Construction Site Safety Inspection Checklist (New Zealand)
Use this checklist to inspect the site as it is today, assign actions and confirm that critical controls actually work. Walk the work area with the person responsible for it and, where practical, a worker who does the task. Record both safe conditions and defects. An unchecked box is not evidence of safety. If an uncontrolled serious risk is found, keep people out of the area and resolve it before the affected work resumes.
This template is for a New Zealand person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), principal contractor or subcontractor. It helps organise a site walk, but it does not replace site-specific risk assessment, equipment examinations, statutory notifications, competent technical inspection or a regulator's assessment. WorkSafe's small construction sites toolkit and scaffolding guidance show why generic tick boxes need to be supplemented by activity-specific controls. WorkSafe on workplace assessments also notes that construction sites change frequently.
Copyable inspection record
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Project, address and inspected zone | |
| Date, start/end time and weather/site conditions | |
| Inspector name, role, employer and contact | |
| Site manager and PCBUs involved | |
| Work underway and next planned high-risk activities | |
| Workers consulted | |
| Relevant SSSP/task analysis and revision | |
| Previous open actions reviewed |
Use Yes / No / Not applicable for each prompt. Enter a location, photograph/reference, risk, immediate control, owner and due time for every “No”. Mark “Not applicable” only with a reason. Add activity-specific questions where the work needs them.
| Area to inspect | Prompt | Y/N/NA | Evidence or defect | Action owner and due time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work planning | Does the current site-specific plan match the actual trades, sequence and changed conditions? | |||
| Worker information | Are relevant workers inducted and briefed on today's task and changes, with a way to raise concerns? | |||
| Coordination | Have PCBUs agreed interfaces, access, exclusion zones and control ownership? | |||
| Access | Are pedestrians separated from moving plant where reasonably practicable and routes maintained? | |||
| Public boundary | Are fences, hoardings, signage and public protection effective for the work under way? | |||
| Ground and excavations | Are edges controlled, ground/support checked by a competent person and services identified before digging? | |||
| Height work | Is work at height avoided or controlled by suitable collective protection before relying on personal fall protection? | |||
| Scaffolds | Is the scaffold suitable, handed over/inspected as applicable, stable, complete and within its intended load? | |||
| Ladders and access equipment | Are access choices suitable for the job and maintained? | |||
| Plant and lifting | Are pre-use checks, operator competency, lifting zones and maintenance evidence current? | |||
| Electricity | Are temporary supplies, leads, protection and test/inspection arrangements suitable? | |||
| Hazardous substances | Are current SDSs, inventory, storage controls and emergency measures available where relevant? | |||
| Dust, noise and health | Are exposure controls, welfare and health protections in use rather than only listed in a plan? | |||
| Housekeeping | Are materials stable, waste removed, walkways clear and slip/trip hazards controlled? | |||
| Emergency readiness | Are exits, alarm, first aid, rescue and emergency contacts appropriate to this work and accessible? | |||
| Welfare | Are toilets, washing, drinking water, rest and weather protection suitable? | |||
| Records | Are defects, near misses, permits and previous corrective actions reviewed and closed with evidence? |
Action and closure log
| Action ID | What was observed and exact location | Who may be harmed / immediate risk | Interim control or stop-work decision | Permanent action | Owner | Due | Verified by/date | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inspection outcome: Work may continue in inspected areas / restricted areas listed / affected work stopped. Sign-off: inspector ___; site manager ___; workers informed ___; next review trigger ___ . Do not use a signature as proof that an uncompleted action has closed. Inspect the fix and record who verified it.
How to make the walk useful
Start with previous defects and the tasks actually happening. Observe the work rather than reviewing only a file. Ask a worker to describe the control in use. A scaffold tag, for example, is useful information, but still look for missing components, changed loading or alterations; refer technical questions to a competent person. Compare the work with the current task analysis and site-specific safety plan (SSSP). Photograph a defect from a safe position and give it an exact location so the right person can find it.
Use the hierarchy of controls. Removing a hazardous task or installing physical separation often gives stronger protection than telling people to “take care” or adding PPE. Set a due time proportionate to the risk, name one accountable owner and verify the result. If the immediate control is an exclusion zone, record how it is marked, who maintains it and when the permanent fix will be checked. WorkSafe managing risks; site traffic guidance.
Inspections should be repeated when the work, weather, ground conditions, plant or layout changes, as well as at an interval suitable for the site. This template deliberately gives no universal legal “daily inspection” frequency: particular equipment and activities have separate requirements. Check WorkSafe's relevant task guidance, your site plan and competent-person advice. WorkSafe electrical safety checklist distinguishes set-up, daily and periodic electrical checks and says its own form does not cover all duties.
Example: trench work after heavy rain
The morning walk finds water in an excavation and an unsupported edge near a plant route. Record the exact trench section, stop entry, exclude plant from the edge, and have the competent person reassess ground stability and support before work resumes. Update the excavation task analysis and brief the crew. A box ticked “excavations checked” yesterday does not clear today's changed condition. WorkSafe excavation safety.
Common mistakes
- Copying a generic list without adding the critical risks of the site or trade.
- Marking “Yes” from a desk without seeing the control in use.
- Treating a scaffold tag, permit or historic inspection as an all-purpose approval.
- Recording a defect without an owner, interim control or verification of closure.
- Setting the same review interval for all plant and all tasks.
- Counting a passed inspection as proof that the PCBU's wider risk-management duties are finished.
Related information and product boundary
This is an editable paper/Markdown template. A digital workflow can help allocate actions and keep evidence, but this writer-side package does not assert that the Complys New Zealand implementation provides a specific inspection module, auto-reminders or legal certification. The observed country host is Complys New Zealand. The proposed /nz/inspection-audit-software destination needs a live-route and product demonstration before a conversion CTA is added. WorkSafe's construction topic page remains the source for current task guidance.
Source/claim QA, 6 October 2026: WorkSafe small-site toolkit, workplace assessment, risk management, excavation, scaffold, site traffic and electrical guidance support the categories and need for site-specific review. No mandatory universal inspection interval or Complys feature is claimed. Owner/cannibalisation QA: no exact live NZ Complys inspection-checklist template found in targeted search; the UK templates are UK-specific and do not own this NZ form. Final repository and canonical-route search is required. Writer-side disposition: READY with publication gates above.