Title: Site readiness checklist for residential crews | Cercha

Description: Check prior work, access, utilities, materials, inspection holds, and the site contact before a residential crew travels or starts work.

Canonical: https://cercha.pages.dev/guides/site-readiness-checklist/

# What to confirm before a crew starts on site

Crew starts and handoffs

Confirm the conditions for your exact task, then confirm the start. A date on the calendar does not identify who checked the site or released the work area.

Your crew has a start date, but you need to know whether the site is ready for your work. Confirm that the previous trade has handed over the area. Check access, required services, approved materials, and who answers field questions. Do that before travel and check the actual conditions again on arrival.

This is a recommended coordination checklist. It does not replace the trade's installation instructions, safety planning, inspections, or project documents. Adapt each check to the task you are about to perform.

## State what must be ready for your work

Write down what must be ready in the work area. Name the previous trade, what it must finish, and who checks its work. Be more specific than “the previous trade must be done.”

[PNNL’s window-flashing guide](https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/windows-and-doors-are-fully-flashed) calls for visual inspection before siding conceals the flashing, a specific hold to include for an opening package.

For a window crew, ask about the approved opening schedule, unit delivery, opening condition, and assigned flashing scope. For a drywall crew, ask about release of concealed work and the areas available for board delivery. Treat these as planning prompts to confirm with the responsible trades.

Use [the home-building sequence](/guides/home-building-sequence/) to identify the surrounding phases. Use [trade handoffs](/guides/trade-handoffs/) to turn that phase map into task-specific questions. A phase name alone does not tell you whether the previous trade's work has been accepted.

## Assign each check to a person

Ask the builder or sub to name who checks each condition and who tells your crew to start. Do not leave those tasks to everyone. Record the result and the time it was checked.

Use this table to assign the checks:

| Item | Question to resolve | Who to identify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Work area | Which rooms, elevations, or lots are released? | Site contact |
| Predecessor | What remains, and does it affect your work? | Responsible trade and site contact |
| Documents | Which plan and detail revision applies? | Company or project decision maker |
| Materials | Is the approved package present and checked? | Purchasing or receiving contact |
| Access | Can people, vehicles, and equipment reach the work? | Site coordinator |
| Services | Are the required power, water, or lighting arrangements ready? | Assigned responsible party |
| Inspection hold | What must stay exposed or remain untouched? | Permit or inspection coordinator |
| Questions | Who answers before the crew proceeds? | Primary contact and backup |

Keep commercial approval separate from coordination. [Who approves extra work](/guides/who-approves-extra-work/) explains how to handle a request that changes your package.

## Confirm the day before

Ask whether the exact job and work area are ready. Get current conditions rather than a repeat of last week's plan. State when you plan to arrive and what you expect to start.

Recommended confirmation items include:

- Correct address or lot identifier and access instructions.
- Released area and limits of the start.
- Predecessor work accepted by the responsible party.
- Current plans and unresolved decisions.
- Required materials, accessories, and instructions on site.
- Receiving, storage, and material-handling arrangements.
- Required services and known restrictions.
- Site contact, backup, and emergency reporting route.
- Any inspection or concealment hold affecting the task.

Ask for a specific answer to a missing item. If material is still in transit, identify who confirms receipt and what happens if it arrives late. Do not send the crew based on a supplier's estimated delivery alone.

## Confirm hazards before arrival

OSHA's [multiemployer communication guidance](https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/communication) calls for sharing site hazards, control measures, and reporting contacts before work starts and when conditions change. Ask how your employer and the site exchange that information. Tell them about hazards your work can create for others.

[OSHA’s housekeeping rule](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.25) requires debris, including scrap lumber with protruding nails, to stay clear of work areas, passageways, and stairs.

Report access or work-area concerns through the assigned procedure. Ask the responsible people to resolve conflicts between crews, deliveries, and equipment. In the readiness message, name who supplied the safety information. Do not declare a site safe from a photo.

OSHA's [construction provisions](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.20) call for regular inspections by employer-designated competent persons. Have the designated people make those checks. Do not assume an office coordinator can give technical safety approval.

## Keep inspection holds visible

Ask the permit coordinator which inspections apply to your task and what conditions must remain visible. Check the actual result before work that would conceal the inspected area. A crew's completion report does not replace the required inspection release.

For a local example, [Raleigh's guidance](https://raleighnc.gov/permits/services/residential-inspections) places insulation inspection after approved framing and before wall or ceiling coverings. Follow that hold where it applies in Raleigh. Elsewhere, confirm your permit's sequence with the responsible local office.

Record the inspection hold and its location in the start note. Tell affected workers which action must wait. Do not leave an inspection condition buried in a group thread.

## Check again when the crew arrives

Meet the site contact or use the agreed arrival process. Walk the released area before unloading or assigning the affected work. Compare the site with the conditions confirmed before arrival.

[OSHA’s storage rule](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.250) requires tiered materials to be secured against sliding, falling, or collapse, and aisles and passageways to remain clear.

Check the documents, material package, access, and limits of the release. Report a difference with a location and clear description. Document visible damage when permitted. Avoid assigning responsibility before the companies review the evidence.

If only part of the area is ready, ask your company whether a partial start is appropriate. List what can start and what must wait. Record the revised sequence so another crew does not assume the whole area is ready.

## Use a clear start status

Choose a status that states what happens next:

| Status | Meaning to agree with the site |
| --- | --- |
| Ready for assigned scope | Required checks are confirmed and the crew is released |
| Ready for a defined portion | A named area or task is released; the rest remains held |
| Awaiting a decision | A named person must resolve an identified condition |
| Start postponed | The company and site have confirmed a revised plan |

Agree on these suggested labels with the companies involved. They are not legal acceptance terms. Record who confirmed the status and which tasks it covers.

## Confirm the changed date with everyone affected

If the start changes, tell your company before committing the crew elsewhere. Identify the next possible window and the conditions that must be checked again. Ask the site contact to confirm the revised plan.

Notify affected delivery or trade contacts through the agreed project process. Use [jobsite communication](/guides/jobsite-communication/) to keep the instruction and acknowledgment together. Have [the crew lead](/guides/crew-lead/) repeat the final plan to the workers who will attend.

## Record a postponed start without guessing the cost

If the crew arrives but cannot start the work cleared for it, record the arrival, blocked task, and condition you found. Keep any permitted images with the record. Tell your company which people or resources are waiting and ask for instructions.

Do not promise a standby charge, waived charge, or new completion date outside your authority. Have the company review the agreement and discuss costs with the hiring party. The crew's immediate job is to record what happened and follow the revised instruction. Keep billing decisions separate.

## Where Cercha fits

Cercha's direct messaging can help a crew contact the responsible member and begin a readiness conversation. Profiles help establish who you are speaking with. Confirm the start, site conditions, and instruction authority directly through the companies' agreed job process.

Published 2026.10.14. Updated 2026.10.14.

[More guides: Support trades and crews](</guides/topics/support-trades-and-crews/>)

## Related guides

- [What a crew lead owns on a residential job](</guides/crew-lead/>)
- [Jobsite communication between supers, subs, and crews](</guides/jobsite-communication/>)
- [Trade handoffs: who accepts the work before the next crew](</guides/trade-handoffs/>)
- [The order of trades on a new home](</guides/home-building-sequence/>)
- [Who approves extra work: sub, super, or crew?](</guides/who-approves-extra-work/>)

## Build your connections

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## Sources

<a id="source-1"></a>

1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). *Communication and Coordination for Host Employers, Contractors, and Staffing Agencies*. Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/communication

<a id="source-2"></a>

2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). *1926.20 - General safety and health provisions.*. OSHA. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.20

<a id="source-3"></a>

3. City of Raleigh. (2026, October 12). *Residential Inspections*. Raleighnc.gov. https://raleighnc.gov/permits/services/residential-inspections

<a id="source-4"></a>

4. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (n.d.). *Windows and Doors are Fully Flashed*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/windows-and-doors-are-fully-flashed

<a id="source-5"></a>

5. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). *1926.25 - Housekeeping*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.25

<a id="source-6"></a>

6. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). *1926.250 - General requirements for storage*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.250