Electrical · Canada

FLHA for electrical fault finding

By SiteSortedBuilt 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 electrical fault finding 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 electric shock from live wiring, electric shock from cords and power tools, falling from a ladder and working in an occupied home or building.

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FLHA example: electrical fault finding

This is a complete FLHA for electrical fault finding, 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)

Electrical fault finding · Electrical · Example

Document FLHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#	Job step	Hazards	Risk before	Controls	Risk after
1	Talk to the client about the fault and keep people away from the electrical panel	Working in an occupied home or building	Medium	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	Low
2	Check the test meter on a known source before and after use	Electric shock from live wiring	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) Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative	Medium
3	Do live testing only when it cannot be done dead, using insulated tools, mats and arc rated gear	Electric shock from live wiring Stored energy	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 Release or block all stored energy before work: release the pressure in pipes, tanks and hoses, bleed hydraulics, release springs, lower loads. Elimination Lock out and tag all energy sources with personal locks. Engineering (guarding) Put mechanical blocks or props under raised parts like buckets, tipper bodies and doors. Engineering Test that the system is dead and nothing can move before you start. Administrative Follow the maker's procedure, for example for garage door and roller door springs. Administrative Wear safety glasses and gloves. PPE	Medium
4	Isolate the faulty circuit, apply lockout and tags and prove dead before any repair	Electric shock from live wiring	Critical	Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative	Medium
5	Repair or replace the faulty part	Electric shock from cords and power tools Cuts from sharp edges Falling from a ladder	High	Use battery-powered tools where you can. Substitution Use GFCI protection on all temporary power and portable tools. Engineering Keep cords off the ground and out of water, using stands or hooks. Engineering Check cords, plugs and tools before every use. Tag out and remove anything damaged. Administrative Do not use tools in rain or wet areas unless they are rated for it. Administrative 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 Use a platform ladder, mobile scaffold or aerial work platform for longer jobs instead of a straight ladder. Substitution Use CSA Grade 1, 1A or 1AA ladders in good condition. Remove any damaged ladder from site. Engineering Set extension ladders at a 4 to 1 angle on firm, level ground, tied or footed, and reaching 1 metre above the landing. Engineering Use ladders only for short, light work. Do not carry heavy or awkward loads up a ladder. Administrative Keep three points of contact and your belt buckle between the side rails. Do not overreach. Administrative	Medium
6	Retest, restore power and record what was found	Electric shock from live wiring Working alone	Critical	Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative Do not do high risk work alone: work at height, confined spaces, live electrical or trenches. Elimination Set a check-in system: call or text at set times, and someone follows up if there is no reply. Administrative Tell someone where you are working and when you expect to finish. Administrative Carry a charged phone. Use a personal alarm or GPS device where there is no signal. Administrative Follow your province's working alone rules: a named person checks in with the worker at set intervals and at the end of the shift, and acts if there is no reply. In BC the procedure must be written. Administrative Keep a first aid kit on hand and know the site address for emergency services. Administrative	Medium

PPE

CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195)Safety glasses (CSA Z94.3)Rubber insulating glovesArc flash PPE (CSA Z462)N95 respiratorWork glovesCut-resistant glovesHard hat (CSA Z94.1)

Plant and equipment

Electrical test meterHand toolsStep ladder

Permits and plans

Lockout permit

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 electrical fault finding

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 electrical fault finding

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
Ladder inspected, secured and extending 1 m above the landing
Lockout, tagout and test before touch done before work starts
First aid attendant, first aid kit and emergency number (911) confirmed
PPE checked and worn: CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195), safety glasses (CSA Z94.3), rubber insulating gloves, arc flash PPE (CSA Z462)

The safe sequence of work

Talk to the client about the fault and keep people away from the electrical panel
Check the test meter on a known source before and after use
Do live testing only when it cannot be done dead, using insulated tools, mats and arc rated gear
Isolate the faulty circuit, apply lockout and tags and prove dead before any repair
Repair or replace the faulty part
Retest, restore power and record what was found

Hazards to watch on electrical fault finding

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

Step 6Working aloneA worker on their own is hurt or falls ill and nobody knows to help them.

Step 5Electric shock from cords and power toolsDamaged cords, plugs or tools, or water near power, give the user an electric shock.

Step 3Stored energyEnergy left in springs, hydraulics, compressed gas, raised loads or capacitors releases suddenly and crushes or injures workers.

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 5Falling from a ladderThe ladder slips or tips, or the worker overreaches, and they fall onto a hard surface.

Step 5Cuts from sharp edgesSheet metal, glass, blades, cable tray and offcuts cut hands and arms.

Highest risk on electrical fault finding: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the Canada 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible 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):

Could anyone fall 3 metres or more, or fall any distance into machinery, water, a hazardous substance or through an opening?
Will anyone work on a roof?
Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?
Will you use an aerial work platform (scissor lift or boom lift)?

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 electrical fault finding

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 electrical fault finding?

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 electrical fault finding?

Usually CSA green triangle safety boots (CSA Z195), Safety glasses (CSA Z94.3), Rubber insulating gloves, Arc flash PPE (CSA Z462), N95 respirator, Work gloves, Cut-resistant gloves, Hard hat (CSA Z94.1). 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)