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Carpentry · United States

JHA for wall framing

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from OSHA standards and guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for wall framing before you start.

A JHA breaks the job into steps, lists the hazards in each step and the controls that protect the crew, and the crew signs it. The main hazards are falling from height, falling through a floor opening or void, saw cuts and kickback and wood and MDF dust.

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JHA example: wall framing

This is a complete JHA for wall framing, with 6 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.

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
Wall framing · Carpentry · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  • Slips and trips
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Medium
  • Plan walkways and keep them clear of materials, hoses and leads. Elimination
  • Run cords 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
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Elimination
  • Put dumpsters and waste 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
Low
2Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  • Saw cuts and kickback
  • Wood and MDF dust
  • Loud noise
High
  • Keep blade guards fitted and working, and use the riving knife on table saws. Engineering
  • Use push sticks and clamps, and support long pieces so they do not pinch the blade. Engineering
  • Use a sharp, undamaged blade made for the material. Administrative
  • Stand to one side of the blade line, out of the kickback path. Administrative
  • Let the blade stop fully before reaching in or putting the saw down. Administrative
  • Buy pre-cut or pre-finished lumber where you can. Substitution
  • Cut outdoors or in a well-ventilated area away from others. Engineering (guarding)
  • Use saws and sanders with dust collection connected to a HEPA vacuum. Engineering
  • Clean up with a vacuum, not a broom or compressed air. Administrative
  • Wear an N95 respirator for cutting and sanding. PPE
  • Use quieter tools and methods, such as cut-to-size materials, low-noise machines and battery tools. Substitution
  • Keep noisy plant away from work areas, and use screens or distance between the noise and people. Engineering (guarding)
  • Keep tools maintained and use mufflers on compressors and generators. Engineering
  • Limit time on noisy tools and rotate workers. Administrative
  • If you have to shout to be heard at arm's length, wear hearing protection. Administrative
Medium
3Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  • Nail gun injuries
  • Compressed air
  • Eye injuries
High
  • Use a nail gun with a sequential (single shot) trigger, not a contact or bump trigger. Substitution
  • Disconnect the air or battery before clearing jams, adjusting or moving between work areas. Engineering
  • Keep your free hand at least 12 inches from the nailing point. Administrative
  • Never point the gun at anyone or carry it with your finger on the trigger. Administrative
  • Train new users before they use a nail gun, and check for pipes, cables and metal behind the surface. Administrative
  • Fit whip checks (safety cables) on hose joints and check hoses before use. Engineering
  • Fit a pressure regulator and keep pressure to the tool's rating. Engineering
  • Turn off and bleed the line before disconnecting. Administrative
  • Never point air at anyone or use it on clothes or skin. Air for cleaning must be under 30 psi with chip guarding (29 CFR 1926.302(b)(4)). Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. PPE
  • Use tool guards and screens to stop flying particles. Engineering
  • Use dust extraction and water to keep dust out of the air. Engineering
  • Keep others out of the area when cutting, grinding or chipping. Administrative
  • Keep an eye wash station or eye wash bottles on site. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses at all times, goggles for dust and chemicals, and a face shield for grinding. PPE
Medium
4Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Strong wind and storms
High
  • 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 plant 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
  • 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
  • Check the forecast each morning and plan work at height and lifting around the weather. Elimination
  • Tie down or weigh down loose sheets, panels, boards and rubbish at the end of each shift. Engineering
  • Set wind limits for roof work, platforms and cranes, using the manufacturer's limits, and stop when they are reached. Administrative
  • Stop work and get down in lightning. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up. Administrative
  • Check scaffold, fencing and edge protection after strong wind before anyone uses them. Administrative
Medium
5Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  • Falling through a floor opening or void
  • Falling from height
Critical
  • Cover every hole with a secured cover marked "HOLE" or "COVER" that can hold twice the weight it may carry. Engineering (guarding)
  • Put guardrails with toe boards around stairwells, elevator shafts, floor holes and open edges. Engineering (guarding)
  • Install stairs early and fit temporary handrails as soon as they go in. Engineering
  • Never remove a cover or guardrail without approval. Put it back straight away. Administrative
  • Inspect covers and barriers daily and after other trades have been through. Administrative
  • Keep lighting good enough to see openings, especially on lower floors and in the evening. Administrative
  • Use a harness clipped to a rated anchor when working right next to an open void. PPE
  • 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 lift 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
  • Provide fall protection at 6 feet or more and train workers to recognize fall hazards (29 CFR 1926.503). Administrative
  • Have a rescue plan so a worker hanging in a harness can be brought down within minutes. Administrative
  • Wear a full body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard, clipped on at all times when using fall arrest. PPE
Medium
6Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
  • Slips and trips
Medium
  • Poor housekeeping and waste: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • Slips and trips: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
Low

PPE

Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413)Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1)Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)Work glovesHard hat (ANSI Z89.1)N95 respiratorSafety goggles (ANSI Z87.1)Face shield (ANSI Z87.1)

Plant and equipment

Nail gun (pneumatic nailer)Circular saw (skill saw)Miter sawAir compressorPlatform ladder

Emergency

Call 911. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aid / cpr person for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this JHA.

Free JHA template for wall framing

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 JHA

Pre-start checklist for wall framing

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Set up a clean, level cutting area away from walkways
  2. Cut studs and plates with guards working, keeping hands clear of the blade
  3. Nail frames together on the deck, using sequential trigger on nail guns
  4. Stand frames with enough people and brace them straight away
  5. Guard slab or floor edges and openings near the work
  6. Clean up offcuts and nails at the end of each day

Hazards to watch on wall framing

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

Step 3Compressed airAn air hose whips when a fitting fails, or air blown at skin or eyes drives dirt in and causes injury.
Step 2Wood and MDF dustSawing and sanding lumber, MDF and treated wood makes fine dust that causes asthma, skin problems and some cancers.
Step 3Nail gun injuriesA nail gun fires by accident, or a nail goes through the lumber or ricochets and hits the user or someone nearby.
Step 4Strong wind and stormsWind blows sheets, panels and people off roofs and scaffolds, and storms and lightning make work at height and lifting unsafe.
Step 4Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 5Falling through a floor opening or voidA worker steps into an open hole, stairwell, elevator shaft or floor opening and falls to the level below.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on wall framing: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United States 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatality becomes unlikely and serious 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):

  • Will anyone work 6 feet or more above a lower level?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, fiberglass panel or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or rolling tower?

Why JHAs get rejected

General contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • Generic steps such as "work safely" or "use PPE" with no task-specific hazards or controls.
  • No OSHA standards referenced for the hazards that have them, such as fall protection, ladders, scaffolds or silica.
  • No competent person named for fall protection, excavation, scaffolds or silica where those hazards exist.
  • Equipment listed without inspection requirements, and no training listed for the people using it.
  • Respirators listed with no respiratory protection program, medical clearance or fit test.
  • Controls rely only on PPE when engineering controls such as guardrails, wet cutting or extraction are feasible.
  • No crew sign-off, or no date and revision when the job has changed.

Questions

Do I need a JHA for wall framing?

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for wall framing before you start.

Who signs the JHA?

The supervisor or competent person who prepared it signs, and every crew member signs to show they were trained on the hazards and controls before the job starts. Many general contractors also sign to accept it.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this JHA on site during the job, and keep it with the training and inspection records for at least 1 year after the job (longer if your state plan or general contractor requires it). OSHA does not set a retention period for JHAs themselves.

What PPE is needed for wall framing?

Usually Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413), Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1), Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), Work gloves, Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1), N95 respirator, Safety goggles (ANSI Z87.1), Face shield (ANSI Z87.1). The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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Related jobs in other trades

Welding and fabricationSteel ErectionAlso involves structural collapse during alterationsRoofingRoof ReplacementAlso involves strong wind and stormsScaffoldingScaffold ErectionAlso involves falling from heightConcretingConcrete Slab PourAlso involves saw cuts and kickbackLandscapingTree RemovalAlso involves loud noiseExcavation and earthworksTrenching and ExcavationAlso involves loud noise

Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkSlips, Trips and FallsToolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

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

Sources