Safety observation card
Date
Time
Location
Observer
Task being done
Crew or company observed
A starting point. Adapt it to your equipment, your procedures and the rules that apply to you.Free template from portalbaseai.com
Free template
A safety observation card that fits in a shirt pocket.
Watch the work for a few minutes. Write down what was safe, what wasn't and what you said to the crew. Print the sheet or save it as a PDF.
Also calledSafety observation form, Behavior observation card, STOP card, Hazard observation card
Free to print, copy and change. It’s a starting point. Add the lines your equipment and your rules need.
How to use it
Three habits that make it worth filling out.
Step 1
Watch before you talk
Give it a few minutes. See the whole task, not one moment of it.
Step 2
Note the safe work too
Say so when a crew does it right. Cards that only list problems make people avoid you.
Step 3
Talk to the person
Ask why they did it that way. Often the tool or the setup is the real problem.
Do this on a phone instead of paper.
Log an observation from a phone in a few taps, with a photo, no signal needed. Follow-ups get an owner, and the cards are kept for you.
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Common questions
- What is a safety observation?
- A short, planned look at how work is being done, with a note on what was safe, what was at risk and what was said. It's often called a behavior observation or a STOP card.
- Who fills out observation cards?
- Many sites ask leads and safety staff to turn in a set number each month. Some let any worker do it. Your company procedure sets the rule.
- Is this a way to write people up?
- It shouldn't be. The card is for talking about the work and fixing causes. If it becomes a discipline tool, people will hide the at-risk work from you.
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Glossary
Safety observation
A safety observation is a short, written note of what someone saw on the job, safe or unsafe, shared with the crew.
Glossary
Behavior-based safety
Behavior-based safety is an approach that uses observations and feedback on how people work to build safer habits, alongside fixing conditions.
Glossary
Leading indicator
A leading indicator measures safety activity before anyone gets hurt, like inspections done, hazards fixed and observations made.
Glossary
Safety culture
Safety culture is how a crew actually acts about safety day to day, especially when the schedule is tight and nobody is watching.