Inspections, Audits & Recordkeeping
Welcome
Hello, and welcome. This is Super Structures General Contractors — a national general contractor headquartered in Powhatan, Virginia — here to help you and your clients build something that lasts. We're glad you're with us, and we look forward to connecting with you.
Let's dig into Inspections, Audits & Recordkeeping. Bottom line — write this one down: Manage safety by measuring it — competent-person inspections with corrective-action tracking, OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A/301, the 8-hr/24-hr reporting rules), and especially leading indicators (inspections, near-misses, training) that let you prevent injuries instead of just counting them. This is how the pros pull ahead — and now it's yours.
You can't manage what you don't measure — and that goes double for safety.
You manage what you measure. Safety leaders run inspections, track records, and use data to improve.
The tools
- Daily/weekly site inspections (by the competent person) with corrective-action tracking.
- OSHA recordkeeping — the 300 Log, 301 incident reports, 300A annual summary; recordable vs. first-aid.
- Leading indicators (inspections, near-misses, training, JHAs) vs. lagging (injuries, TRIR, DART, EMR).
Going Deeper (Intermediate)
Inspections look for hazards and close corrective actions. The competent person has required inspections — scaffolds before each shift, excavations daily and after rain. Know the reporting rules (a fatality within 8 hours, an amputation/hospitalization within 24), how to calculate TRIR/DART, and that the 300A is posted each year.
Advanced / Pro-Level
Build a leading-indicator program — you can't manage safety by injuries alone (they're rare and lagging). Use audits, observation/behavior-based data, and analytics to target the riskiest work. Track subcontractor safety metrics, understand the EMR's effect on cost and bidding, and know what happens in an OSHA inspection (triggers, your rights, citation classes).
Practice Challenge
Why do mature safety programs track leading indicators like inspections and near-misses, not just injury counts? (Answer: injuries are lagging indicators — thankfully rare, and they only reveal failures after they happen, so you can't manage proactively with them alone. Leading indicators (inspections done, hazards corrected, near-misses reported, JHAs completed) measure the activities that prevent injuries, letting you find and fix problems before someone gets hurt.)
From the Field
A personal word from a builder who's been there:
Walk your site every day with your eyes open and a notepad, and actually CLOSE what you find — an open corrective action is just a hazard you wrote down. Track your near-misses; they're free warnings before the real thing. The numbers tell you where the next injury wants to happen, if you'll listen.
Takeaway: Manage safety by measuring it — competent-person inspections with corrective-action tracking, OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A/301, the 8-hr/24-hr reporting rules), and especially leading indicators (inspections, near-misses, training) that let you prevent injuries instead of just counting them.
Educational overview — building systems and safety requirements must follow the adopted codes, OSHA standards, and qualified professionals; verify for your project.