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Concreting · United States

JHA for precast concrete erection

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OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for precast concrete erection 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, aerial lift tip-over or crush, falling tools and materials and public entering the work area.

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JHA example: precast concrete erection

This is a complete JHA for precast concrete erection, 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)
Tilt-up and precast panel installation · Concreting · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Review the erection design and lift plan, and check crane set up and ground
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
  • Crane and lifting failure
High
  • Set an exclusion zone around the lift and bracing. Nobody stands under or beside a panel being lifted. Engineering (guarding)
  • Use panels, lifting inserts and braces designed and certified by an engineer. Engineering
  • Use a crane rated for the panel at the radius, with a written lift plan. Engineering
  • Check bracing after it goes in, daily, and after strong wind. Administrative
  • Do not remove braces until the panel is permanently fixed and the engineer approves. Administrative
  • Keep workers out from under precast members being lifted (29 CFR 1926.704). Administrative
  • Wear a hard hat, hi-vis, gloves and safety boots. PPE
  • Barricade the lift zone and keep everyone out from under the load. Engineering (guarding)
  • Use a crane rated for the load at the radius, set up on firm ground with outrigger pads. Engineering
  • Check slings, chains, shackles and hooks before use. Remove anything damaged or not tagged. Engineering
  • Plan the lift: weight, radius, ground, path and landing area. Use a written lift plan for complex lifts. Administrative
  • Use a certified crane operator who has also been evaluated by the employer, with the evaluation documented on site (29 CFR 1926.1427), plus a qualified rigger (1926.1425) and a qualified signal person (1926.1428). Administrative
  • Use tag lines to control loads and agree on clear radio or hand signals. Administrative
  • Stop lifting in high wind or when the operator cannot see the signal person. Administrative
  • Never ride on a load or hook. Administrative
Medium
2Set exclusion zones so no one is under or beside a panel being lifted
  • Falling tools and materials
  • Crane and lifting failure
  • Public entering the work area
High
  • Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Engineering (guarding)
  • Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Engineering
  • Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Engineering
  • Tether hand tools when working at height. Engineering
  • Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Administrative
  • Crane and lifting failure: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • 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 unauthorized entry". Administrative
  • Make the site safe at the end of each day: cover holes, lower plant, remove ladders and lock tools away. Administrative
Medium
3Inspect lifting inserts and rigging before each lift
  • Crane and lifting failure
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
High
  • Crane and lifting failure: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
4Stand and brace each panel before releasing the crane
  • Structural collapse during alterations
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure
  • Strong wind and storms
High
  • 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)
  • Structural collapse during alterations: see step 6 for the full controls Administrative
  • Tilt-up and precast panel failure: see step 1 for the full controls 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
5Release rigging from the aerial lift, not by climbing the panel
  • Aerial lift tip-over or crush
  • Falling from height
Critical
  • Check the ground before setting up. Use outriggers and spreader pads, and keep clear of trenches, pits and slopes. Engineering
  • Use a platform with tilt alarm and secondary guarding (anti-entrapment) where there is an overhead crush risk. Engineering
  • Only trained and authorized operators use aerial lifts and scissor lifts (29 CFR 1926.453 for boom lifts, 1926.452(w) and 1926.454 for scissor lifts). Administrative
  • Do a pre-start check each day. Keep a trained person on the ground who can lower the platform in an emergency. Administrative
  • Never exceed the safe working load, climb on the rails or use a ladder in the basket. Administrative
  • In boom-type platforms, wear a harness clipped to the basket anchor point. 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
6Check braces daily until the structure is tied in
  • Structural collapse during alterations
High
  • 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
Medium

PPE

Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413)Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1)High-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 or 3 (Type R near roadways)Personal fall arrest system (harness)Work glovesSafety glasses (ANSI Z87.1)

Plant and equipment

Mobile crane: Operator certified by an accredited body or audited employer program (29 CFR 1926.1427) and evaluated by the employer, with a signed evaluation on site (1926.1427(f)); qualified rigger (1926.1425) and qualified signal person (1926.1428)Boom lift (aerial lift): Trained and authorized operator (29 CFR 1926.453, ANSI A92.24 training and familiarization)Power drillHand tools

Permits and plans

Critical lift planWritten fall protection plan (only where guardrails, nets or personal fall arrest are not feasible, 1926.502(k))

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 precast concrete erection

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 precast concrete erection

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Review the erection design and lift plan, and check crane set up and ground
  2. Set exclusion zones so no one is under or beside a panel being lifted
  3. Inspect lifting inserts and rigging before each lift
  4. Stand and brace each panel before releasing the crane
  5. Release rigging from the aerial lift, not by climbing the panel
  6. Check braces daily until the structure is tied in

Hazards to watch on precast concrete erection

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

Step 1, 3, 4Tilt-up and precast panel failureA tilt-up or precast panel falls while it is lifted, propped or braced and crushes workers.
Step 5Aerial lift tip-over or crushThe platform tips on soft or sloping ground, the worker is crushed against a beam or ceiling, or is thrown out of the basket.
Step 1, 2, 3Crane and lifting failureA load falls or swings, or the crane tips, crushing workers under or near the lift.
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 4, 6Structural collapse during alterationsRemoving a wall, beam, post or bracing makes part of the building fall on workers.
Step 5Falling from heightA worker falls 6 feet or more from an edge, platform or opening to a lower level and is badly hurt or killed.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on precast concrete erection: 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 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?
  • Was the building built before 1981?

Licences and legal requirements in United States

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

  • Mobile crane: Operator certified by an accredited body or audited employer program (29 CFR 1926.1427) and evaluated by the employer, with a signed evaluation on site (1926.1427(f)); qualified rigger (1926.1425) and qualified signal person (1926.1428)
  • Boom lift (aerial lift): Trained and authorized operator (29 CFR 1926.453, ANSI A92.24 training and familiarization)

OSHA requires employers to find and fix hazards and to train workers on them. A JHA breaks the job into steps, lists the hazards in each step and the controls that protect the crew. General contractors often require one before you start.

Rules that apply: 29 CFR 1926.704; 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC; 29 CFR 1926.501(c); 29 CFR 1926.453 (boom lifts); 1926.452(w) and 1926.454 (scissor lifts); 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M.

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 precast concrete erection?

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for precast concrete erection 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 precast concrete erection?

Usually Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413), Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1), High-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 or 3 (Type R near roadways), Personal fall arrest system (harness), Work gloves, Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1). The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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

Sources