The five fields
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Time and area | 07:40, Level 1, data hall B |
| Activity | MEWP travelling to a cable tray run |
| What was seen | Raised-floor tiles open along the travel path, unguarded |
| Who was told | GC safety lead, by radio |
| Status | Corrected: tiles replaced before travel resumed |
Weak vs. strong
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Housekeeping poor | 10:20, L1 corridor 3: cable reels and pallet wrap block the east egress door. Superintendent told. Open. |
| Worker not tied off | 13:05, roof east: worker in the boom lift basket not tied off to the anchor. Stopped by crew lead, tied off. Corrected. |
| Good job on hot work | 09:15, corridor 3: permit posted at the work, fire watch present, extinguisher at hand. Positive. |
The strong versions name a place, describe a condition instead of a judgment, and say what happened next. They read the same whoever wrote them.
Record the safe work too
A log that only lists problems tells you where things went wrong, not what is working. Recording positive observations alongside at-risk ones shows which controls are holding, which crews are consistent, and whether a corrective action stuck.
Observation, near miss, incident
- Observation: a condition or practice seen before anything happens.
- Near miss: an event that could have hurt someone or damaged something, and did not.
- Incident: someone was hurt or something was damaged.
Incidents carry legal deadlines. A work-related fatality must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours.[1] Observations are how you get fewer of those.
What happens to the observation
It goes to the people with authority to act, on the agreed schedule, and imminent hazards go immediately. Open items carry forward until the contractor's team confirms they are closed. NSC Enterprises observers log every shift this way; see a sample in safety observation logs & incident support.
Sources
- [1]29 CFR 1904.39, Reporting fatalities and severe injuries. Report a work-related fatality to OSHA within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
Sources read 2026-11-02. General information, not legal advice; check the current rule and your contract.