Job hazard analysis: erecting and dismantling scaffolds
Build up and take down a scaffold in stages, with the right people and checks.
- 5 steps
- 5 PPE items
- Editable in Reldro
The job hazard analysis
PPE required: Hard hat, Safety glasses, Gloves, Safety boots, Fall arrest harness
1. Plan and prepare the base
What could go wrong
Settling or tipping on soft, uneven ground
How we control it
Check the ground. Use base plates and sole boards. Follow the maker's or designer's plan.
2. Erect in stages
What could go wrong
Falls during assembly; dropped components
How we control it
Fit guardrails as early as you can. Use fall protection where the system calls for it. Pass components by hand or hoist, and don't throw them.
3. Tie in and brace
What could go wrong
Collapse from loose ties or missing braces
How we control it
Tie to the structure at the spacing in the plan. Don't remove ties early.
4. Check, tag, and hand over
What could go wrong
Using an unfinished scaffold
How we control it
Have a competent person inspect it. Tag it as ready, or not ready, at every access point.
5. Dismantle
What could go wrong
Falls and falling parts as the structure comes apart
How we control it
Work from the top down. Keep the area below barricaded. Remove ties only as the scaffold comes down past them.
- Only trained people should erect, alter, or dismantle a scaffold.
- In the US, OSHA requires guardrails on platforms more than 10 feet (3 m) above a lower level.
When to use it
Use it each time a scaffold goes up, changes, or comes down. A competent person should supervise.
Review it with the crew before the work starts, change anything that doesn't match how you'll do the job, and update it when the method, the equipment, or the site changes.
Use this JHA in Reldro
- It arrives ready to edit, and your crew uses it on their phone, even without signal.
- Failed items become corrective actions with an owner and a due date.
- Every completed one is kept with the site, the date and who did it.
