Logo preload
close Logo
Checklist

Safety observation report

Use this safety observation report to document the safety conditions of a work site.

A safety observation report (sometimes known as a “safety card”) collects information about the safety of working conditions observed by workers on site. Because everyone working on a job site can help ensure safety, especially in high-risk industries like construction, engineering and manufacturing, the safety observation report template is a quick and easy way to empower workers to identify and report unsafe conditions or potential hazards. It also allows workers to highlight the work of other team members who are correctly following safety procedures.

What information goes into a safety observation report?

Following a brief description of the project and the job site, a safety observation report prompts the respondent to pick one of three types of observations to report, including: unsafe actions performed by a team member (e.g. failure to wear hard-hat); unsafe conditions (e.g. slippery floor); or safe observations of procedures (e.g. identifying team member who is properly following safety protocols).

Respondents will then be asked to describe the observation in detail, including its urgency and what action, if any, was taken to remediate the hazard. Finally, the form flags who the observation should be reported to and whether further action is required, which helps remediate potential hazards.

Who uses a safety observation report, and why?

In risk-heavy industries like construction and manufacturing, unsafe workplace actions or conditions can become dangerous if ignored and unreported. The safety observation report is designed for workers on site who, in the course of their everyday work, are best positioned to observe how and if safety conditions are followed, or not.

Engaging workers to use the safety observation report form improves hazard reporting, which helps ensure safety compliance and reduce workplace incidents and injuries. And by nurturing a company-wide culture of safety, you can strengthen your overall safety posture.

Safety managers are not required to fill out a safety observation report; rather, they should ensure that all workers have access to such a report and will likely be its primary recipient.

Why use a mobile app to report safety observations?

Traditionally, paper safety cards are used to report observations, but they’re not without serious drawbacks. They’re never close to your workers when they really need them, and with limited space, you’ll never get the full picture of hazardous conditions.

Using a mobile app, workers can simply fill the safety observation report on their smartphone without having to stop what they’re doing and track down a safety card. And with unlimited data, automatic data geotagging, and the ability to add pictures directly to the report, observations are more accurate and thorough. Cloud-based, the template can be modified at any time and shared directly with safety managers so the hazard can be dealt with immediately, before someone gets hurt.

Keep everyone safe. Download the free PDF.

Download the checklist

What is Fulcrum?

Organizations worldwide trust Fulcrum’s SaaS-based data collection platform to capture and share reliable information about field activities, much faster than paper or other digital solutions. Standardized, easily customized, and well-integrated data collection delivers improved clarity for decision-making and better productivity for lower costs.

Standardize data collection
Digitally transform your processes with a single platform that increases productivity, improves data quality across all use cases, and securely delivers real-time data.
Customize collection processes
Easily adapt to changing requirements with drag-and-drop app modification, full customization and extension capabilities, customizable reporting and alerting.
Streamline two-way integration
Expand the reach and usefulness of your data with best-in-class integration with Esri ArcGIS, real-time, two-way integration with any application, and built-in integration with email, SMS, and more.
Jim Metz - speeds things up, adhering to safety sop

Jim Metz

Vice President of Safety
FM Sylvan
Fulcrum speeds things up. It was almost instantaneous. It allows accountability for people running the job to see what their guys are doing to make sure they’re adhering to safety policies.
See more customer stories
Aaron Vanover - catch more issues

Aaron Vanover

Manager of Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Halton Company
Using Fulcrum, Halton Company’s quality control team provides richer, better documented support, enabling them to catch more issues.
See more customer stories
Daniel Stepner - easy to use, customer service

Daniel Stepner

Senior Consultant
Arcadis
I have used many programs for field asset inspections. Fulcrum has been the easiest to set up, use in the field, and update. The service provided by the Fulcrum team has been top-rate.
See more customer stories
James Watts - safety once you close the loop from action to insight

James Watts

Director of Health and Safety
Snavely Forest Products and Weekes Forest Products
Fulcrum helps us improve processes and make our work environment safer by streamlining inspections, surfacing inspection-related insights, and managing follow-up actions. Once you close the loop from action to insight to further action, the possibilities are limitless.
See more customer stories
Gavin Kelley - training period short, same data whether junior/senior collector

Gavin Kelley

Senior Software Developer
Tilson Tech
It is so easy to use that our training period is greatly shortened. Data quality is very important to us so it can’t be overly complicated. We still get the same data quality regardless if it is a junior or senior data collector.
See more customer stories