Daily site report template
A daily site report is the diary of a job. Ten minutes at the end of each day gives you a record you can rely on when dates, delays or payments are questioned later.
Daily site report
Day details
| Project | |
|---|---|
| Date | |
| Report by | |
| Weather | |
| Hours lost to weather |
Labour on site
| Trade or company and number of people | |
|---|---|
| Trade or company and number of people | |
| Trade or company and number of people |
Work done today
| Area or level and work done | |
|---|---|
| Area or level and work done | |
| Area or level and work done |
Deliveries and plant
| Materials delivered | |
|---|---|
| Plant and equipment on site |
Delays and instructions
| Delays, cause and duration | |
|---|---|
| Instructions received and from whom |
Health and safety
- Incidents or near misses
- Toolbox talk held
- Site inspection done
Photos and sign-off
| Photos taken and where stored | |
|---|---|
| Signature | |
| Date |
On a phone, choose Save as PDF in the print screen.
Prefer to fill it in on screen? Use the free online version.
What the daily report is for
Memory fades fast on a busy site. A daily report records who was there, what got done, what arrived and what held things up. When a delay or extra cost is disputed months later, the daily reports are often the only record made at the time.
What each section should contain
- Day details: project, date, the person writing the report and the weather, including any hours lost to it.
- Labour: each trade or company on site and how many people.
- Work done: what progressed today, by area or level.
- Deliveries and plant: materials received, and equipment on site or hired in.
- Delays and issues: what stopped work, for how long and who was told.
- Instructions received: any change requested by the client or designer.
- Health and safety: incidents, near misses and inspections.
- Photos: what was photographed and where the photos are kept.
How to fill it in well
Write it every day, including quiet days. A gap in the record is harder to explain than a short entry saying "rain, no work". Stick to facts and times, such as "Scaffold not ready, roofers stood down 08:00 to 11:30", rather than opinions.
Take progress photos from the same fixed points each week, plus close-ups of anything that will be covered up. Refer to them in the report by area and date.
Turning it into a weekly update
Most clients do not want to read every daily report. Once a week, pull out the main progress, any delays and decisions needed, and send that with a handful of photos from the same fixed points. Keep the full daily reports on file. They are your evidence, while the weekly update is your communication.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing the week's reports on Friday from memory.
- Recording a client instruction without saying who gave it.
- Leaving out delays caused by your own side.
- Keeping the reports on paper in the site cabin with no copy.
Questions
Who should fill in the daily site report?
Usually the site manager or foreman. On small jobs, whoever leads the crew that day.
How is it different from a weekly progress report?
The daily report is the raw record. A weekly report summarises it for the client, usually with photos.