)
- In the day-to-day execution of work, have we been sloppy with safety or environmental actions
- Is there anything we have missed?
It also serves to help inform multiple stakeholders of progress. A site observation report may be shared with subcontractors and contractors scheduled for work to help them understand what's happening, and will certainly be shared internally to keep functions and teams on the same page.
While site diaries and daily progress report forms help keep commercial and production teams in the loop on progress, deliveries and other work related items, they don't typically look at the project holistically (from a birds eye view).
It's important to do both the daily reporting at job and execution level, as well as to maintain a solid and regular cadence of observations.
Together, these forms and practices create an accurate view of what's happening and help companies and people mitigate mistakes and make more informed decisions - which results in better outcomes overall.
The quality of your observation efforts and reports are also extremely important. These reports are the reports which which are sent to important project parties, and they should be created, completed and formatted to represent this fact.
Poorly structured and fuzzy reports create misunderstanding, unnecessary back and forth and can create wasted time and resentment between parties.
Projects get delayed and end up over budget because people don't have the information they need to make informed decisions. Good observation reports help fill this void with useful and timely information of what's actually happening on the ground.
Site Observation Report template
Capture everything from those site observations in an organised and easily shareable form. See the template →
Meeting Minutes template
Capture, record and organise those meeting minutes. See the template →See how you can easily streamline your systems and processes with Sitemate today
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