Free checklist · Construction equipment
Excavator daily inspection checklist (free, printable)
Before each shift, walk round the excavator with the bucket down and the engine off: tracks and undercarriage, boom, stick and bucket pins, teeth, the quick coupler's lock, cylinders and hoses, and the fluid levels. Then climb in and check the seat belt, mirrors and gauges, and test the hydraulic lockout lever, travel alarm and horn. Anything that fails keeps the machine parked until it's fixed.
- How often
- Before each shift
- The rule
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2)
- Items
- 32 checks
- Takes
- About 8 minutes
By the CheckBadges team · Updated
Layout
Excavator daily inspection checklist
Before each shift
| Item | OK | Problem | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undercarriage (engine off) | |||
| Track tensionSag within the manual's range; track seated on idler and sprocket | |||
| Track shoes, bolts and framesNo cracked shoes or missing bolts; packed mud and rock cleared out | |||
| Rollers, idlers and sprocketsRollers turn, no leaking seals or flat spots; sprocket teeth not hooked | |||
| Final drivesNo oil leaks at the drive motors or covers; no wire wrapped near seals | |||
| Boom, stick and bucket | |||
| Boom and stick structureNo cracked welds, dents or bends, especially at the boom foot and joints | |||
| Pins, bushings and retainersEvery pin has its keeper; no excess play; greased per the manual | |||
| Bucket, teeth and side cuttersNo missing or loose teeth; no cracks in the shell or lip | |||
| Quick coupler lockedFully engaged on both pins; indicator shows locked | |||
| Coupler safety pin or secondary lockPin fitted or secondary lock engaged, as the coupler maker requires | |||
| Hydraulic cylindersRods free of scores and pits; no leaking seals | |||
| Hydraulic hoses and fittingsNo leaks, bulges, cuts or rubbing; clamps in place | |||
| Upper structure and fluids | |||
| Swing bearing and counterweightNo leaks or missing bolts; counterweight secure; area clear of debris | |||
| Engine oil levelBetween the marks on the dipstick; no fresh leaks | |||
| Coolant levelAt the mark in the overflow tank, checked cold | |||
| Hydraulic oil levelIn the sight-glass range, with the machine in the manual's position | |||
| Fuel level | ☐ Full ☐ 3/4 ☐ 1/2 ☐ 1/4 ☐ Low | ||
| Air filter restriction indicatorNot in the red; filter housing clamped shut | |||
| Belts, cooler cores and guardsBelts not cracked or loose; cores clean; covers closed and latched | |||
| In the cab | |||
| Steps and handholdsSecure and free of mud, oil and ice | |||
| Cab, ROPS and FOPSNo cracks, bends or missing bolts; guards fitted where required | |||
| Windows and wipersGlass not cracked in the operator's view; wiper and washer work | |||
| Seat and seat beltSeat locks in place; belt latches and retracts, webbing not cut | |||
| Mirrors and camerasClean, adjusted; camera screen shows a clear picture | |||
| Fire extinguisherMounted, gauge in the green, pin and tamper seal in place | |||
| Lift chart and overload warningChart in the cab; overload alarm works, if used for lifting loads | |||
| Engine running | |||
| Hour meter reading | ________ hours | ||
| Gauges and warning lightsAll warning lights out after start-up; no fault codes | |||
| Hydraulic lockout leverIn lock, the joysticks and travel controls do nothing | |||
| Boom, stick, bucket and swingSmooth, no jerks or drift; swing brakes and stops normally | |||
| Travel controls and travel alarmTracks drive both ways and steer; alarm sounds when traveling | |||
| HornWorks and can be heard over the engine | |||
| Work lights and beaconAll work | |||
Problems found and action taken:
If anything is a problem, don't use the machine: tag it out and report it. Free checklist from checkbadges.com — put it on a QR sticker and operators can fill it in on their phone.
What to check on an excavator, item by item
Undercarriage (engine off)
- Track tension — Sag within the manual's range; track seated on idler and sprocket
- Track shoes, bolts and frames — No cracked shoes or missing bolts; packed mud and rock cleared out
- Rollers, idlers and sprockets — Rollers turn, no leaking seals or flat spots; sprocket teeth not hooked
- Final drives — No oil leaks at the drive motors or covers; no wire wrapped near seals
Boom, stick and bucket
- Boom and stick structure — No cracked welds, dents or bends, especially at the boom foot and joints
- Pins, bushings and retainers — Every pin has its keeper; no excess play; greased per the manual
- Bucket, teeth and side cutters — No missing or loose teeth; no cracks in the shell or lip
- Quick coupler locked — Fully engaged on both pins; indicator shows locked
- Coupler safety pin or secondary lock — Pin fitted or secondary lock engaged, as the coupler maker requires
- Hydraulic cylinders — Rods free of scores and pits; no leaking seals
- Hydraulic hoses and fittings — No leaks, bulges, cuts or rubbing; clamps in place
Upper structure and fluids
- Swing bearing and counterweight — No leaks or missing bolts; counterweight secure; area clear of debris
- Engine oil level — Between the marks on the dipstick; no fresh leaks
- Coolant level — At the mark in the overflow tank, checked cold
- Hydraulic oil level — In the sight-glass range, with the machine in the manual's position
- Fuel level (Full / 3/4 / 1/2 / 1/4 / Low)
- Air filter restriction indicator — Not in the red; filter housing clamped shut
- Belts, cooler cores and guards — Belts not cracked or loose; cores clean; covers closed and latched
In the cab
- Steps and handholds — Secure and free of mud, oil and ice
- Cab, ROPS and FOPS — No cracks, bends or missing bolts; guards fitted where required
- Windows and wipers — Glass not cracked in the operator's view; wiper and washer work
- Seat and seat belt — Seat locks in place; belt latches and retracts, webbing not cut
- Mirrors and cameras — Clean, adjusted; camera screen shows a clear picture
- Fire extinguisher — Mounted, gauge in the green, pin and tamper seal in place
- Lift chart and overload warning — Chart in the cab; overload alarm works, if used for lifting loads
Engine running
- Hour meter reading (reading, in hours)
- Gauges and warning lights — All warning lights out after start-up; no fault codes
- Hydraulic lockout lever — In lock, the joysticks and travel controls do nothing
- Boom, stick, bucket and swing — Smooth, no jerks or drift; swing brakes and stops normally
- Travel controls and travel alarm — Tracks drive both ways and steer; alarm sounds when traveling
- Horn — Works and can be heard over the engine
- Work lights and beacon — All work
How often an excavator has to be inspected
Check an excavator before every shift it works, using the daily checks in its operator's manual as the minimum. No OSHA standard prints a daily excavator checklist, but three construction rules add up to one:
- 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2) requires "frequent and regular inspections of the job sites, materials, and equipment to be made by competent persons designated by the employers."
- 29 CFR 1926.602(a) sets rules for earthmoving equipment, naming "scrapers, loaders, crawler or wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, agricultural and industrial tractors, and similar equipment": seat belts, brakes, a working horn, and a reverse alarm (or someone signaling) when the view to the rear is blocked. It sets no inspection schedule.
- 29 CFR 1926.601(b)(14) is the familiar "checked at the beginning of each shift" rule, but it covers motor vehicles on off-highway jobsites and, by its own scope, not equipment covered by 1926.602. Its list (brakes, horn, steering, seat belts, operating controls, safety devices) is still a sensible minimum for any machine.
The manufacturer fills in the detail. The maintenance schedule in the operator's manual has a daily section (often listed as every 10 service hours or daily) that says which levels to read, which pins to grease and how to measure track sag on your model. Heavy equipment inspection requirements covers the rules in more depth.
How to do the walkaround
Do the walkaround in the same order every day, so a skipped step feels wrong:
- Park it right. Level ground, bucket flat on the ground, lockout lever in lock, engine off, key out. OSHA already requires buckets to be "fully lowered or blocked" when not in use (1926.600(a)(3)).
- Look under it first. Fresh puddles of oil, coolant or fuel tell you where to look harder.
- Walk both tracks end to end. Sag, shoes and bolts, rollers, idlers, sprockets and final drive covers. Clear packed mud and rock before it freezes or grinds the rollers.
- Work along the front end. Boom foot, boom, stick, cylinders, hoses, pins and keepers, then the coupler and bucket. Look hardest at welds where stress concentrates: the boom foot, the boom-to-stick joint and the coupler mounts.
- Open the doors. Engine oil, coolant, hydraulic oil in the position the manual shows, the air filter indicator, belts and cooler cores.
- Climb in with three points of contact, then check the seat belt, glass, mirrors and cameras before starting.
- Start it and test every function in a clear area once the warning lights go out: boom, stick, bucket, swing both ways, travel forward and back, horn. Then put the lockout lever in lock and confirm the joysticks do nothing.
- Test the coupler whenever an attachment goes on, using the check in the coupler maker's instructions, usually crowding the bucket against the ground to prove it's held.
- Write down the hour meter and sign the sheet.
The defects that take an excavator out of service
If any of these turns up, the excavator doesn't work until it's repaired:
| Defect | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Quick coupler not locked, or its safety pin missing | A bucket that drops off the coupler lands in the dig, where people work |
| Lockout lever doesn't kill the controls | A knocked joystick can swing the house or move the boom while someone climbs in |
| Hose leaking, bulging or worn through | Pinhole leaks can inject oil through skin; a burst hose loses that function under load |
| Cracked boom, stick or coupler welds | Cracks grow under load until the part fails |
| Seat belt cut or not latching | It keeps the operator inside the protective cab if the machine rolls |
| Travel alarm or horn not working | People on foot rely on them, and an excavator has blind spots on every side |
| Broken track shoes or badly wrong track tension | Thrown tracks and loss of control, worst on slopes |
What to do when something fails
Park it, tag it, report it, and keep it parked until it's repaired. On a construction site that isn't optional: equipment that doesn't comply "shall either be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or shall be physically removed from its place of operation" (1926.20(b)(3)).
Hang an out-of-service tag on the joystick or lockout lever, take the key, and tell your supervisor. Whoever repairs the machine signs it off before the tag comes off. What to do when equipment fails inspection walks through the whole process.
Keeping the record
OSHA's construction rules don't require the daily excavator check to be written down, but a dated, signed checklist is the only way to show it happened. Keep each one with the machine's unit number, the date, the hour meter reading, who did it, and what was found and fixed. Daily hour meter readings also give you an accurate service history for free. Equipment inspection record keeping covers what to keep and for how long.
Paper in a cab gets wet, lost and filled in from memory at the end of the week. With CheckBadges, a QR sticker inside the cab opens this checklist on the operator's own phone, files the check under that excavator, and emails you with photos the moment something is marked as a problem.
Skip the clipboard
Put this excavator inspection checklist on a QR sticker.
- Operators scan the sticker with their own phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- Anything marked Problem emails you right away, with photos, and warns the next operator.
- Every check is saved by machine with who did it and when. Print one or export a CSV.
Free for 3 machines. Every item above is already filled in — edit anything. No card.
Excavator 1
Excavator inspection checklist
Frequently asked questions
Does OSHA require a daily excavator inspection?
Not in so many words. OSHA's construction standard requires frequent and regular equipment inspections by a competent person (29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2)) and bans using equipment that isn't safe, and the operator's manual calls for daily checks. A pre-shift checklist is the practical way to meet both.
How do you check track tension on an excavator?
Follow your manual, because the method differs by maker: some measure sag with the machine on the ground, others have you raise that track with the boom and measure the gap at the middle of the track frame. Too tight wears pins, bushings and sprockets fast; too loose risks throwing a track.
How often should an excavator quick coupler be checked?
Every time an attachment is changed, not only at the start of the shift. Check the lock indicator, fit the safety pin or confirm the secondary lock if your coupler has one, and do the coupler maker's test before you dig.
Who should do the excavator daily inspection?
Usually the operator, who knows how the machine should sound and feel. OSHA allows only employees qualified by training or experience to operate equipment (29 CFR 1926.20(b)(4)), so train operators on what a pass looks like for each item, and have a competent person review problems.
Should excavator hydraulic oil be checked with the boom up or down?
In the position your operator's manual shows, often on level ground with the attachment lowered in a set position. Cylinder positions change how much oil is in the tank, so a reading taken in the wrong position gives a false level.
Keep reading
- Heavy equipment inspection appA heavy equipment inspection app for daily walkarounds: operators scan the QR sticker on an excavator, loader or dozer and check on their phone. No app or login.
- Heavy equipment inspection rulesOSHA has no single heavy equipment inspection schedule. Jobsite vehicles are checked each shift, unsafe machines tagged out, and the manual sets daily checks.
- Heavy equipment inspection checklistFree daily heavy equipment inspection checklist for any construction machine: walkaround, fluids, cab and function tests, plus machine-specific checklists.
- Backhoe inspection checklistFree backhoe loader daily inspection checklist: stabilizers, boom lock, swing, loader and backhoe ends, seat swivel lock, 4WD and brakes, in walkaround order.
- ConstructionConstruction equipment inspections on a QR sticker per machine. Operators and subs scan with their own phone, no app or login. Defects email you with photos.
- Out-of-service tag makerPrint DANGER – DO NOT OPERATE and OUT OF SERVICE tags for defective equipment. Fill in the machine, problem and date, or leave blanks. Free, no signup.
Do your excavator checks by QR code.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.