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Concreting · Canada

FLHA for tilt-up panel installation

By SiteSortedBuilt from provincial OHS law and CCOHS guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

Provincial OHS law requires hazards to be assessed and controlled before work starts. A field level hazard assessment (FLHA) for tilt-up panel installation 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, aerial work platform tip-over or crush, falling tools and materials and public entering the work area.

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FLHA example: tilt-up panel installation

This is a complete FLHA for tilt-up panel installation, 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.

Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA)
Tilt-up and precast panel installation · Concreting · Example
Document FLHA-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
  • 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 certified crane operators and trained riggers and signallers, as your province requires. 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 signaller. 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 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
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 work platform, not by climbing the panel
  • Aerial work platform 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
  • Operators are trained to CSA B354.8 and the manufacturer's instructions, and the platform is inspected to CSA B354.7. 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 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
  • 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

CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195)Hard hat (CSA Z94.1)High-visibility vest (CSA Z96)Full body harness (fall arrest)Work glovesSafety glasses (CSA Z94.3)

Plant and equipment

Mobile crane: Provincial crane operator certification, qualified riggerBoom lift: Provincial aerial work platform operator training (CSA B354.8)Power drillHand tools

Permits and plans

Lift planFall 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 tilt-up panel 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 FLHA

Pre-start checklist for tilt-up panel installation

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 work platform, not by climbing the panel
  6. Check braces daily until the structure is tied in

Hazards to watch on tilt-up panel installation

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 work platform 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 from an edge, platform or opening and is badly hurt or killed. Fall protection is needed from 3 metres, and at any height over machinery, water or other hazards.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on tilt-up panel installation: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Canada 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 fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
  • Was the building built before 1990?

Licences and legal requirements in Canada

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

  • Mobile crane: Provincial crane operator certification, qualified rigger
  • Boom lift: Provincial aerial work platform operator training (CSA B354.8)

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, cranes and hoisting; Provincial OHS regulation and CSA B354.7, B354.8; Provincial OHS regulation, fall protection.

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 tilt-up panel installation

Province or territoryKey local ruleRegulator
OntarioFall 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 ColumbiaFall 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
AlbertaA 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
QuebecGuardrails (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)
ManitobaA 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
SaskatchewanAn 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 ScotiaWorkers 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 BrunswickFall 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 LabradorGive 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 IslandFall 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
YukonEvery 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 TerritoriesFall 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)
NunavutNo 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 tilt-up panel installation?

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

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 tilt-up panel installation?

Usually CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195), Hard hat (CSA Z94.1), High-visibility vest (CSA Z96), Full body harness (fall arrest), Work gloves, Safety glasses (CSA Z94.3). The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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

Sources