Statutory Inspections · Mandatory · Construction
Excavation Daily Inspection Record
A daily inspection record for excavations required before each shift, after heavy rain, and after any event affecting stability. Written record mandatory for excavations over 2 metres deep. Checks support systems, ground conditions, tension cracks, bulging, water ingress, surcharge loading, edge protection, and access. Excavation collapse is one of the most immediate and fatal hazards in construction.
Last reviewed: 2 April 2026 — This guide reflects UK law as of this date. CDM 2015 Reg 22 / Workplace Regs 1992 Reg 13 remains current with no amendments enacted as of 2 April 2026. Next scheduled review: 2 April 2027.
| Document type | T9 — Excavation Daily Inspection Record |
| Primary legislation | CDM 2015 Regulation 22 (Excavations) and Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Regulation 13 |
| Written record required | A written inspection record is legally required for excavations exceeding 2 metres in depth |
| Inspection frequency | Before the start of every shift, after any event likely to have affected stability (heavy rain, vibration, surcharge), and at least every 7 days |
| Key hazard | Excavation collapse kills workers every year in the UK. Soil weighs approximately 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre — a partial collapse can be fatal |
| Competent person | Inspections must be carried out by a competent person with practical knowledge of excavation hazards, support systems, and ground conditions |
1. Why Daily Excavation Inspections Are Critical
Excavation collapse is one of the most consistently fatal hazards in the UK construction industry. Workers die in trench collapses and excavation failures every year, and many more suffer serious crush injuries. Soil is heavy — approximately 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre for typical ground conditions, and significantly more when saturated with water. A worker buried to waist depth by a partial collapse is under enormous compressive force, and extraction is difficult and time-critical. Even a relatively small collapse can be fatal.
CDM 2015 Regulation 22 requires that excavations are inspected by a competent person before the start of every shift during which work is to take place in the excavation, after any event likely to have affected the strength or stability of the excavation (including heavy rain, flooding, vibration from nearby plant, or changes to surcharge loading), and at intervals not exceeding seven days. The results of each inspection must be recorded in writing and the record kept available on site for inspection by the HSE.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Regulation 13, reinforces the requirement for excavations to be safe, stable, and adequately supported. Together, these regulations create a clear legal duty: no worker should enter an excavation until a competent person has inspected it and confirmed that it is safe. The daily inspection record is the documented evidence that this duty has been discharged. It is not a bureaucratic exercise — it is a safety-critical check that has the potential to prevent fatalities.
No worker should enter an excavation exceeding 2 m deep until the daily inspection is completed
CDM 2015 Regulation 22 requires that no work takes place in an excavation until it has been inspected by a competent person. For excavations exceeding 2 metres in depth, the inspection must be recorded in writing. This is a non-negotiable requirement. No pressure of programme, no urgency of task, and no instruction from a supervisor overrides the legal duty to inspect before entry. If the inspection reveals a defect — a cracked support, water ingress, tension cracks in the ground, removed barriers — work must not commence until the defect has been rectified and the excavation re-inspected.
2. Key Content of the Inspection Record
The excavation daily inspection record must systematically cover each factor that affects the safety and stability of the excavation. The following table sets out the key content areas and the information that must be recorded during each inspection.
| Section | Content required |
|---|---|
| Site / project | Project name, site address, and principal contractor. Contract or project reference number for traceability. |
| Excavation reference | Unique identifier for the specific excavation being inspected. Cross-reference to the excavation drawings and temporary works design where applicable. |
| Dimensions | Length, width, and depth of the excavation at the time of inspection. Note any changes since the previous inspection (e.g. deepening, widening, extension). |
| Date / time | Date and time the inspection was carried out. This establishes the inspection sequence and demonstrates compliance with the 'before each shift' requirement. |
| Support system — Type | Type of support system in place: trench sheets and walers, hydraulic frames, timber shoring, sheet piling, battered/benched sides, or unsupported (with justification). Reference to the temporary works design. |
| Support system — Condition | Visual assessment of the support system: are all elements in place and secure? Any displacement, bowing, cracking, corrosion, or loosening of fixings? Are hydraulic props at correct pressure? Any gaps between support and excavation face? |
| Ground condition — Tension cracks | Are there visible tension cracks in the ground surface parallel to the excavation edge? Tension cracks indicate incipient ground movement and are an early warning sign of potential collapse. Record location, length, and width of any cracks. |
| Ground condition — Bulging | Is there any visible bulging, deformation, or movement of the excavation faces? Bulging indicates that the ground is under stress and the support system may be inadequate. Any bulging must be reported immediately and the excavation evacuated until assessed by the temporary works designer. |
| Ground condition — Water ingress | Is there water entering the excavation? Source (groundwater, surface water, leaking service)? Rate of ingress? Is dewatering equipment in place and functioning? Water saturation dramatically reduces soil stability and increases the risk of collapse. |
| Edge conditions — Surcharge | Is material, spoil, plant, or equipment stored within the surcharge zone adjacent to the excavation edge? What is the minimum set-back distance being maintained? Surcharge loading is a leading cause of excavation collapse. |
| Edge conditions — Barriers | Are edge protection barriers in place on all exposed edges? Are they secure, stable, and at the correct height? Any damage or displacement since the previous inspection? |
| Edge conditions — Access | Are safe means of access and egress in place (ladders, steps, ramps)? Are they secure, positioned correctly, and in good condition? Is there an alternative escape route if the primary access is compromised? |
| Overnight / recent events | Has anything occurred since the previous inspection that may have affected stability? Heavy rain, flooding, frost, vibration from nearby piling or demolition, changes to surcharge loading, impact from plant. Record the event and its observed effect on the excavation. |
| Inspection outcome | Safe to enter and work. Safe to enter with specified conditions (e.g. additional monitoring, dewatering). Not safe to enter — specify defects and actions required before re-inspection. Excavation to be evacuated immediately due to imminent risk. |
| Competent person | Name, employer, and qualifications/experience of the person who carried out the inspection. Signature and date. The competent person must have physically inspected the excavation — signing a record without inspection is a criminal offence. |
Surcharge is a leading cause of excavation collapse
Stockpiling excavated spoil, positioning plant, or storing materials adjacent to the excavation edge imposes surcharge loading on the ground behind the excavation face. This additional loading can exceed the capacity of the support system and cause the excavation to collapse. A general rule is that no surcharge should be placed within a distance from the edge equal to the depth of the excavation, but the specific set-back distance must be determined by the temporary works designer based on ground conditions and support system capacity. Checking surcharge conditions is one of the most important elements of the daily inspection.
3. Common Mistakes
Not inspecting after heavy rain or overnight weather events
Heavy rain, flooding, frost, and thaw cycles all significantly affect the stability of excavations. Water saturation reduces the shear strength of soil, increases the weight of the ground behind the excavation face, and can undermine support systems. CDM 2015 Regulation 22 specifically requires inspection after any event likely to have affected the strength or stability of the excavation. Rain overnight or during a shift break is exactly such an event. Failing to inspect after rain and allowing workers to re-enter the excavation without confirming that conditions remain safe is a serious and potentially fatal compliance failure.
Signing inspection records without physically inspecting the excavation
Signing an excavation inspection record without having physically entered or closely inspected the excavation is not merely a procedural failing — it is a criminal offence. The inspection record is a legal document that attests that a competent person has examined the excavation and confirmed it is safe for workers to enter. Signing it without inspection is fraud that places workers' lives at risk. If a collapse occurs and investigation reveals that the inspection was not actually carried out, the person who signed the record faces prosecution for manslaughter by gross negligence in addition to regulatory offences under CDM 2015.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
What depth requires a written inspection record?▾
CDM 2015 Regulation 22 requires a written inspection record for excavations exceeding 2 metres in depth. However, this does not mean that excavations shallower than 2 metres do not need to be inspected — the duty to ensure excavations are safe applies at all depths. Best practice is to carry out and document a daily inspection for all person-entry excavations regardless of depth. Shallow excavations in poor ground, near services, or with surcharge loading can be just as dangerous as deeper excavations in stable ground. The 2-metre threshold is the legal minimum for written records, not the threshold below which inspections are unnecessary.
Who is a competent person for excavation inspection?▾
A competent person for excavation inspection must have sufficient training, experience, and knowledge to identify the hazards and assess whether the excavation is safe for workers to enter. This typically means a person who understands ground conditions, support system design and installation, the effects of water and weather on stability, surcharge loading, and the signs of incipient collapse (tension cracks, bulging, water ingress). On most construction sites, this will be an experienced site engineer, works manager, or groundworks supervisor who has received specific training in excavation safety. The temporary works coordinator should be involved in specifying the competence requirements for the inspector.
Can the inspection be done remotely or from the surface?▾
The inspection must be thorough enough to identify all relevant hazards. For shallow trenches, a careful surface-level inspection of the support system, ground conditions, edge conditions, and access arrangements may be adequate. For deeper excavations, the competent person may need to enter the excavation to inspect the condition of the support system, check for water ingress at the base, and assess the condition of the excavation faces at depth. Remote inspection using cameras or drones may supplement but cannot replace a physical inspection by a competent person who can assess conditions directly.
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