What this checklist is for
A shift or day walk around for your wheeled, crawler or hydraulic excavator. Fill in the form on the screen, download to PDF or CSV. It tracks the sites, hours, make, model, and stations you checked. It also includes the undercarriage, fluids, hydraulics, cab and safety devices, attachment and pins, and a quick work area reminder. Mark OK, Defect, or N/A for each check. Who signed off and what the defect was are listed in the final block.
No one federal excavator daily blank gets printed out of any one paragraph at OSHA. The construction earthmoving rules is located in 29 CFR 1926.602. Seat belts on listed earthmoving equipment shall conform to SAE J386-1969. Bidirectional machines shall be equipped with a horn which functions properly.
If there is an obstructed view to the rear, the machine shall not be used in reverse unless it is provided with a reverse-signal alarm or an employee designated to signal when it is safe. OSHA has stated that a rotating excavator mounted on tracks is not covered by 1926.602(a) but reversing with no alarm or observer and an obstructed view is still considered a recognized hazard under the general duty clause. See interpretation dated May 10, 1995.
Machine items follow OEM pre-start practice. For Caterpillar, it’s their shift walkaround which includes tracks, undercarriage, attachments, cylinders, hoses, fluids and more. For John Deere, it’s their pre-op DKTCCHECK sheet. For Hitachi, it’s their daily look at track tension, mirrors, fluid and leaks. For Komatsu, it’s their daily inspection of swing-circle service points and access. Use your Operation and Maintenance Manual for this serial number. It’s not that manual.
What it is not
- It is not a crane or derrick each-shift inspection under 29 CFR 1926.1412. If this excavator is used as a crane (suspended load, rated lifting), Subpart CC applies and a competent person must inspect that equipment to that standard. Do not treat OK / Defect on this earthmoving walk as a 1926.1412 record.
- It is not a skid-steer inspect. Compact track loaders and skid-steers have different interlocks, lift-arm props, and ROPS coverage under 1926.1000. Do not copy those rows onto this hydraulic excavator.
- It is not the trench or excavation inspection in 29 CFR 1926.651(k). A competent person must inspect the excavation, adjacent areas, and protective systems before work and as needed during the shift. That is a site job. The utility and overhead rows on this form are reminders only.
- It is not a Forklift Inspection Checklist and not a highway Pre Trip Inspection Checklist. Gladhands, fifth wheels, and 4/32 inch steer tread do not belong here.
How to fill each block
The walk includes the date, site, unit, make, model, serial, hour meter, and operator. Compact, wheeled, crawler. And you tell it what kind of bucket, thumb, coupler or breaker that is, something for pin and GET to match up with. Is there an operator’s manual? That’s on Deere’s sheet. Do not operate if a defect might impact safe operation. Follow the OMM or lockout. It is not a guess.
Hitachi says check track tension daily; too tight will wear components, too loose can de-track. Cat tells operators to check for uneven wear, damaged or missing parts, and to clean out any packed dirt each shift.
You don’t write a millimeter Pass/Fail on this form. For its ZX130-6 example, Hitachi puts the too-tight to too-loose window at just 30 millimetres. That’s the exact sag in the operator’s manual for that model. You use the numbers and the method for your serial number.
For wheeled machines, you mark track rows N/A and inspect wheel locks, rims and tires. For crawlers, you mark tire rows N/A. You’ll look at sprockets, idlers, rollers, final-drive seals and swing-bearing area. Swing-pinion grease and swing-circle lubrication are included in Komatsu scheduled service, following the interval in the OMM, not as a made-up daily millilitre.
With pins and attachments you begin with the work tool. With Cat, a 336/340 or mini walkaround checks bucket, stick, and boom pins. It also checks the coupler and GET hose, as well as the quick coupler and attachment. Look for any pin or bushing play; loose retainers; bowing; and cracks. If equipped with a coupler, make sure it’s locked. In the OMM, grease the work equipment points at set intervals. Hitachi warns against over-greasing.
In the hydraulics section, it’s puddles first, followed by walking. Cat’s mini inspection calls out scratched cylinder rods, dirt packed around seals, and bubbling hoses. With the machine in the OMM posture, usually meaning the engine off and work equipment on the ground, you check bucket, stick and boom cylinders, visible hoses and the hydraulic sight gauge. When done, you latch and close the compartment doors; Cat’s wheeled walkaround requires that.
Grab bars and steps are used with three points of contact. Safety devices and the cab must meet seat belt, buckle, and mount requirements found in SAE J386-1969 for listed earthmoving equipment. The manufacturer-fitted belt is worn regardless of whether your lawyer cites section 1926.602(b) regarding the rotating house.
Glass in the cab cannot distort the view (1926.600(a)(5)). Horn is tested. Test the backup or travel alarm (if fitted). No working alarm means you need an observer prior to reverse travel if the view to the rear is obstructed. Cameras and mirrors are adjusted. Check the monitor, joysticks, gate lock, or hydraulic lock. Fault codes are also checked before digging. In addition, Hitachi advises operators to warm up the machine and avoid keeping other people in the single-seat cab.
Perform a walkaround and check the fluids. Using the OMM and sight gauges, you check engine oil, coolant, fuel, water separator, and DEF if equipped. Many fuel/water separators today has a cab sensor rather than a clear bowl.
Then you do a brief functional test in an open area. Test the bucket, stick, boom, swing, and travel. Bystanders should be outside the swing radius.
Subpart P competent-person inspection is NOT a list of things to remind yourself about what’s in the ground before digging! 651(b) calls for marking the approximate location of buried facilities and notifying the utility owner. If it’s overhead and not clearly marked as grounded, treat it like it’s energized. Section 600(a)(6) states that any overhead wire is considered energized unless the owner tells you it isn't and you see it grounded.
Keep equipment parts at least 10 feet away from the line if it’s rated 50 kV or less. Over 50 kV, add 0.4 inch per kV. With the boom down and no load, clearance must be at least 4 feet under 50 kV while in transit. If the operator can’t determine clearance, appoint an observer.
What varies
Unless a retaining device is used, stay at least 2 feet (0.61 m) from the edge of the excavation. 651(f) calls for stop logs, signals, and barricades.
Sign-off and write down what you saw as defects. Don't send out the machine if it will impact safe operation. Record time and sign. In case of a site using a supervisor line, they have one. The sheet doesn't alert anyone on its own.
Fluid posture change differs by model and OEM walkaround order. Steer and tire items on a PC170 crawler differ from those on a Cat M315 wheeler unit. Glass rows differ between a large ROPS cab and a compact with a canopy. Only mark N/A if the part is not on the machine.
Sag of track is specific to each model. For instance, Hitachi posts a 30 millimetre range of too-tight to too-loose for the ZX130-6 but that’s not Pass/Fail either; it’s just a window. Set tension according to the OMM, as Cat says. Tension that is too tight or too loose will wear sprockets, idlers, chains, pins and shoes. Don’t make up a millimetre number here on this form.
Under 1926.1000 Subpart W, ROPS covers tractors, dozers, loaders, scrapers, graders, and, starting July 15, 2019, rubber-tired skid-steers and compactors. But it doesn’t identify hydraulic excavators. Check the canopy or cab that was certified by the OEM. If there’s no 1926.1000 excavator line, don’t assume that means you can run with a busted cab.
After you finish
1926.651(b)(2) says 24 hours as a backup at most. Often there’s a longer time required by state/local one-call rules for utility companies. Follow the state law. A few places have a written daily equipment report, a spotter, or a swing-radius barricade. Add those on your copy.
If you’re lifting with a rated hoist, stop using this earthmoving template and follow Subpart CC. Follow Subpart CC instead. Download a filled PDF or CSV if you want a copy outside this tab. Download a blank copy to fill out by hand. Answers live in this browser only. Next visitor sees a blank form.
The filled-out sheet goes to whoever your employer designates as the recipient. That might be the mechanic, the dispatcher, or the operator file. BenchTab does not file anything with your insurance carrier, a dealer or OSHA. However, if you find something that affects safe operation, you must lock out the machine according to your site rules until it can be fixed.
Above the article is the form. Below the form are the page-1 preview and blank printable PDF.
Not a substitute for the OEM or a licensed inspection
This is a recordkeeping template. No, it is not an operator’s manual. It is not legal advice. It is not a replacement for a competent-person excavation inspection or a manufacturer procedure. No; you don’t invent your own Pass/Fail limits that 29 CFR or the OMM doesn’t spell out. You follow the manual for this serial number, make, and model.