Free template

Checklist template, with five checklists already filled in

A checklist is a short list of things to confirm, in a fixed order, with a space to record each one. It is for tasks where missing one step costs more than the minute it takes to read the list. A good one fits on one page, has 8 to 15 items, phrases each item as something you can confirm ("walk-in at 38°F", not "check walk-in"), says what to do when an item fails, and is signed by the person who did it. The template below has that layout. The five checklists after it are filled in and in use on real sites; change the limits and the names to match your site.

Download Word (.docx)Download Excel (.xlsx)

What is in the template

One page. The parts, and why each is there:

Part	What goes in it	Why
Title	The task and the place: "Line 2 start-up", "Walk-in and reach-ins, opening"	People pick the sheet by its title. "Daily checklist" gets the wrong one used.
Header	Date, shift or time, location, name of the person doing it	A checklist with no name is nobody's record.
When and how long	"Before the first order"; "5 minutes"	Tells the person when it fits and tells the manager when it was skipped.
Items	One line per thing to confirm, in the order you would walk it	The order is the route. If the sheet jumps around, the person jumps around and misses one.
Record column	A tick, a number, or N/A; the item says which	A number (38°F, 320 ppm, 4,112 hours) cannot be pencil-whipped the way a tick can.
If-not-OK column	What to do when the item fails: fix, tag out, report, stop	A failed item with no instruction gets ticked anyway. This column is the reason to have a checklist at all.
Sign-off	Signature, time finished; a second line for whoever checks it	A signature is the difference between a reminder and a record.
Retention	How long the completed sheet is kept and where	Written on the form so the pile in the office has a reason to exist.

Two kinds of checklist

Atul Gawande's distinction in The Checklist Manifesto, borrowed from aviation, is the one that matters when you design one. A read-do list is read aloud and followed item by item, like a recipe: the hotel room inspection and the fire walk below are read-do, because the order is the route. A do-confirm list is used after the task, from memory, to confirm nothing was missed: the opening checklist and the forklift check are do-confirm, because an experienced person does the job from habit and the sheet catches the one thing habit skipped. Decide which yours is, and say so at the top; a do-confirm list used as read-do takes twice as long and a read-do list used as do-confirm misses steps.

Five checklists, filled in

All five are in the download, each on its own page, with the blank. They are written for a real site, so some limits will be wrong for yours. Change them; do not delete the column.

Restaurant opening checklist
Forklift pre-use inspection
Hotel room inspection
New-hire first-day checklist
Weekly fire safety walk

Restaurant opening checklist

When	Every morning, before the first order. 20 minutes.
Who	Opening cook; manager on duty initials at the end
Type	Do-confirm

#	Confirm	Record	If not OK
1	Walk-in and every reach-in: temperature read from the unit's thermometer, not the dial	Write the °F	Above 41°F: move TCS food to a working unit, note the time, call the technician
2	Freezer holding frozen; no thaw-and-refreeze signs (ice crystals, misshapen packs)	Write the °F	Tag suspect product, manager decides
3	Hot-holding units switched on and at 135°F before any food goes in	Write the °F	Do not load until at temperature
4	Handwash sinks: soap, paper towels, bin, water reaches 100°F, nothing stored in the sink	Tick each sink	Restock before service; an unstocked sink is the first thing the inspector photographs
5	Sanitiser buckets made up and tested with the strip: chlorine 50–100 ppm or quat 200–400 ppm (per label)	Write the ppm	Remake and retest
6	Dish machine: final rinse at 180°F (high-temp) or sanitiser strip in range (low-temp)	Write the °F or ppm	Hand-wash three-sink method until fixed; call the technician
7	Date labels: nothing past its day-7 (or your limit) in any fridge; FIFO order on the shelves	Tick	Discard and record on the waste log
8	Thawing: only in the fridge, under running cold water, or as part of cooking. Nothing on the counter	Tick	Move it; note who put it there
9	Allergen matrix on the pass is the current version; special-order board clean	Tick	Replace with the current copy from the manager
10	Pest check: traps, under the dish machine, dry store floor, back door seal	Tick	Record on the pest log; call the contractor if there is activity
11	Back door locked, deliveries not yet at the door, bin area clean	Tick
12	Float counted and matches the sheet; till logged in	Write the amount	Count again with the manager

Sign-off. Opening cook signs; manager initials after a walk-through. Kept 90 days with the temperature logs.

Forklift pre-use inspection

When	Start of every shift, every truck, before the first lift. Five minutes.
Who	The operator who will drive it
Type	Do-confirm; truck stays parked until the sheet is complete

#	Confirm	Record	If not OK
1	Hour meter reading	Write the number
2	Tyres and wheels: cuts, chunks missing, bolts tight; pneumatic tyres at the pressure on the plate	Tick	Tag out
3	Forks: no cracks at the heel, no bends, tips level with each other, locking pins in place	Tick	Tag out. A cracked fork heel is a dropped load
4	Mast, chains, hoses: no kinks, no frayed strands, no leaks; chain tension even	Tick	Tag out
5	Hydraulic oil, engine oil, coolant, fuel or battery charge; LPG cylinder seated and strap tight, no smell of gas	Tick	Tag out if any leak or smell
6	Overhead guard and load backrest: no cracks, no bent members, no missing bolts	Tick	Tag out
7	Data plate present and legible; attachment listed on the plate if fitted	Tick	Tag out
8	Engine or motor started: horn, lights, reverse alarm, hour meter, warning lights off	Tick	Tag out
9	Service brake, parking brake, steering (both directions), lift, tilt, side-shift tested with no load	Tick	Tag out
10	Seat belt latches and retracts; seat switch stops the truck when you lift off the seat	Tick	Tag out
11	Any fault found, or the word "none", in words	Write it	Tag out and report; never drive a tagged truck

Sign-off. Operator signs. Supervisor spot-checks the sheet against the truck weekly. Kept 12 months (OSHA 1910.178(q)(7) requires the inspection; keeping the record is how you show it happened).

Hotel room inspection

When	Every checkout room, after the attendant marks it clean and before it is released to the desk. Five minutes.
Who	Floor supervisor
Type	Read-do; the supervisor walks the room in the order on the sheet

#	Confirm	Record	If not OK
1	Door: lock, latch, peephole, DND sign and fire-escape card present	Tick	Maintenance slip
2	Lights: every lamp and switch works, including the bathroom and wardrobe	Tick	Maintenance slip; room not released if the bathroom light is out
3	Bed: linen fresh, no hair or marks, corners tight, pillows to standard, nothing under the bed	Tick	Back to the attendant
4	Surfaces: desk, headboard, lamps, skirting, window sill, top of the wardrobe: wiped, no dust line	Tick	Back to the attendant
5	Remote and phone: cleaned, working, phone displays the room number	Tick	Back to the attendant / maintenance
6	Bathroom: toilet clean inside, outside and behind; basin and plug; shower screen no streaks; grout; no hair anywhere	Tick	Back to the attendant
7	Amenities at par; towels folded to standard; toilet roll folded; bin liner fresh	Tick	Back to the attendant
8	Minibar restocked and logged; kettle and tray clean; glassware polished	Tick	Back to the attendant
9	Safe open and empty; wardrobe drawers empty; hangers to count	Tick	Lost property if anything found
10	Air conditioning set to the standard temperature; curtains to standard; no odour; window closed	Tick	Maintenance slip for AC
11	Carpet vacuumed into the corners and under the desk	Tick	Back to the attendant

Sign-off. Supervisor initials the room on the floor sheet and changes the status. Items sent back to the attendant are counted: three in a week is a retraining conversation, not a disciplinary one.

New-hire first-day checklist

When	Day one, before the new person does any work. One hour.
Who	Supervisor or trainer; HR for the paperwork lines
Type	Do-confirm; kept in the personnel file

#	Confirm	Record	If not OK
1	Right-to-work documents checked and recorded (US: Form I-9 section 2 within 3 business days of the start; UK: right-to-work check before the start)	Date and initials	The person does not start until this is done
2	Tax and payroll forms completed; bank details taken on the company form, not by text	Date and initials
3	Emergency contact and any medical condition the person wants the first-aider to know	Date and initials
4	Site induction walked, not told: fire exits, assembly point, nearest extinguisher, first-aid kit, AED, where to report a near miss	Tick each item	Not finished until every item is walked
5	PPE issued, sized and signed for: list each item	Write the items	Nobody works on the floor in the wrong size
6	Hazards of this job explained from the risk assessment; the three rules that get people hurt here named out loud	Tick
7	Chemicals used in this job: labels and where the SDS is, shown at the shelf	Tick
8	Buddy assigned by name for the first week; shift pattern and break times written down	Write the name
9	Logins created and tested: time clock, scanner or till, LMS	Tick
10	First SOP video watched in the person's language and the quiz passed; printed training sheet signed	Score and date	Watch again with the trainer
11	Questions asked: "What are you unsure about?" Answer written down	Write it

Sign-off. New hire and supervisor both sign. HR files it. The same sheet is reviewed at the end of week one.

Weekly fire safety walk

When	Same day each week, whole building. 20 to 40 minutes.
Who	Fire warden or facilities
Type	Read-do, in a fixed route so nothing is skipped

#	Confirm	Record	If not OK
1	Every exit route clear from the furthest point to outside: nothing stored in corridors, stairwells or outside the final door	Tick per route	Move it now; name who put it there on the sheet
2	Every exit door opens freely from inside without a key, closes and latches; no chains, no wedges	Tick per door	Report the same day. A locked exit is an immediate stop
3	Exit signs lit; emergency lights test button pressed and the lamp comes on (monthly function test; log it)	Tick	Report; replace battery or fitting
4	Extinguishers: in place, visible, pin and tamper seal intact, gauge in the green, nothing in front of them, monthly tag initialled (NFPA 10 monthly check)	Tick per unit	Replace from spares; book service
5	Fire doors: close fully on their own, intumescent strips intact, no holes or wedges	Tick	Maintenance
6	Alarm panel: no fault or isolation lights; weekly call-point test done and logged (UK) or per your inspection schedule	Tick	Call the alarm contractor
7	Sprinkler heads: nothing stored within 18 in (450 mm) below them; control valves open and locked	Tick	Move stock
8	Electrical panels: 36 in (900 mm) clear in front; no damaged leads; no extension leads daisy-chained	Tick	Clear it; report leads
9	Flammables in the cabinet, cabinet closed; waste bins emptied, nothing against the external wall near the bins	Tick	Move it
10	Assembly point sign in place; the evacuation plan on the wall is the current version	Tick	Replace

Sign-off. Warden signs. Open items are listed with an owner and a date and carried to next week's sheet until closed. Kept with the fire log book; in the UK this is evidence under the Fire Safety Order 2005.

Checklist, SOP, form, log

Document	Question it answers	Example
SOP	How is this task done, and why that way?	Opening the kitchen, step by step, with the reasons for the order
Checklist	Was each part of it done? (ticks and values, signed)	Opening checklist
Log	What was the value, over time?	Temperature log, hour-meter log
Form	What happened, this once? (free text)	Incident report, maintenance slip

The usual mistake is one document trying to be all four. A checklist with explanations in it is an SOP nobody can tick; an SOP with tick boxes is a checklist nobody can read. Keep them separate and cross-reference by number. The SOP template is the matching document for the how.

Where checklists go wrong

Ticks in one pen, all at once

Twelve ticks in the same ink, in a straight column, at 6:02 am, is a checklist filled in before the walk. Inspectors and auditors recognise it instantly and treat the whole sheet as missing. The design fix is to make some items values rather than ticks (a temperature, a reading, a count, a word) so the sheet cannot be completed from a chair. The management fix is to spot-check one item against reality each week and say so.

Items that are tasks, not checks

"Check the fridge" can be ticked without opening the door. "Walk-in at ___°F (limit 41)" cannot. Write every item as the state you want to confirm, with the number, and the tick means something.

Too long to read

A 40-item sheet is read for the first week and ticked from the second. If the list has to be long, split it by stage, by area, or into a read-do core of ten items and a monthly longer version.

No instruction for a failure

The item fails, the person does not know what to do, so they tick it and mention it to someone later, maybe. The if-not-OK column exists so that "tag out", "do not load until at temperature", "call the contractor today" is on the sheet in front of them at the moment it matters.

Nobody reads the completed sheets

If the sheets go in a drawer and nobody looks, the team learns within a month that the checklist does not matter. One person reads them every week and asks one question about one line. Nothing more is needed.

The order on the sheet is not the order on the floor

Items listed by category ("all fridges", "all sinks") send the person back and forth across the kitchen. Lay the sheet out as the route you would actually walk, and the sheet becomes the route.

Paper or screen

Paper works where hands are wet, gloved or cold and where the record is read by a visiting inspector. A screen works where values need to feed a log or trigger a message when they are out of range. Most sites run both: paper on the floor, with the values typed in once a day, or a tablet app with the paper version in a drawer for the day the Wi-Fi goes. Either way the design rules above do not change. A bad checklist is just as bad in an app.

Getting the walk right

The checklist records the walk; it does not teach it. The forklift check, the opening routine, the room inspection: each is a two-minute physical sequence that is easiest to learn by watching someone do it in order. A short video of your walk, in the languages your team speaks, shown on day one, is what makes the sheet the same from every person's hand. The forklift safety talk, the food safety talk and the fire extinguisher talk cover three of the five checklists above.

Questions

Should I use the Word or the Excel version?

Word if it will be printed and filled in by hand, which is most floor checklists. Excel if someone will type into it, or if you want the recorded values (temperatures, ppm, hour-meter readings) to feed a log. Both have the same five examples and the blank.

How many items should a checklist have?

Enough that nothing important is missing and few enough that people read every line. Eight to fifteen is the range that works on a floor. The WHO surgical safety checklist has 19 items in three pauses; airline normal checklists are usually shorter than that. Beyond 20, split it by stage (opening / mid-shift / closing) or by area.

Does a checklist need to be signed?

If it is a record (a temperature log, a pre-use inspection, an induction), yes, by the person who did it, with the date and time. A signature is what turns a tick into evidence, and what makes the person think before ticking. A reminder list for yourself needs no signature.

How long do we keep completed checklists?

Long enough to answer the question that will be asked. Food temperature logs: 90 days is common; some health departments ask for longer. Forklift inspections: 12 months. Fire safety records: the life of the building or the regulator's period. Induction checklists: the whole employment plus a few years. Write the period on the form.

What is the difference between a checklist and an SOP?

The SOP explains how to do the task: the steps, the warnings, the why. The checklist confirms the task was done: the items, the result, the signature. One SOP often produces one checklist. If your checklist is trying to teach the task, it is too long; move the explanation to the SOP and leave the checklist as the record.

Can I make a checklist a video?

The checklist stays on paper or a screen, because it is the record. What works as a video is the walk-through behind it: the opening routine, the forklift check, the room inspection, shown once in the worker's language so every person does the same walk in the same order. Send us the checklist and we will make the walk-through.