Daily Log Checklist
Daily site documentation run by the superintendent or field engineer at a commercial or residential jobsite. Captures manpower, weather, deliveries, incidents, and progress as evidentiary record for delay, change-order, and differing-site-condition claims.
Pre-Shift Safety Briefing
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Lead the daily toolbox talk
Superintendent runs the toolbox talk before any tools come out of the gang box. Pick a topic relevant to today's work — fall protection if decking, silica controls if cutting concrete, hot work if welding. Capture attendance on the sign-in sheet; certified payroll and OSHA investigators will both ask for it.
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Review pre-task plans with each foreman
Each trade foreman submits a PTP / AHA covering today's scope, hazards, and controls. Reject vague PTPs ("be careful with saw"); push for specific controls — wet methods on Table 1 silica tasks, 5,000 lb anchor for tie-off, fire watch for hot work.
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Verify open permits for today's work
Confirm hot work permits, confined-space entry permits, energized-work permits, and 811 dig tickets are open and current. Locate marks honored before any excavation. Permits posted at the work area, not in the trailer.
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Log site weather and conditions
Record temperature, precipitation, wind, and ground conditions at start of shift. Weather is the most-cited evidence in delay claims; a complete record across the project is what makes a claim defensible.
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Site and Equipment Walk
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Walk the perimeter for unsafe conditions
Check open holes, unguarded leading edges, scaffold tags (green/yellow/red), housekeeping, fire extinguisher locations, eye-wash stations, and SWPPP BMPs (silt fence, inlet protection, stabilized construction entrance). Photograph anything corrected during the walk.
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Inspect cranes, lifts, and heavy equipment
Verify daily inspection logs are current for cranes, aerial lifts, forklifts, and excavators. Confirm operator certifications (NCCCO for crane, OSHA-compliant aerial-lift cards). Tag-out anything red-tagged so it can't be put back in service by mistake.
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Confirm material deliveries and lay-down
Reconcile today's deliveries against the procurement schedule and approved submittals — order what was approved, not what was originally submitted. Sign delivery tickets only after count and damage check; partial or damaged loads get noted on the ticket before signing.
Manpower and Trade Log
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Record headcount per trade and sub
Total bodies on site by sub and trade — concrete, steel, MEP, drywall, finishes. This is the manpower number that supports productivity calculations and any future loss-of-productivity claim, so the count needs to match what's actually on the deck.
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Verify OSHA 10/30 and trade certifications
Spot-check site-access badges against OSHA 10 (workers) and OSHA 30 (supervisors) currency — required within the last 5 years on most federal projects. Welders, riggers, signal persons, and confined-space attendants need their specific cards on person.
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Note absences affecting the schedule
Flag any sub showing up short of the manning the three-week look-ahead requires. Persistent under-manning is a default trigger and should be raised in the weekly subs meeting before it becomes a recovery-schedule issue.
Work in Place and Progress
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Document work performed by area
Describe scope completed today by floor, gridline, or area — "Level 3 east, gridlines C–F: rebar tied and inspected, slab pour scheduled tomorrow." Generic entries ("framing continued") have no value as evidence.
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Capture progress photos with location tags
Photo every active work area at least once. Use Procore Daily Log, PlanGrid, or Raken so photos auto-tag to drawing locations. Photos drive closeout as-builts and resolve disputes faster than any written description.
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Check critical-path activities against the schedule
Compare today's progress against the P6 baseline and the three-week look-ahead. Flag any near-critical activity that slipped — total float erosion is a leading indicator the next schedule update will go negative.
Issues, RFIs, and Incidents
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Log incidents, near-misses, and first aid
Capture any incident, near-miss, first-aid event, or property damage. Note whether OSHA recordable criteria are met (lost time, restricted duty, medical beyond first aid) so the OSHA 300 log entry can be made within 7 calendar days.
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File the incident report and notify safety
Complete the incident report: who, where, mechanism, witnesses, body part, treatment. Notify the Safety Director and the home office same shift. Recordables drive EMR, which drives bid eligibility next year — the reporting discipline is operationally consequential, not just paperwork.
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Log differing site conditions encountered
Rock in excavation, unmarked utilities, contaminated soil, hidden conditions in renovation — note today, photograph today, and trigger the contract's notice provision. Differing-site-condition windows are short (often 3–7 days); silent acceptance kills the claim.
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Review aged RFIs and follow up at day 5
Pull the RFI log. Any RFI past day 5 with no response gets a follow-up to the designer; past day 7 escalates to the PIC and the OAC. Don't let the field install on assumption — that's the scenario where the response comes back contradicting the install and rework lands in your column.
Close-Out and Distribution
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Reconcile daily log against field notes
Compare the day's entries in Procore / Raken / ACC against the super's field notebook before submitting. Missing manpower, missing weather, generic work descriptions — fix before signing. Once submitted, edits leave an audit trail that opposing counsel will find.
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Sign and submit the daily log
Superintendent signs and submits before leaving site. The daily log is evidentiary — a missing day weakens delay, weather, and differing-site-condition claims six months from now when nobody remembers what happened.
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Distribute to the OAC team
Auto-distribute to the PM, PX, owner's rep, and architect per the project communication plan. Same-day distribution is part of why the log has evidentiary weight — it shows the record was contemporaneous, not reconstructed.
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