Construction daily reporting.
The daily report is everything when something goes wrong. It's your proof. It's what separates your word from theirs in a dispute. Most site supervisors spend 20 to 45 minutes writing theirs from memory at the end of a 10-hour shift—tired, frustrated, missing details. That's the problem LARD was built to fix.
What is a construction daily report, exactly?
A construction daily report is a record of what happened on site during a single day. Who was there, what work got done, materials delivered, weather, delays, incidents — anything relevant to progress or safety.
Made at the time. That's what matters. A record logged when something happens carries more legal weight than one written from memory hours later. That's what separates a real site diary from a box-ticking exercise.
Full breakdown: What is a construction site diary app?
What goes in a daily report?
The core contents of a construction daily report:
- Date, site, project name, supervisor name
- Weather conditions: start of day and any changes
- Workers on site by trade and headcount
- Work completed by area and trade
- Materials and equipment delivered or used
- Delays: cause, duration, trades affected
- Subcontractor activity
- Visitor and inspector log
- Safety incidents or near-misses
- Instructions issued or received
Contract requirements vary. Some require photos. Some require specific categories. Always check your contract's daily report clause before assuming a generic format covers it.
Full detail: What needs to be in a construction site daily report?
How long should a daily report take?
With a purpose-built tool: under two minutes. A 60-second end-of-day review of entries made throughout the day, one tap to generate the PDF.
With paper or a spreadsheet from memory: 20 to 45 minutes. The time isn't the worst part. Memory-based reports miss things. Missed entries are missing evidence.
Benchmark breakdown: How long does a construction daily report take?
What happens if you don't do them?
In a dispute, missing daily reports leave you without evidence. You can't prove delays, document variations, or establish a timeline from memory alone. The other party has their records. You don't have yours.
Beyond disputes: under WHS legislation, missing records can expose a site supervisor and their employer to regulatory penalties. The obligation to keep adequate site records is not optional.
The full picture: What happens if a site supervisor doesn't complete a daily report?