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HVAC · United States

JHA for ductwork installation

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 ductwork installation 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 silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles, aerial lift tip-over or crush, falling tools and materials and loud noise.

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JHA example: ductwork installation

This is a complete JHA for ductwork installation, with 5 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)
Ductwork installation · HVAC · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Set up aerial lift or platform and close the area below
  • Aerial lift tip-over or crush
  • Falling tools and materials
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
  • 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
  • Lower materials with a hoist, chute or rope. Never throw or drop anything down. Administrative
  • Wear a hard hat anywhere objects could fall. PPE
Medium
2Drill anchors with dust extraction
  • Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tiles
  • Loud noise
Critical
  • 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 wet cutting or on-tool dust collection with a HEPA vacuum, as set out in Table 1 of 29 CFR 1926.1153. Engineering
  • Clean up with a vacuum or wet methods. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. Administrative
  • Have a written exposure control plan and a competent person for silica (29 CFR 1926.1153). Administrative
  • Workers who must wear a respirator 30 or more days a year get a free medical exam every 3 years (29 CFR 1926.1153(h)). Administrative
  • Wear the respirator Table 1 lists for the task: APF 10 (a fit-tested N95 or half mask) for most tasks, APF 25 (such as a loose-fitting PAPR) for tuckpointing with a handheld grinder for more than 4 hours a shift. 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
  • Wear earplugs or earmuffs rated for the noise. PPE
Medium
3Lift duct sections with two people or a duct lifter
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Repetitive work and awkward postures
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
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Administrative
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
  • Use tools that cut the effort: powered screwdrivers, long-handled tools and extension poles for overhead work. Substitution
  • Set work up at waist height on benches or trestles where you can. Engineering
  • Use light tools with good grips, and keep blades and bits sharp. Engineering
  • Rotate tasks and take short breaks every hour on repetitive work. Administrative
  • Warm up before heavy physical work and report aches and pains early. Administrative
  • Wear knee pads for kneeling work and gloves for grip. PPE
Medium
4Join and seal ducts, handling sharp metal edges with gloves
  • Cuts from sharp edges
  • Hazardous chemicals
Medium
  • Deburr or cover sharp edges, and fit edge protectors on exposed sheet metal. Engineering
  • Use knives with retractable or self-retracting blades. Engineering
  • Cut away from your body and keep your other hand clear. Administrative
  • Put used blades in a blade bin or sharps container. Administrative
  • Use two people to handle large sheets of metal or glass. Administrative
  • Wear cut-resistant gloves and long sleeves. PPE
  • Choose the least harmful product that does the job, for example water-based instead of solvent-based. Substitution
  • Use chemicals in well-ventilated areas, or use fans and extraction in closed rooms. Engineering
  • Read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and labels before use, following OSHA Hazard Communication. Administrative
  • Keep chemicals in labeled containers. Never pour them into drink bottles. Administrative
  • Store chemicals away from heat, food and drink, and keep products that react with each other apart. Administrative
  • Have eye wash and a spill kit nearby, and wash hands before eating. Administrative
  • Wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses or goggles as listed on the SDS. PPE
  • Use a respirator with the right cartridge if the SDS calls for one. PPE
Medium
5Clean up offcuts and screws
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Medium
  • 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

PPE

Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413)Cut-resistant glovesSafety glasses (ANSI Z87.1)Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1)N95 respiratorPersonal fall arrest system (harness)High-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 or 3 (Type R near roadways)Half-face respirator (P100 cartridges)Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs)Work glovesKnee padsChemical-resistant glovesSafety goggles (ANSI Z87.1)Coveralls

Plant and equipment

Scissor lift: Trained operator: OSHA treats scissor lifts as mobile scaffolds (29 CFR 1926.452(w), 1926.454); ANSI A92.24 training and familiarizationPlatform ladderPower drillRotary hammerHand tools

Permits and plans

Written 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 ductwork installation

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 ductwork installation

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 aerial lift or platform and close the area below
  2. Drill anchors with dust extraction
  3. Lift duct sections with two people or a duct lifter
  4. Join and seal ducts, handling sharp metal edges with gloves
  5. Clean up offcuts and screws

Hazards to watch on ductwork installation

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

Step 1Aerial 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 3Repetitive work and awkward posturesDoing the same movement for hours, kneeling or working overhead causes long-term damage to joints, muscles and tendons.
Step 4Hazardous chemicalsGlues, sealants, solvents, acids, cleaners and cement burn skin and eyes or cause breathing problems and poisoning.
Step 1Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 2Silica dust from concrete, brick, stone and tilesCutting, grinding or drilling concrete, brick, stone, tile or fiber cement makes fine silica dust that causes silicosis and lung cancer.
Step 4Cuts from sharp edgesSheet metal, glass, blades, cable tray and offcuts cut hands and arms.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on ductwork installation: 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?

Licences and legal requirements in United States

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

  • Scissor lift: Trained operator: OSHA treats scissor lifts as mobile scaffolds (29 CFR 1926.452(w), 1926.454); 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 1926.453 (boom lifts); 1926.452(w) and 1926.454 (scissor lifts); 29 CFR 1926.501(c); 29 CFR 1926.1153; 29 CFR 1926.52; 29 CFR 1926.59 Hazard Communication.

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 ductwork installation?

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

Usually Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413), Cut-resistant gloves, Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1), Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1), N95 respirator, Personal fall arrest system (harness), High-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 or 3 (Type R near roadways), Half-face respirator (P100 cartridges), Hearing protection (earmuffs or plugs), Work gloves, Knee pads, Chemical-resistant gloves, Safety goggles (ANSI Z87.1), Coveralls. The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkExtension Leads and Power ToolsToolbox talkSilica DustToolbox talkHearing Protection and NoiseToolbox talkHazard Communication and SDS

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

Sources