Excavation control checklist
Verification of signage, shoring, access and safe conditions in excavations. Completed in the field, with or without signal.
Excavations are treacherous because the danger is invisible: a two-metre trench looks stable until the wall gives way and buries the worker inside. Trench collapses still kill, almost always for the same reasons — it was dug without shoring “because it was quick”, spoil was stacked at the edge, or nobody rechecked the slope after rain.
Excavation control targets what actually causes the fatalities: shoring where required, stable slopes, buried services surveyed before breaking ground, and access that allows a fast exit. Checking it before and during the work — and rechecking after every rainfall or change in ground conditions — is what prevents the collapse. And it records that the excavation was controlled, which is key when the labour authority or the insurer investigates.
How to use it with CaptaLog
Copy the template and the safety officer or foreman controls the excavation from their phone at the edge of the trench, even with no signal. Every unsafe condition is left as an action with a photo and a date, and you can repeat the check after each rainfall, keeping it traceable that the excavation was inspected before anyone went down.
The checklist, exactly as you download it
A real section of the free PDF — the template itself is in Spanish. Every item is answered Conforme, No conforme or N/A, on paper or from your phone, with or without signal.
Use this template with your team
Copy it to your account, tailor it to your needs and fill it in the field — with or without signal.