Preconstruction Survey

As a general contractor, specialty contractor or project manager on a construction site, Cal/OSHA requires you to complete a preconstruction safety inspection. This inspection report is expected to take into account items including safety requirements, how you will implement risk management to keep your employees and contractors safe, personal protective equipment needs, controls to keep the construction and public rights-of-way separated, and more.

We have worked with a lot of contractors and project managers and one thing we can tell you is that no two job sites are the same.

What we have also learned is that an untrained person conducting inspections may overlook large risk potentials and thus leaving themselves and others vulnerable to potential losses. These types of reports are basically rendered invalid in OSHA’s eyes as they see it as a non-competent person reporting conditions. Incorrect reporting can also lead to a false sense of security and can also increase your potential for losses and won’t give you much of a leg to stand on if you go to court.

Building a preconstruction safety inspection report requires you to think forward, often chopping the build into progressive blocks. And, each of these blocks will often require adjustments to your pre-construction safety checklist.

The California Institute of Technology has developed a good initial guideline for your preconstruction safety inspection.

Cal/OSHA also has a handy pocket guide that you can get.

But, it’s easy to get overwhelmed as you try to complete your own preconstruction safety inspection. We’re here to help, from managing the preconstruction safety meeting to managing the entire process.

It’s impossible to include every job site safety scenario into your inspection report, so your safety requirements will, just as your overall safety program will, flex as your project progresses.

Then, as the project moves through phases, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the work is happening within the inspection report’s guidelines. This may include new special inspections. As a simple example, your safety program would change dramatically from the time of initial site clearing to a time when structural steel is in place and workers are working far above ground level.

But, with a well-designed preconstruction safety inspection, you can anticipate many of these milestones and ensure that your employees and contractors can complete their work in the safest possible environment.