A JHA — job hazard analysis, sometimes called a field level risk assessment (FLRA) — is a simple discipline: before starting a task, break it into steps, identify the hazards in each step, and decide the controls. Done right it takes a few minutes. Skipped, it's behind a surprising share of serious incidents.
It's not optional thinking — it's pre-job planning
IHSA is direct about this: a formal hazard assessment should be part of any pre-job planning. Ontario's OHSA reinforces it from another angle — supervisors must be competent persons, aware of the actual and potential hazards of the work, and they're expected to inspect and correct hazards before work begins. A JHA is how that awareness gets turned into something the whole crew can act on.
Why "daily and task-specific" is the whole point
An envelope jobsite is not the same site two days running. Yesterday the crew was glazing a protected elevation; today they're on the windward face two floors up with a different swing stage setup. The hazards changed, so the assessment has to change. A JHA written once at mobilization and filed away is worth very little. One done at the task, on the day, by the people doing the work is worth a great deal.
Under Ontario's rules, even a twenty-year veteran can be a "new worker" the moment they move to a site with different hazards. The hazard doesn't care how experienced the crew is — which is exactly why the assessment is done fresh, per task.
On envelope work, the steps write themselves
- Suspended access set-up and pre-use inspection
- Material hoisting and glass/panel handling — loads, pinch points, wind
- Fall protection and the exclusion zone below the work
- Anchorage and rigging checks for the day's positions
- Sealant and coating exposure — ventilation and PPE
Keeping them real, not paperwork
- Do it with the crew, not for them. The person on the tools spots the hazard the office won't.
- Name the control, not just the hazard. "Wind" isn't a JHA; "hold panel lifts above 40 km/h, spotter on the corner" is.
- Keep it at the task. New task or changed conditions means a new look.
- Capture it where the work is — a JHA reconstructed at the trailer later isn't a JHA.
The assessment happens where the work does
Field Cortex puts the JHA on the phone in the foreman's pocket — hazards, controls, and sign-off completed at the task and tied to the job and elevation, even offline. It becomes part of the record instead of a form someone means to fill out later.
See how it worksFAQ
What's the difference between a JHA and a toolbox talk?
A JHA analyzes the hazards and controls of a specific task before it starts; a toolbox talk is a short crew conversation about the day's safety topics. They work together.
How often should a JHA be done?
At each task, and whenever conditions change. On fast-moving envelope work that often means several a day, not one a week.
Is a JHA legally required in Ontario?
The OHSA requires hazard assessment and competent supervision; IHSA states a formal hazard assessment should be part of any pre-job planning. A JHA is the practical way to meet that.