General contracting · Canada

FLHA for home addition

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from provincial OHS law and CCOHS guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated November 9, 2026

Provincial OHS law requires hazards to be assessed and controlled before work starts. A field level hazard assessment (FLHA) for home addition is done on site at the start of the shift and again whenever conditions change.

It lists the tasks, hazards and controls, and every worker signs on before starting and signs off at the end of the shift. The main hazards are falling from height, falling from a roof edge, silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles and disturbing asbestos.

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FLHA example: home addition

This is a complete FLHA for home addition, with 7 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA)

House extension · General contracting · Example

Document FLHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#	Job step	Hazards	Risk before	Controls	Risk after
1	Check the hazardous materials survey for the existing house and protect the occupants	Disturbing asbestos Working in an occupied home or building	Critical	Get an asbestos survey before work on buildings built before 1990. Elimination Seal off the work area and keep everyone else out. Engineering (guarding) If asbestos must be disturbed, keep it wet, use hand tools not power tools, and clean up with a HEPA vacuum. Engineering Follow your province's asbestos rules, including notification and trained or certified workers where required. Administrative In BC, a qualified person must inspect and write a hazardous materials report before demolition or renovation, and asbestos abatement must be done by a WorkSafeBC licensed contractor (since 1 January 2024). Administrative Stop work straight away if you find suspect asbestos. Do not touch it and tell your supervisor. Administrative Wear a fit-tested respirator suited to the work, and disposable coveralls. PPE Plan noisy, dusty or risky work for when the building is empty. Elimination Close off the work area with barriers, plastic sheeting or locked doors, and put up signs. Engineering (guarding) Keep fire exits and paths clear at all times. Administrative Tell occupants before you turn off power, water or gas, and before noisy or dusty work. Administrative Lock away tools, chemicals and materials each day, out of reach of children. Administrative Clean up dust and debris at the end of each day. Administrative	Medium
2	Set up fencing and dust screens between the work and the house	Public entering the work area General dust	High	Fence off the site with secure temporary fencing and lock the gates when you leave. Engineering (guarding) Give pedestrians a safe, marked path around the work, with ramps for strollers and wheelchairs. Engineering (guarding) Use hoarding, covered walkways or catch fans where work is above public areas. Engineering Put signs at each entry: site name, contact number and "No unauthorised entry". Administrative Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower buckets and booms, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative Use a spotter when moving equipment or materials across public paths. Administrative Use low-dust products, such as dust-reduced or pre-mixed compounds. Substitution Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting in occupied buildings. Engineering (guarding) Use tools with dust extraction and a vacuum for clean up. Engineering Lightly mist the area with water to keep dust down, away from anything electrical. Engineering Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Administrative Wear a dust mask and safety glasses. PPE	Low
3	Excavate and pour footings or slab	Hitting underground services Trench or excavation collapse Wet concrete and cement burns	Critical	Keep machine buckets well clear of marked services and use a spotter. Engineering (guarding) Scan the area with a cable locator before digging and mark services on the ground. Engineering Hand expose or hydrovac services before machine digging inside the locate tolerance zone. Engineering Click Before You Dig: lodge a locate request with your provincial one-call service and wait for the locates. Administrative Follow your province's ground disturbance rules and keep locate sheets on site. Administrative Keep plans or locate tickets on site and check them again if the work area grows. Administrative Use methods that keep people out of the trench, such as directional boring or working from the surface. Elimination Barricade or cover the excavation so people and equipment cannot fall in. Engineering (guarding) Shore, slope or use a trench box in any trench deeper than 1.2 metres (1.5 metres in Alberta and Manitoba). Engineering Keep spoil, materials and equipment at least 1 metre back from the edge. Engineering Provide a safe way in and out, such as a ladder near where people work. Engineering Inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after rain or anything that could weaken it. Record it. Administrative Use long-handled tools and pumps to cut down contact. Engineering Wash concrete off skin straight away with clean water. Administrative Have clean water and eye wash at the pour. Administrative Wear waterproof gloves, long sleeves and rubber boots with pants worn over the top. PPE Wear safety glasses or goggles to stop splashes. PPE	Medium
4	Frame, brick and roof, with scaffold and edge protection	Falling from height Falling from a roof edge Lifting and carrying heavy loads	Critical	Do the work from the ground where you can, for example pre-assemble on the ground or use extension poles. Elimination Install guardrails or edge protection on all open edges before work starts. Engineering (guarding) Use a scaffold, mobile work platform or aerial work platform instead of working off a ladder. Engineering Where edge protection is not practical, use a fall restraint or fall arrest system on a rated anchor point. Engineering Fall protection plan in place where required. Workers trained in fall protection (Working at Heights training in Ontario). Administrative Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Administrative Do what you can from the ground or from a scaffold at the gutter line, for example pre-assemble parts on the ground. Elimination Install edge protection or guardrails on all open roof edges before work starts. Engineering (guarding) Use a perimeter scaffold with handrails and toe boards along the eaves where practical. Engineering Where guardrails cannot be fitted, use fall restraint on certified roof anchors so workers cannot reach the edge. Engineering Use one safe, controlled access point and keep others off the roof. Administrative Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Elimination Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Substitution Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or equipment instead of carrying by hand. Engineering Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Administrative Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Administrative	Medium
5	Break into the existing house with propping as designed	Structural collapse during alterations Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles	Critical	Get an engineer to check before removing any wall, beam, post or bracing that may be load-bearing. Elimination Keep everyone clear of the area under and next to the work. Engineering (guarding) Install temporary props, needles or shoring as designed before removing any support. Engineering Follow the engineer's sequence. Do not change it without approval. Administrative Check props daily. Do not remove them until the permanent support is in and approved. Administrative Wear a hard hat and safety boots. PPE Order materials cut to size, or use low-dust methods such as score and snap or a block splitter. Substitution Cut outdoors or in a separate area, with other people well away and upwind. Engineering (guarding) Use water on the blade or on-tool dust extraction connected to a HEPA vacuum. Engineering Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Administrative Have a silica exposure control plan where your province requires one. Administrative Wear a fit-tested N95 (or better) respirator. PPE	Medium
6	Coordinate trades for services and fit out	Electric shock from live wiring Slips and trips	Critical	Isolate the power before any work. Do not work live. Elimination Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Engineering (guarding) Test before you touch: prove dead at the point of work with a tested voltage tester. Engineering Only licensed electricians do electrical work, to the Canadian Electrical Code and provincial rules. Administrative Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Administrative If energized work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools, following CSA Z462. Administrative Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE Plan walkways and keep them clear of materials, hoses and leads. Elimination Run leads and hoses overhead on hooks or stands, or along walls, not across walkways. Engineering Fill or cover holes, and lay boards or mats on muddy access paths. Engineering Clean up offcuts, packaging and spills as you go, not at the end of the day. Administrative Keep work areas, stairs and access paths well lit. Administrative Wear safety boots with good grip, laced up. PPE	Medium
7	Clean up daily and keep exits clear for the occupants	Poor housekeeping and waste Fire and emergencies	High	Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Elimination Put waste bins and chutes close to the work. Engineering Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE Provide fire extinguishers suited to the site, checked and easy to reach. Engineering Keep exits and escape routes clear and signed. Engineering Have a site emergency plan: alarm, exits, assembly point and emergency contacts. Administrative Keep a stocked first aid kit and at least one trained first aider on site. Administrative Know the site address and how emergency services get in. Call 911. Administrative Go through the emergency plan with every worker and visitor at induction. Administrative Keep flammable materials and rubbish away from exits and escape routes. Administrative	Medium

PPE

CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195)High-visibility vest (CSA Z96)Hard hat (CSA Z94.1)Safety glasses (CSA Z94.3)Hearing protectionN95 respiratorFull body harness (fall arrest)Respirator fit tested to CSA Z94.4 (P100 for dust, or the type the air test calls for)CoverallsWork glovesChemical-resistant glovesSafety gogglesKnee padsSun protection (sunscreen, hat, long sleeves)

Plant and equipment

Excavator: Provincial operator trainingFrame scaffold: Provincial scaffold erector trainingCircular sawNail gunConcrete pump truck

Permits and plans

Roof access permitFall protection plan

Emergency

Call 911. Add the nearest hospital, the muster point and the first aid attendant for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this FLHA, then sign off at the end of the shift.

Free FLHA template for home addition

Word (.docx) and PDF, Letter landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this FLHA

Pre-start checklist for home addition

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

FLHA read, explained and signed by everyone on the job
Guardrails or fall protection in place before anyone works at 3 m or more
Locates valid and services marked
Shoring, sloping, benching or a trench box in place; spoil kept back from the edge
Asbestos register or survey checked for the work area
Water suppression or on-tool extraction fitted; respirators fit tested
Exclusion zone below the work and public kept out
First aid attendant, first aid kit and emergency number (911) confirmed
PPE checked and worn: CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195), high-visibility vest (CSA Z96), hard hat (CSA Z94.1), safety glasses (CSA Z94.3)

The safe sequence of work

Check the hazardous materials survey for the existing house and protect the occupants
Set up fencing and dust screens between the work and the house
Excavate and pour footings or slab
Frame, brick and roof, with scaffold and edge protection
Break into the existing house with propping as designed
Coordinate trades for services and fit out
Clean up daily and keep exits clear for the occupants

Hazards to watch on home addition

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 3Trench or excavation collapseThe trench walls cave in and bury or crush a worker. Trenches deeper than 1.2 metres (1.5 metres in Alberta and Manitoba) need support or sloping.

Step 7Fire and emergenciesA fire, injury or other emergency happens and workers cannot get out, raise the alarm or get first aid in time.

Step 3Wet concrete and cement burnsWet concrete, mortar and cement burn skin and eyes. Burns can be deep and are often not felt until later.

Step 4Falling from a roof edgeA worker slips or walks off the edge of a roof or gutter line and falls to the ground.

Step 1Working in an occupied home or buildingResidents, staff or children wander into the work area and get hurt, or the work blocks exits or cuts off power or water while people are inside.

Step 5Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.

Highest risk on home addition: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Canada 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatality becomes unlikely and lost time injury).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

Could anyone fall 3 metres or more, or fall any distance into machinery, water, a hazardous substance or through an opening?
Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
Will anyone work on a roof?
Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Licences and legal requirements in Canada

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

Excavator: Provincial operator training
Frame scaffold: Provincial scaffold erector training

Employers must identify hazards before work starts and control them, and workers must be told about them. A field level hazard assessment is done on site, at the start of each shift or task, and reviewed again when conditions change.

Rules that apply: Provincial OHS regulation, asbestos; Provincial OHS regulation, excavations and trenches; Provincial OHS regulation, fall protection; Provincial OHS regulation, silica exposure limits; Provincial OHS regulation, electrical safety, and CSA Z462.

Why FLHAs get rejected

Prime contractors and COR auditors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

End of shift boxes already say "None" when the form was signed at the start of the shift.
One FLHA reused for days or weeks, or a "review by" date a month away, when the work and conditions change daily.
No time of assessment and no record of any revision, which Alberta s.7(3) requires.
Workers signed that they "read" it, but nothing shows they took part, which Alberta s.8(1) requires.
Work at height with no fall protection plan where the province requires one, or no written rescue procedure for workers using fall arrest.
Permits or locates required on site but no permit or ticket numbers recorded.
No re-assessment entry after an obvious change such as weather, a new task or a new crew member.

Rules by province for home addition

Province or territory	Key local rule	Regulator
Ontario	Fall protection (O. Reg. 213/91 s.26) applies at a fall of more than 3 m, more than 1.2 m where the work area is used as a path for a wheelbarrow or similar equipment, and at any height into operating machinery, water or other liquid, a hazardous substance, or through an opening.	Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
British Columbia	Fall protection is required where a fall of 3 m or more may occur (s.11.2). A written fall protection plan is required at 7.5 m or more where there are no permanent guardrails (s.11.3).	WorkSafeBC
Alberta	A hazard assessment must be done before work begins, and before a new work site is built (OHS Code s.7(1)). The results must be written down with the controls (s.7(2)).	Alberta Occupational Health and Safety
Quebec	Guardrails (Safety Code s.2.9.1, as amended by Decret 63-2025) are needed where a worker could fall into liquid or a hazardous substance, onto moving parts or dangerous equipment, 1.2 m or more when using a vehicle, 1.5 m or more when handling a load, and more than 3 m in all other cases.	CNESST (Commission des normes, de l'equite, de la sante et de la securite du travail)
Manitoba	A prime contractor is required whenever more than one employer or self employed person works on the site at the same time (Act s.7).	Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Branch
Saskatchewan	An occupational health committee is required at 10 or more workers of one employer (Act s.3-22).	Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, OHS Division
Nova Scotia	Workers must be trained in fall protection before using it or working in, supervising or planning work in a fall protection area, with a refresher at least every 3 years (WHSR s.21.19).	Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, Safety Branch (OHS)
New Brunswick	Fall protection is needed from 3 m above water or the nearest permanent safe level (Reg 91-191 s.49(1)(a)(i)).	WorkSafeNB
Newfoundland and Labrador	Give written notice to the minister before starting a construction project that will last 30 days or more, with the site, location, type of work and number of workers (Regs s.8).	Government Services, Occupational Health and Safety Division
Prince Edward Island	Fall protection is needed from 3 m above the nearest safe surface or water (Fall Protection Regulations s.2(1)(a)).	Workers Compensation Board of PEI, OHS Division
Yukon	Every employer must do hazard assessments with the committee, representative or workers, and redo them after significant changes or incidents (Regs s.1.03.01).	Yukon Workers' Safety and Compensation Board
Northwest Territories	Fall protection is needed from 3 m, or lower if there is a risk of injury (s.119(1)). Guardrails are needed for falls of 1.2 m to 3 m at permanent work sites (s.119(2)).	Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC)
Nunavut	No 911. To reach the RCMP in an emergency, dial your community's first three digits then 1111 (Iqaluit: 979-1111). Put the local fire, ambulance and RCMP numbers on every FLHA.	Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC)

Questions

Do I need an FLHA for home addition?

Who signs the FLHA?

The supervisor and every worker take part in the assessment and sign on before work starts, then sign off at the end of the shift. Review it and re-sign whenever the task or conditions change.

How long do I keep it?

Keep completed hazard assessments for at least 3 years (COR auditors sample the last 12 months). Review this FLHA and re-sign whenever the task, crew or conditions change.

What PPE is needed for home addition?

Usually CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195), High-visibility vest (CSA Z96), Hard hat (CSA Z94.1), Safety glasses (CSA Z94.3), Hearing protection, N95 respirator, Full body harness (fall arrest), Respirator fit tested to CSA Z94.4 (P100 for dust, or the type the air test calls for), Coveralls, Work gloves, Chemical-resistant gloves, Safety goggles, Knee pads, Sun protection (sunscreen, hat, long sleeves). The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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Related jobs in other trades

Excavation and earthworksTrenchingAlso involves hitting underground services ScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves public entering the work area

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkWorking at Heights Toolbox talkSilica Dust Toolbox talkAsbestos Awareness Toolbox talkWorking in Cold Weather

Blank FLHA template: free FLHA templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United Kingdom (RAMS) · United States (JHA)