SiteHub / Guides / Site diary template
Free site diary template (printable)
A one-page daily diary you can print or save as a PDF, with notes on how to fill it in so it is useful when someone asks for it later.
Print or save the template
This is a one-page daily diary you can print, photocopy or save as a PDF. It covers the entries that matter in a dispute or an inspection, and every field is a line you can fill in on site. Print the page and only the template is printed.
Site diary: daily record
| Site and project | |
|---|---|
| Date and day | |
| Completed by | |
| Weather and hours lost | |
| Labour on site (names or numbers by trade) | |
| Plant and equipment on site | |
| Work done and areas | |
| Deliveries (what, when, from whom, any issues) | |
| Instructions and decisions (who gave them, written or verbal) | |
| Visitors and inspections | |
| Delays: cause, duration, who affected | |
| Accidents, near misses, safety issues | |
| Photos taken (number and what they show) | |
| Signed and time completed |
How to use it
- Fill it in on the day, before you leave site. A diary written up later is easier to challenge.
- Be specific about delays and instructions. Dates, times, names and the effect on the work.
- Do not leave days blank. Write "no delays" or "no incidents" rather than skipping the line.
- Cross out, never erase. Strike through a mistake and initial it, so the original stays readable.
- Keep photos with the entry, and write the date and subject on the back of any prints.
- Store the originals safely, and copy or scan them. A single paper book in a van is a single point of failure.
For what each entry should contain and an example of a completed day, see our guide to what to record in a construction site diary. For using the diary as evidence, see site diary evidence for delay and extension of time claims.
Where a paper template falls short
A printed template is a perfectly good way to start. Its limits are the same as any paper diary: it is hard to search, the photos live somewhere else, it is tied to whoever has the book, and there is no trail if a page is changed. If you find yourself scanning pages and copying figures into a spreadsheet, that is the point where a digital diary saves time.
Prefer to do it on your phone?
SiteHub's diary works on your phone with photos, weather filled in for you, deliveries and voice notes, even with no signal. Entries are dated and searchable, and every diary can be exported as PDFs on your own letterhead.
No card needed. £19 a month for your first site and £15 for each extra site after the trial.
This template is general information for contractors, not legal advice. Check what your contract and your insurer require you to record.