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Scaffolding · United States

JHA for scaffold alteration

By SiteSortedBuilt 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 scaffold alteration 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, scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold, falling tools and materials and public entering the work area.

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JHA example: scaffold alteration

This is a complete JHA for scaffold alteration, 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)
Scaffold alteration · Scaffolding · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Only licensed or carded scaffolders alter scaffold; tag it out first
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold
Critical
  • Scaffold is built, moved and taken down under the supervision of a competent person. Engineering
  • Fit guardrails, mid rails and toe boards on every platform more than 10 feet above a lower level, or use personal fall arrest (29 CFR 1926.451(g)(1)). Engineering
  • Use mobile scaffolds only on firm, level ground with casters locked, and guy, tie, brace or fit outriggers once the height is more than 4 times the base width (29 CFR 1926.451(c)(1)). Never move one with anyone on it. Engineering
  • Every worker on the scaffold is trained by a qualified person (29 CFR 1926.454). Administrative
  • A competent person inspects the scaffold before each shift and after anything that could affect it (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3)). Administrative
  • Do not overload platforms. Know the rated load (light, medium or heavy duty) and stack materials over the legs, not mid-span (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(1)). Administrative
  • Never remove ties, braces, guardrails or planks. Only the erection crew alters the scaffold, under the direction of the competent person (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(7)). Administrative
  • Wear a hard hat and safety boots on and around the scaffold. PPE
Medium
2Clear other workers from the area
  • Falling tools and materials
  • 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
  • Falling tools and materials: see step 4 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
  • Use a spotter when moving plant or materials across public paths. Administrative
Medium
3Make the change, keeping ties and bracing in place
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold
  • Falling from height
Critical
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • 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)
  • Falling from height: see step 4 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
4Reinstate guardrails and toe boards
  • Falling from height
  • Falling tools and materials
Critical
  • 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
  • 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
5Re-inspect and re-tag
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold
Critical
  • Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffold: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
Medium

PPE

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

Plant and equipment

Supported scaffold: Erected under a competent person (29 CFR 1926.451)Hand 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 scaffold alteration

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 scaffold alteration

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Only licensed or carded scaffolders alter scaffold; tag it out first
  2. Clear other workers from the area
  3. Make the change, keeping ties and bracing in place
  4. Reinstate guardrails and toe boards
  5. Re-inspect and re-tag

Hazards to watch on scaffold alteration

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

Step 1, 3, 5Scaffold collapse or fall from scaffoldA scaffold that is badly built, overloaded or altered collapses or tips, or a worker falls from an unguarded platform.
Step 3, 4Falling from heightA worker falls 6 feet or more from an edge, platform or opening to a lower level and is badly hurt or killed.
Step 2, 4Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 2Public entering the work areaMembers of the public, including children, walk into the site and are hit by plant or falling objects, or fall into holes.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on scaffold alteration: 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 an aerial lift (scissor lift or boom lift)?
  • Was the building built before 1981?

Licences and legal requirements in United States

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

  • Supported scaffold: Erected under a competent person (29 CFR 1926.451)

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 Subpart L; 29 CFR 1926.501(c); 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 scaffold alteration?

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

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

More scaffolding JHAs

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

Sources